I'm trying to figure out where to install a pressure reducer since one sprinkler in my front lawn blew its top and the replacement immediately did the same thing. Appears the pressure is too high, since that's what the "we can help" guy said, and the water shoots up about 15 feet. (Odd that there was no problem the previous two years. We've been here since late June 2005)

I have both culinary water (water source enters the home through the basement) and irrigation water. I have two valve boxes on opposite sides of the house for the 9 zones. There appears to be a water meter (in an odd place) under a metal cover in the middle of our sidewalk. I would assume it is for the culinary water, but I'm not sure.

Where would I install a pressure regulator to keep my sprinkler heads from blowing out? Having not dealt too much with sprinkler systems, it looks like the valves are pretty much buried. I can only see an upsidedown "U" portion but no other pipe connections in the valve boxes. The sprinkler timer/controller is in the garage, one valve box is on the southwest side in the front yard, the other is on the northeast side in the back yard. Should I just start digging around the front yard valve box in hopes that I can figure it out, or determine where the irrigation water source splits to install the pressure regulator? Taking the dirt out of the valve box around the valves looks like it will be a little difficult...small hand tools and lots of obstacles with little room to manuver...

A friend of mine mentioned that I could just attach two wires of the zones together at the timer/controller box to reduce the pressure. The problem with that is that this particular zone is the only one with a fixed spray onto lawn, all of the other lawn sprinklers are rotating jets, and the flowerbeds with the fixed spray have different watering needs than the lawn.

Anyone have any experience, hints?

Should I just look for a sprinkler head that can handle higher water pressure? That would sure be an easy fix...