Cas,

Explain in more detail what you do after the irrigation system stops. The lowest head, if below the valve will continue to drain the lateral line until empty. How long will the flow from the lowest head last? When the irrigation stops is the pump still running because of the Geothermal HVAC system? Do you use a pressure tank to isolate the pump from system usage pressure surges? Never heard of water bubbles only air bubbles from pump cavitation. How gritty is the well water? Do you use a filtering system? What valve do you bleed? Are you bleeding air from this valve? Aloha

The sprinkler heads will continue leaking until fixed, it has been days before I noticed before so I don't think its the lowest head draining problem.

The pump runs on demand. If any valve anywhere is open the subdrive will turn on the pump at a variable rate. There is a pressure tank, a little bigger than a 20 lb gas cylinder.

Its air bubbles I guess, not water bubbles that the sprinkler guy claims is happening. Never seen any on the geothermal which has some clear parts at the filter and gpm measurement. But his bubbles might be too small to notice I guess.

The water used to be pretty dirty when the well was new and then again when the sprinkler got installed but it has cleaned up a lot since then. The only filter we have is on the hvac side and it used to get dirty every couple of weeks until the sprinkler was installed, then it was getting dirty every day or two days for a while. Now I clean it about every month even though it isn't dirty enough to affect the flow.

To fix the problem I bleed the individual zone valves.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks,

--Carlos

Cas,

You might try a filter for the irrigation system. You might be getting sand grit at the valve that doesn't allow the valve to close fully. Bleeding the valve opens and closes the valve and probably removes the grit. Do you have to bleed air out of the pressure tank? Do you have a pressure actuated shutoff for the pressure chamber? Does your tank have a pressure gauge on it? Can you put one on it? Aloha

I've never had to do anything with the tank, and it really doesn't have much to it. I could see about adding a pressure gauge on it.

Cas,

How come you don't address the filter issue first(cheapest)? What happens with the tank can relate to rapid cycling of your pump. Do you know how your pump is is stopped and started? Is the tank regulated by pressure switches or by a pump timer/controller. what is the purpose of the tank? If the tank pressure regulate the on/off of the pump, it is good to know what tank pressures are doing for different conditions of your system and if the tank is leaking pressure sooner than expected. Aloha

I am looking into filters. Although some irrigation professionals have mentioned that the filter may prevent future damage but the valves will probably still need cleaning and fixing. Eitherway I think I will have to add a filter.

Currently I have a subdrive system which controls the well motor when there is a lack of pressure in the line. And the small valve leaks are causing short cycling of the pump. I use this well for my hvac and it already broke this winter, the well company said it was because of the short cycling. It's one thing to have sprinkler problems, it's another thing for those problems to affect your heating and cooling.

Cas,

I would isolate the HVAC system completely from the irrigation system(different controller). What type of valves are you using for the HVAC system. Talk to whoever installed your HVAC system and see what they think. I am sure they have run into this type of problem on other systems of theirs in your area. The two systems may have different types of valving needed to operate problem free. JMHO Aloha