I'm glad I found an old plumbing thread. (pun intended)
We use reclaimed water for lawn watering. Last Friday, it was shut off by the county due to maintenance work. On Monday, they turned on the system. The pressure broke a plastic part in the pressure vacuum breaker (PVB) which sits before the irrigation manifold and valves.
I did some research, found there were rebuild kits available. I couldn't get a key part out; researched again and saw a special tool is needed. But no one has the tool. Called a bunch of places and internet retailers. Researching more, found that my PVB was the original design; the rebuild kits fit the new design, which is why my parts look different from those in the rebuild kit. Found a new unit at a local store and was planning on replacing. Talked to a neighbor walking his dog; he said to call his irritation repairman because the PVB might not be required.
Irrigation guy tells me he's two weeks out from coming, but then says, "Hey, you don't need a PVB because your reclaimed water is isolated from the potable water line. If you have two separate shutoffs at the street, you defo don't need it. Just put in some Sch40 PVC and you're golden."
Meanwhile, the query I had placed with the county department gets replied to with "We're not sure but we recommend you replacing it with another PVB and get an annual inspection done." Then I called the city's water department (we get county water, but I know the city's water folks are smarter as I used to be their customer.) They said the same thing as the irrigation repairman.
Now, I've never done any plumbing before but have seen enough IRL and on UToob to learn to measure thrice, cut twice, dry-fit, plan ahead, and timing is crucial because primer and glue.
Went to the hardware store, awesome folks in the plumbing department who looked at the photos on my phone, told me what to do and what to use, which tool to cut the pipe to make, etc. Then he said, "if you keep the tools and packaging clean, just return it when done".
Did all the cutting and prep after work on Tuesday. On Wednesday, at lunch, installed the new PVC pipe and fittings. Turn on the water and sprinklers, nothing happening apart from valves kicking. Check the county's newsroom site, entire reclaimed water system is still down. Great!
I guess I'll found out how well I did the job when the water lines are pressurized.
Also, two plumbers gave me quotes over the phone to fix. One wanted $350. Another had a $99 call-out charge plus time/labor/materials.
My cost, under $20 (excluding the fancy cutting tool which I'll return after confirming success).
