How to install and adjust Rain Bird rotary nozzles
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- Опубликовано: 12 июн 2012
- Step by step instructions for changing an existing spray nozzle on a sprinkler head to Rain Bird's rotary nozzles.
Sprinkler zone performance can depend on a lot of factors, and one is the number of sprinkler heads on a sprinkler zone. This is the most common problem I run into in my business. One solution that often works is to replace the spray nozzles on the sprinkler heads with rotary nozzles. Rotary nozzles use less water and water a bigger radius than regular spray nozzles, and can often times be a quick economical answer to poor sprinkler zone performance.
In this video I replace Rain Bird 1500 series nozzles with Rain Bird rotary nozzles to improve the performance on a sprinkler zone.
Parts used in video are annotated. 
Хобби
very quick intro to rain bird pop-ups, just what I needed. Thank you.
I just realized this video was from last summer. Doh!
Watched your video on the fertilizer application and I do see that the lawn is much greener in that corner in just a few weeks time.
Best video on adjusting these nozzles that I've seen.
Thanks for the info on where the nozzles are available.
Thank you so much, I was having a hard time understanding this stuff!!!! Not only did I replace the entire sprinkler body I also adjusted it!
Thanks Karen and congratulations.
The rotating nozzles give much better control of where water goes than the spray types.
I like how they look when watering.
Thanks Kerry. Your videos have been very helpful.
Thanks for the feedback.
Thanks for taking the time to make and post this video. It was very helpful for me.
Thanks for watching.
Great step by step video, thanks so much
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you, that's just the info I was looking for.
Central California Watching
Thanks for watching!
Thank you! This was a good demonstration.
Thanks for watching.
Yes they helped. If you watch my video on applying milorganite fertilizer it shows the section of my yard that I watered with these nozzles.
Lowes actually sells the 17 foot nozzle. Very happy with them
For normal lawn watering I would probably go with the spray nozzles. Rotary nozzles are good when you need to save flow on a sprinkler zone, plus I like how they look when watering.
Thank you, very helpful.
Yes. The precipitation rates for the rotary nozzles are less than say the 15 series series spray nozzles and will require longer watering times. If I'm correct I believe they match the precipitation rates of the 5000 series rotors.
I agree. Better to stay with one make of heads and nozzles on a system rather than mixing them.
To each his own I guess. I'm still a Rain Bird guy. I really like Rain Bird's drip/xerigation line of products.
I wish I would have seen your video when I searched for it haha
Great video, I live in a desert and winds are always blowing the water on the side walk. I'm going to replace with these especially since there starting fines for excessive run off with the exceptional drought here in SoCal.
Billy Inglett
Good luck. Let me know how the rotary nozzles work for you.
iScaper1
I got about 15 of them, they work great and look cool. I got a few comments from passer byers already lol. For some reason 2 of the spinklers dont have enough pressure to make it spin, but a regular nozzle goes farther.
Billy Inglett
The R17-24 series use less water and water further than the 15 series nozzles, so you may have other issues going on.
iScaper1
It ended up that I turned the adjustment screw too far and then it was stuck. It seems like half a turn is all it goes and if you go past that, it gets stuck at a low flow setting.
Billy Inglett
Good to hear you got them working.
thank you very helpful video
What was plugging on you, the drip emitters or the rotors? Was the system secondary water that you had to filter?
I enjoyed it thanks
Like you said, I also like the LOOK of the R-Vans while watering. But to get the grass wet, the old school U series offers better close in and a broader coverage band while making more of a mist. The misting style are great for water coverage but horrible in the wind. R-Vans are good in the wind agreed.
Good information, thanks for posting.
@@Iscaper Also noticed all of the other nozzles had triple the water output compared to the R-Van series. Look at the hourly precipitation rate on each nozzle. I was just about to get some R-Vans until I read they are stingy on water. I want shorter zone run times on my system. Water saving talk can gel some other place.
@@rickjames6948 If you want more water per head I would go with Rain Bird 1500 series or 1800 series nozzles. R-Vans are a good solution if you're over taxing the flow on a sprinkler zone.
I don't remember the R70, I do remember the R50 which I didn't like and used Maxi-Paws instead. I do like and use the 3504 and 5004 Rain Bird rotors.
do you know if the mpr nozzles work with the 1800 series? I'm currently using he-van nozzles. thanks
I haven't actually seen these in local hardware stores. At least the big box home depot/lowes. I want to switch out to these as well. I love that they are so adjustable. how far apart are your sprinklers spaced in this video?
I'd be interested to see some video or pictures of that brown corner spot now that these nozzles have had some time to do their work. Are they solving the problem you mentioned in the beginning?
Are you just using a flat blade screwdriver to adjust the throw or is it a specialized screw driver? Thanks!
Rotary nozzles you need to double the time at least. Very efficient and good coverage but lower gpm's On my lawn they run a full hour per zone daily for .25" of moisture, Of course, it depends on the available water pressure. it's pretty low here.
I don't think Lowe's or Home Depot carry these nozzles, you would have to go to a Rain Bird supplier. Spacing in the video is 15'. I adjusted the radius down a little bit after installing the nozzles.
Hi Kerry. This was a very instructive presentation. I love the final result the most of all. But I have an older Rainbird system and the very top piece of the sprinkler head broke off. It has a male end (with grooves) that screws down into the bottom half of the head which is a female receptacle (grooved). The problem is that none of the new sprinkler heads are made this way and have a single piece that has grooves inside that screws over the new male tube that carries the water up to the head.
Thus I cannot find a piece to replace the head without digging up all my sprinkler units. Any idea where I could find some of the original heads? Once in a while the heads do not automatically recede to ground level and the lawnmower nicely sends them flying into the wild blue yonder. No head, and the water gushes out like oil in a well. rendering the zone useless. My sprinkler service would love to put in a new system for me, but I just do not have the money.
I suspect someone somewhere there are boxes of these old parts sitting in a warehouse. How do I find them ?
Sincerely, High and Dry
If possible I would find a local plumbing supplier that carries Rainbird and take one of your old heads in and see if they have replacement parts. If that doesn't work see if you can find a model or part number and do a web search. If parts are no longer available anywhere I would replace the old heads with Rainbird 1804 heads as you break them.
Just FYI, I use a 9" spring clamp with soft pads on the tips to hold the pop up in place while working on sprinkler heads.
Rain bird also makes a cheap tool to lift and hold the pop up in place.
@@sptrader6316 Yes I have 4 of them. Little green screwdriver with wings.
we used to use the 3500.....now a rainbird 1800...with a mpr 2000 or 3000 on it.
ever revisit this lawn after the nozzle swap?
To John Dalton. The nozzles you see are Rain Bird R17-24 rotary nozzles.
Thanks
john dalton r17-24f is that correct? Thanks again
john dalton
Full circle would be R17-24F, half circle R17-24H, and quarter circle R-17-24Q.
Awesome. ..last question. What body is that head in.
john dalton
Rain Bird 1804 body.
Great Video, thanks for sharing.
I'm curious, are all Rain Bird sprinkler heads adjustable for the left edge by turning the shaft as you show?
Pretty sure all the VAN (Variable Arc Nozzles) operate this way.
@@Iscaper Thank you
Are rotary nozzle more water efficient then spray nozzle?
Thanks for all your videos, very helpful.
Yes, rotary nozzles use less water than standard spray nozzles.
For the rotary nozzle do you worry about not watering the grass around the nozzle head?
Duy tran
When rotating the nozzle does have fingers that water next to the head. Ideally you would also have head to head watering.
Can you explain to me a little bit about the head to head watering? If i have a head that spray 15', should the head next to it be 15' away? That seem like it would be head to head but the area in between would get double the water. I would figure the next head should be 30' away. Or just a couple of foot less to have a small over lap area.
Duy tran
Precipitation rates for sprinkler heads are based on head to head watering. In your example if you spaced the heads 30' apart you would have burn spots.
What's the model number of the ones in the backyard swirling around. Thanks
????? The Rain Bird 3500 series are mid-range stream rotors and the Rain Bird 1800 series are spray head bodies that come in 4", 6", and 12" pop up lengths. You simply add a MPR nozzle to the 1800 body. Not sure what you mean by mpr 2000 or 3000.
Most all the water is delivered to the spray radius. Not much near the nozzle. The Rainbird U series have much better water distribution.
Any Rain Bird supplier should carry these nozzles.
What do you prefer, spray heads or rotary nozzles?
My 1/4 heads don’t rotate. Does someone know why. The 1/2 and full circles work fine
Hi kerry i have another jobe lind up to est i am thinking of using rb 1804 w rotery noz on city water do u have a problum with thoes noz cloging up do u also use thoes noz on well water plus if u dont mind what do u charge 4 a sprinkler with that noz have u had good lock with them or shuld i use a rb mpr half noz
Hi John. I haven't had any trouble using the rotary nozzles on city water systems. I normally use the rotary nozzles if I need to save gallons per minute on a sprinkler circuit. The rotary nozzles will water the same or bigger radius that the 15 series nozzles do but use less water. Rotary nozzles tend to be more expensive than the 15 series nozzles. The last rotary nozzle I bought was around $5.
Well systems can be a problem depending on the well. Some wells have hard water with mineral particulates that can be problematic for sprinkler nozzles without using a filter on the supply line. It depends on the well.
What do you think the maximum spraying hight above the lawn is? I have a 2-3 foot retaining wall in my yard and I need it to get the upper level.
Greg Simoneau
All I can find on the angle of trajectory on the nozzle is that it varies from 4-34 degrees. I just installed some R-VAN1724 nozzles in my front yard and at the end of the spray they are probably watering 4-6' above the surface. If your heads are 8-10' away from the retaining wall the spray will probably clear the wall. You could buy one nozzle and test it out.
Thank you!!
rainbird rotators....150 or so on this job........very frustrating....hunters version..zero problems..performed as advertised ..I'm a rainbird guy...25 yrs.. a rainbird guy...rainbirds rotators....first rainbird product I was dissapointed in since the R-70...remember that one?
Since the new heads seem to use less water than the traditional heads did you increase the time to water for the zones? if so how much?
David Smith
Regular spray nozzles like the 1500 series have a precipitation rates of around 1.5 inches per hour. Rotary nozzles have rates around .70 inches per hour which is less than half. I usually start out by doubling the time on the rotary nozzles and see how that works.
I Kerry when u install those nozzles do u have 2 extended the run time if so by how much
Yes you need to water longer, probably around double the time. Precipitation rate for the Rain Bird 15H nozzle is 1.58 inches/hour and for the R17-24H nozzle .65 inches/hour. You can go to my website on the downloads page and download the Irrigation Catalog that has all the precipitation rates for sprinkler nozzles.
May be a stupid question, but do I have to turn the water off before I do this? I just need to replace 1 nozzle, but I need to take it to Lowe's to get it matched.
Only if that sprinkler zone is watering or will water after you've removed the nozzle. Easiest way to do it is to turn the timer off while you have the nozzle out.
I don't understand what you mean by "line up the white line with the edge of the concrete". Do you mean center it on the area that you are looking to have the spray from the head? Example, on a 90 degree head that is installed in a corner you turn the sprinkler until the white line is pointed at the 45 degree mark or midway in the spray pattern? Set at 90 Degrees on 180 degree pattern heads?
DISREGARD... At 4:22 you finally explained what you meant by "lining up the white mark with the edge of the concrete"
Kerry t is the shit he knowes what he is doing
Did you try a rainbird impact sprinkler I like them.
+Everything home repair
I like the Maxi-Paw but I've been using Rain Birds rotors and rotary nozzles lately.
Everything home repair
Everything home repair work
I live in rhode island and lowes here carries alot of heads and parts for Rain bird, home depot, no clue I wont shop there
you were using a flathead screwdriver to pop those rotary sprinklers up, but what if the head came off and the shaft is stuck down in the hole? Do you know how i can get the shaft up to screw the head back on?
The sprinkler body has a threaded cap that you can unscrew to access shaft of the sprinkler head.
thanks
Hi kerry i have a job that i am going 2 use the rb rotary noz i have a q i have 75 psi at the hose bib do i nead 2 get a psi reducer and i have a hslf circle grass 2 do what noz do u think i shuld use i was thinking.of going the tryangle 1 half circle in the center and 2 quarter circle at the end
You're should be okay at 75psi without a pressure reducer. If you're watering a half circle the spacing for the heads you describe works if the heads will spray to the outside of the half circle.
How many heads did you end up with on that zone using the rotary nozzles. Also, what was the throw distance for each? I have a similar problem.
7 heads, throw distance (radius) was 15-20' depending on head location.
Hi kerry allways like your vidos i have a q have u ever used krain nozels with with the blue top ajustible noz and have good lock i dont i allways have a problum with them not spraying right or cloging up i tosed all of them and the bodies that i bought a box of in the trash and put rb noz and bodies in
Hi John. I watched their video on RUclips and the variable arc adjustment option looks interesting, although I've never used the K-Rain nozzle and from your comments about them I don't think I will.
iScaper1 Very lightweight cheaply built, cheap seals.
static I agree. I like the Hunter MP Rotator better.
Kerry is it true that when u use rotary noz u have 2 increas watering time
it is true they are more efficient, better coverage like a light rain fall but increase your watering time. Less chance though of excess run-off, it's kinda like drip irrigation for your lawn.
drip/xerigation...is horrible in northern area when you have to deal with wintezisation.....mp rotators gets a LEEDS accreditation
Hi Kerry what is your appion on the hunter mp.rotors at 2 the rainbird roter y nozel
I like Hunter products but I still like Rainbird best. Have you tried the MP Rotators and if so how do you like them?
No I was asking u I haven't I have a job that I nead 2 put some on
john Kosheluk
It can get expensive to stock more than one brand of sprinkler parts, that's why I use Rainbird unless a customer specifically asks for Hunter products.
Yes i know I use the same
The black siding is a 13 18 the yellow siding is 17 24
Do you know if these work with 2 1/2 SP-Series sprinklers?
Who makes the 2 1/2 SP-Series?
Rain Bird.
store.rainbird.com/sp25ap-2-1-2-in-sure-pop-spray-head-adjustable-pattern-nozzle-0-360-degree.html#product_tabs_description_tabbed
Thanks for the info. If I remember right these heads are what's sold by Rain Bird at Home Depot and Lowe's. I would guess the thread patterns on the base of the rotary nozzles are the same as what's on the Sure-Pops, but I'm not positive. I like to use the 1800 series bodies and add the nozzles I need to those bodies. I'm thinking the 1800 series would have a longer life than the Sure-Pops because they're what contractors are buying. Also the 1800 Series head would have a higher pop-up height than the Sure-Pop head. Here are links to the 1800 Series sprinkler body and the rotary nozzles:
store.rainbird.com/sprinklers/spray-heads/1804-4-in-1800-series-pop-up-spray-head-no-nozzle.html
store.rainbird.com/nsearch?q=rotary+nozzles
Thank you for your information and help. I will try the 2 inch (1800). Or a 3 inch and just replace the nozzle. The 4 inch would stick up too high. I currently use the 2 1/2 inch.
Hi Kerry, can I put Rainbird rotary sprinkler head to Hunter body?
If I remember right the thread patterns on the shafts are the same and you can interchange nozzles.
Why dont use the adjustable rvan
I got a Rain Bird 17-24' 90 degree for $0.01 because of a Home Depot glitch lol
How did you swing that? They're normally over $4.
oops posted the last comment 3 times. Sorry! Google+ lagged! It seemed that the comment was not posted...
i've gotten nozzles for a penny before too here. Not sure how or why, but hey i'll take it.
I install both....Hunter has a much better version....not a little better, but alot better...I've installed rainbird for 25yrs....
Hi Kerry what rotery nozzle do u like rainbird or hunter
john Kosheluk
Hi John. I haven't tried the Hunter MP Rotator, still using the Rain Bird rotary nozzles. Have you tried them?
No but thay are double the price
john Kosheluk
I think I'll stick with Rain Bird.
Yeah me 2 have u had any problems with them
john Kosheluk
No problems yet.
hunter MPR...1000..10 ft nozzle..2000..20ft nozzle...3000..30ft nozzle..used to be called..1..2..or 3...when they were made by Walla Walla
Hi Kerry y didn't u use rainbird 3504 or 5000 roters
john Kosheluk
Couple of reasons. I already had 1804 bodies installed in the lawn area that were correctly spaced and had 15 series nozzles. It was a pretty simple fix to change the nozzles over to the rotary nozzles and reduce my water usage. Second reason is the rotary nozzles look cool when operating.
Ok do u need more of them on a zone
john Kosheluk
No, the R17-24 rotary nozzles use less water than the 15 series nozzles and will water a bigger radius if needed.
ANY pliers on the shaft, will gouge the shaft, causing leaks at the shaft. Over time the gouge will wear out the seal and leak. Use your hands or those rubber dipped gloves to grab the shaft. Don't care if those are irrigation pliers you are using.
Thanks for sharing.
But we should never use metal pliers on a plastic sprinkler shaft like that.
That could mar the finish and cause leaks.
A better option is to grab the whole shaft with one hand and twist.
Ant that's a technique that comes naturally to most adults. ; )
Pry the color off so you don’t puncture it
I can barely hear you and my computer volume is all the way up
I'm installing a high profile...consultant designed system...rain-water capture..the whole nine-yards...all rain-bird...valves..controller...but anywhere that isn't sub-surface drip line...hunter MP Rotors.....I installed a $750,000 system last year..used rainbirds version...as per consultant....worked like complete shit...plugged...didnt rotate...awful...On a design build project. Hunters MP rotators are a million times better than rain bird's
What's the model number of the ones in the backyard swirling around. Thanks