Valves - Installing a Hunter Valve

Proper system design and placement of valves is an intricate part of a good irrigation design.  Before installing an irrigation valve ensure you have a good irrigation design that follows your local and county building codes. 

Guidelines to follow when installing your valves:

Valve placement

We recommend placing the valve manifold in an accessible spot for easy maintenance. Place the manifold close to the area the valves will serve, but where you will not be sprayed when activating the system manually

Valve Orientation

Each valve has an inlet and an outlet. An arrow is molded into the body of each Hunter valve that indicates the direction that water should flow.  The actual orientation of the valve from being installed vertical or horizontal is not an issue as this would be more of a convenience for maintenance purposes.

Use nipples with "cut" threads

We recommend nipples with "cut" threads rather than fittings with molded threads. From brand to brand, there can be a substantial variation in the thread size of molded threaded pipe fittings, especially with male adapters. When used with any type of valve, this variability in size can lead to fittings which can be "too tight" with some brands and "not tight enough" with others. Using nipples with cut threads will help to avoid these problems.

Teflon paste

Teflon paste will fill in the voids between the threads of the valve and nipple. In contrast, teflon tape can add dimension to the nipple, making a tighter fit than necessary between the fitting and the valve. As a general rule of thumb, hand-tighten the nipple into the valve, then tighten 1/4 turn more using a wrench. While not a hard and fast rule, in almost every case this will provide a correctly installed, leak-free connection. When tightening the nipple, do not use the solenoid or flow control as a grip handle.

Teflon tape

When using Teflon tape, wrap around pipe three full times. As a general rule of thumb, hand-tighten the nipple into the valve, then tighten 1/2 turn more using a wrench. When tightening the nipple, do not use the solenoid or flow control as a grip handle.

*Note: Do not use Teflon tape and Teflon paste together. The Teflon tape will increase the overall size of the threads and the Teflon paste will act as a lubricant. This can result in the installer unintentionally screwing the male adapter into the valve too deep which can split the valve body.

Use waterproof wire connectors

Use waterproof wire connectors to connect solenoid wires to low voltage irrigation wire in the valve box. Connections that are not waterproof will corrode causing too much electrical resistance. This high resistance will blow fuses or circuit breakers in the controller.

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