Claims
- 1. A method of repairing a valve in a head sprinkler without excavating the sprinkler, comprising the steps of:providing a hollow body with an inlet and a valve for controlling the entry of water into the body through the inlet; providing the body with a riser vertically reciprocable within the body and including a nozzle at an upper end thereof for distributing water over an area to be watered; providing the body with a circular ground support flange at its upper end including an aperture for allowing the riser to extend and retract therethrough and an opening that leads to a valve actuator component assembly housing connected to the body; installing a valve actuator component assembly inside the housing and operatively connecting the assembly to the valve for turning the valve ON and OFF; sealing an open upper end of the valve actuator component assembly housing with an openable lid; connecting the inlet to a sub-surface water supply line; burying the body in a bed of soil so that the ground support flange is substantially located at a level of a surface of the bed; and opening the lid, disconnecting the assembly, and removing the assembly from the valve actuator component assembly housing through the opening in the ground support flange to enable repair or replacement of the assembly.
- 2. A sprinkler adapted for sub-surface mounting, comprising:a body having an inlet at a lower end of the body; a nozzle mounted in an upper end of the body; means for communicating water from the inlet to the nozzle; a valve located in the body for admitting water from the inlet to the water communication means; a generally rectangular valve actuator component assembly housing attached to an exterior of the body; a valve actuator component assembly mounted in the valve actuator component assembly housing and connected to the valve, the valve actuator component assembly being operable between ON and OFF conditions to open and close the valve; means for connecting the valve actuator component assembly and the valve; the valve actuator component assembly housing being mounted adjacent an upper end of the body so that the valve actuator component assembly will be accessible from a surface of a bed of soil in which the body is planted; and a hose housing connected to the body and to an underside of the valve actuator component assembly housing.
- 3. The sprinkler of claim 2 wherein the water communicating means includes a riser vertically reciprocable inside the body from a retracted position to an extended position, the nozzle being rotatably mounted on an upper end of the riser.
- 4. The sprinkler of claim 3 wherein the riser includes a turbine and a gear train connecting the turbine and the nozzle for rotating the nozzle.
- 5. The sprinkler of claim 2 wherein the valve actuator component assembly housing has a lid movable to cover and uncover an upper opening of the valve actuator component assembly housing.
- 6. The sprinkler of claim 2 wherein the valve is a diaphragm valve, and the valve actuator component assembly includes a pilot valve and a regulator.
- 7. The sprinkler of claim 6 wherein the valve actuator component assembly includes a solenoid mounted in the valve actuator component assembly housing for actuating the pilot valve.
- 8. The sprinkler of claim 2 and further comprising a ground support flange that extends radially outwardly from the upper end of the body.
- 9. The sprinkler of claim 5 wherein the lid is attached to the valve component assembly housing with a hinge.
- 10. The sprinkler of claim 5 and further comprising means for securing the lid in a closed position.
- 11. The sprinkler of claim 8 and further comprising a plurality of radially extending fins connecting the body and the ground support flange.
- 12. The sprinkler of claim 2 wherein the valve actuator component assembly housing has a box-like configuration.
- 13. A sprinkler adapted for sub-surface mounting, comprising:a body having an inlet at a lower end of the body; a nozzle mounted in an upper end of the body; means for communicating water from the inlet to the nozzle; a valve located in the body for admitting water from the inlet to the water communication means; a valve actuator component assembly housing attached to an exterior of the body; a valve actuator component assembly mounted in the valve actuator component assembly housing and connected to the valve, the valve actuator component assembly being operable to open and close the valve; means for connecting the valve actuator component assembly and the valve; the valve actuator component assembly housing being mounted adjacent an upper end of the body so that the valve actuator component assembly will be accessible from a surface of a bed of soil in which the body is planted; and a hose housing connected to the body adjacent the valve actuator component assembly housing for providing a conduit to enclose the means for connecting the valve actuator component assembly and the valve.
- 14. The sprinkler of claim 13 wherein the valve actuator component assembly housing is connected to an upper end of the hose housing.
- 15. The sprinkler of claim 14 wherein the hose housing is removably connected to the body.
- 16. The sprinkler of claim 15 wherein the hose housing and the body have mating tracks and rails.
- 17. The sprinkler of claim 13 wherein the hose housing has a hole in a lower wall thereof for draining water.
- 18. The sprinkler of claim 13 wherein the valve actuator component assembly housing is inclined and is connected to a tapered hose housing that encloses a plurality of hoses.
- 19. The sprinkler of claim 13 wherein a lateral width of the hose housing is less than a lateral width of the valve actuator component assembly housing.
- 20. The sprinkler unit of claim 13 wherein the hose housing has a triangular shape.
- 21. A sprinkler adapted for sub-surface mounting, comprising:a vertically extending body having an inlet at a lower end of the body; a valve located in the body for admitting water from the inlet into an interior of the body; a riser vertically reciprocable within the interior of the body when the inlet is connected to a source of pressurized water and the valve is opened and closed; a nozzle mounted at an upper end of the riser for distributing the water; a water driven turbine mounted within the riser and coupled to the nozzle through a gear train for rotating the nozzle through an adjustable arc; a ground support flange extending horizontally outwardly from an upper end of the body and having an aperture through which the riser can extend; a valve actuator component assembly housing connected to the ground support flange and having an openable lid that aligns with, and effectively forms a part of, the ground support flange when the lid is in a closed position; and a valve actuator component assembly mounted in the valve actuator component assembly housing and connected to the valve for opening and closing the valve, the valve actuator component assembly being readily removable from the housing from above a surface of a bed of soil in which the body is planted when the lid is in an open position.
- 22. The sprinkler of claim 21 wherein the ground support flange is round and the aperture through which the riser can extend is located in an off-center position within the ground support flange.
- 23. The sprinkler of claim 21 wherein the lid of the valve actuator component assembly housing is completely removable.
- 24. The sprinkler of claim 20 wherein ground support flange is round and the lid of the valve actuator component assembly housing does not extend beyond a periphery of the ground support flange.
- 25. The sprinkler of claim 21 wherein the ground support flange is round.
- 26. A sprinkler adapted for sub-surface mounting and above surface repair, comprising:a vertically extending body having a hollow interior and an inlet; a valve located in the body for admitting water from the inlet into the interior of the body; a riser vertically reciprocable within the interior of the body when the inlet is connected to a source of pressurized water and the valve is opened and closed; a nozzle mounted at an upper end of the riser for distributing the water; a valve actuator component assembly housing connected to the body and having an open upper end positioned adjacent an upper end of the body; a generally circular ground support flange extending substantially horizontally outwardly from the upper end of the body and having a riser aperture through which the riser can extend, the open upper end of the valve actuator component assembly housing being located within a circle coinciding with a periphery of the ground support flange; and a valve actuator component assembly mounted inside the valve actuator component assembly housing and operatively connected to the valve for opening and closing the valve, the valve actuator component assembly being disconnectable from the valve and removable through the open upper end of the valve actuator component assembly housing from above a surface of a bed of soil in which the body is planted.
- 27. A sprinkler adapted for sub-surface mounting, comprising:a vertically extending body having a hollow interior and an inlet; a valve located in the body for admitting water from the inlet into the interior of the body; a riser vertically reciprocable within the interior of the body when the inlet is connected to a source of pressurized water and the valve is opened and closed; a nozzle mounted at an upper end of the riser for distributing the water; a circular ground support flange extending horizontally outwardly from an upper end of the body and having a riser aperture through which the riser can extend, a center of the riser aperture being offset from a center of the ground support flange; a valve actuator component assembly housing integrally connected to an exterior side of the body and having an openable lid that does not extend beyond a periphery of the ground support flange when the lid is in a closed position; and a valve actuator component assembly mounted in the valve actuator component assembly housing and connected to the valve for opening and closing the valve, the valve actuator component assembly being readily removable from above a surface of a bed of soil in which the body is planted upon opening the lid.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/094,412 of Loren W. Scott filed Jun. 9, 1998 now abandoned and having the same title.
US Referenced Citations (13)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/094412 |
Jun 1998 |
US |
Child |
09/491006 |
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US |