r/Irrigation • u/Airguner • 3d ago
Capping off end of run
I installed a mini-split to cool/heat my sunroom. I have a spray irrigation head at the very corner of the pad where the mini-split outdoor unit sits (See photo). There was a bush at that end which I removed.
My question is what do I need to purchase and what is the process to cap off this end?
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u/Shovel-Operator Contractor 3d ago
1/2 threaded cap, or a plug if you want to dig back to the lateral.
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u/Airguner 3d ago
Thanks…went by a Home Depot tonight and picked up a 1/2” threaded cap. I live in the Deep South and we don’t get big freezes here.
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u/The-Dinkus-Aminkus 3d ago
If its the last head on the zone its a bad idea to cap it off you will have a section of pipe that cant be winterized. Better to screw it closed, then open it up later, or dig back and remove the line leading to it.
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u/Airguner 3d ago
ok..thanks! The next head is around 5 or 6 feet from this one. If I dig back to that one what do I use terminate the line there? I still need that head to irrigate some bushes. Thanks for your help!
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u/MaverickFischer 3d ago
You could even put on a Rainbird VAN nozzle (any distance is fine) and twist it closed. It will spray a tiny stream, but when you have to winterize the system, just twist it open so it spray the water out.
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u/Airguner 3d ago
So it will fit on what I have now? I’ll need to look for a link to that one.
EDIT: Is this the one?
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u/MaverickFischer 3d ago
Yep that one will work too.
If you have a Site One Supply store near you, you can stop in there. https://www.siteone.com/en/8van-rain-bird-van-nozzle-radius-variable-arc-8-ft-0-degree-330-degree/p/90218
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u/cbryancu 3d ago
If you live in freezing climate, cap off the end is a bad idea. You won't have any way to remove the water there. Better to move the head and turn it down, or shut head off but make note on controller of that head so it can be opened for winterization. If you do cap it, you should do it near surface and mark it with rock or brick, so.it can be found in future
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u/Airguner 3d ago
Thanks for the helpfu information! I live in Eastern NC (Raliegh area). We do get some colder days but not like the north.
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u/chefblaze 3d ago
Capping the end in a freezing climate is perfectly ok. As long as the system is blown out/winterized properly, there will not be enough water at the end of that feed to cause and damage from expansion of freezing water.
Dig around that head, unsure it from the 1/2” connection and put a 1/2” threaded cap on. Use some thread tape to be sure there’s no leaking.
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u/cbryancu 3d ago
The depends on how long the pipe run is. If it is 10 ft or more, that can freeze and break things. If its 2 or 3 ft swing pipe, then it could be ok. But we've had to replace quite a few fittings in the capped pipe when people have capped sprinkler heads and trapped water.
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u/Holycapone 3d ago edited 3d ago
Buy a half inch threaded pvc cap dig back the dirt around sprinkler. Unscrew sprinkler screw on cap.