Hi ody,

Does this happen with one sprinkler or all at the same time? What brand do you have and what is the material of the body made of? Are you able to verify the pressure with a gauge when the sprinklers are running. Are they impulse or rotary? Aloha.

Apology for the lapse, but have been trying to figure out what the brands are.

One is a GroundWork Pulsating Sprinkler (90 ft Coverage) from Tractor Supply, about one year old, and I have not had a problem with it.

The other two (from Home Depot) are circular base and about 2-3 years old. They all have similar brass sprinkler heads which sort of "rachet" a step at a time.

Normally there is no problem if they are in 360 degree mode. The problem occurs (sporadically) when they are going back and forth in less than 360 degree mode (switching direction when the flip down tab encounters one of the adjustable stops). It will just either stop or go so slow that it is difficult to tell if it is moving.

The problem can occur with one while the others operating satisfactorily and simultaneously.

Hi Ody,

Are the HD ones plastic well bases that house the impulse brass pop up head inside or does the whole pop up look like a large cylinder with a hole and screw insert where the water comes out if the head(rotary head)? Think about checking your pressure while they are running. Do they all run together or one at a time? Why do you use them in the 360 degree mode and then change the pattern to something else? 90 foot throw distance is quite far and usually is what is used on Golf Courses. The problem is just the difference in quality from a Home Depot product versus an irrigation supply store. With what you seem to need, go for quality products. You need items that, to me, are beyond the needs of the average home system. How do you supply the water to these heads (flow and pressure)? Aloha

The bases are all cast metal. The pulsating heads do not pop up. They are permanently mounted on the base (see

http://www.hardwareandtools.com/invt/u583676

which is typical of the type of sprinkler at issue). Having said that they do not pop up, the rotating water delivery part does rise about 1/4 inch when the water is turned on, and this apparently is needed during operation-although I don't understand exactly how they work. It strikes me that "ratcheting" is a better description than "pulsating."

I live on 26 acres, of which about 1 1/2 acres are a mix of zoysia (near the house) and native Texas wild grasses and wild bermuda. When I am watering close to the house, I am generally against the house (needing 180 degrees) or at a corner (270 degrees). When further away, I set to water full circle to get maximum coverage.

And yes, I know that I can go out and buy new stuff, and can pay a lot more. But I have these, and most of the time, they work just fine.

So I am just trying to figure out why the occasional problem with the two, but not the one, and fix them. Thanks for any ideas.

Hi Ody,

Thanks for the link. Now I know that you have a temporary system that you move around. If you are doing this in tall grasses then that could be a clogging problem, but you would see that right away. Do you have hard water? It may be just some build up of calcium in some of the parts. Soak in vinegar for awhile and see if that helps. Other than that it could be just parts that have worn out and get stuck every once in a while. If there was any actual problem design problem they would have a recall or stop making them because of complaints. I don't use the ratchet type myself and the cheaper ones are known for this type of problem. But you aren't using the cheaper kind. There have been previous threads on this very subject. Take it to a irrigation supply store and ask what they think. I am assuming your pressure and flow are very good if you are getting 90 foot throws with this type of sprinkler. I am definitely not an expert on this type of sprinkler. Maybe someone else has more experience with this type of irrigation. Aloha.

I am not sure you have a problem with a sprinkler. It sounds like variations in water pressure are giving you erratic results. When a sprinkler is in 360 degree mode, it takes less pressure than when it is reversing. In order to get the head to change from one direction to another, a lever has to be thrown. (That's the little arm that you snap down if you are going part-circle, and snap up out of the way for full circle.) If you don't have enough pressure to throw the lever, the sprinkler just sits there, trying to change directions but unable to, because there isn't enough pressure to throw the lever. Also, water pressure varies during the day. If you are on city water, pressure is usually higher early morning before businesses open, and lower at the end of the day. If you are on a well, you probably have a pressure tank or a bladder tank with a pump that kicks on when needed. The pressure can vary 10-20 psi between pump times. Pressure can also vary when other things in the house are drawing water, such as laundry or just running water in a sink. One more point, an impulse sprinkler (what they are calling pulse) has 2 cycles, a drive cycle and a return cycle, and they sound different. The drive cycle is slower between impacts (the arm that is banging into the water stream and moving the head), the return cycle is faster. It takes more pressure to change the sprinkler from the return cycle to the drive cycle than it does to change from the drive cycle to the return cycle. I'll bet when the sprinkler stalls out it is trying to change direction from one cycle to another. Next time you have a sprinkler stall out, start shutting other things off and see if it starts again. The only solution to this is to decrease your water demand to keep your pressure up, or buy sprinklers with smaller nozzles.