This was precisely what I was looking for. I had no idea how the caps on the Hunter PGP head pop-up sprinklers were kept on, or how they were supposed to be removed. A lawn mower ate the screw-on cap on one of my heads, and it is of a type that is so long(or tall), that it is no longer advertised for sale at any of the local big box stores. And a replacement cap and seals were all I needed. I keep a big box of old and/or spare Toro, Rain Bird, Hunter and no-name sprinkler parts around for repair purposes, so this fix should only cost me my time, which, as a retired person, is not worth much. Thanks for making this video, and please keep making them. You have a great way of explaining things on camera.
Extremely helpful video! This certainly helped to save me a lot of money by changing the seal rather than having to replace the entire head. You made it look so easy. Thank you!
Thanks for your great video! To make sure that the dirty water which you flushed out does NOT go back into the pipe in the ground, I would suggest getting a 3/4 inch PVC pipe with a threaded adapter and temporarily screw it in maybe a turn or two. The temporary flush pipe should be long enough to extend above the ground and the grass. Then flush the system and the dirty ground water won't run back into the pipe. For most other smaller sprinkler heads, you would need the appropriately sized half inch flush pipe and adapter. Update: I just saw another great tip thanks to one of your commenters, add a 90° elbow at the top of this flush pipe to direct the water away from the hole.
I've had 8 Hunter PGP rotors in use for about 27 years in my garden in NY City. They haven't been touched in all that time but three need minor servicing now, for small leaks. Excellent product.
Great video. I just replaced 3 of my Hunter PGP sprinklers because I saw water leaking around them. I wished I'd watched your video first. Since I didn't throw them away, I'll take a deeper look at them and if there is no damage to the bodies, I''ll replace the respective combo seal and retainer rings as you did in this video. That way if I have any additional ones experiencing issues, I'll replace as them as needed with my rebuilt one(s). Thanks for the excellent video!
Great video on rotor replacement right up until the part where you put ANOTHER PGP in the ground. If your PGP has failed--like many others, replace it with a better-performing product, such as the T5 Rapid Set Rotor from TORO. My contracting company switched from PGP's to Toro a few years ago because we were tired of customer complaints on seals leaking. We were changing over 2,000 rotors a year due to seal leaks. With Toro? NONE! Great product, higher pop-up, better seal, better nozzle, check value included no additional cost AND a 5-year warranty! I am making a great living replacing PGP's with Toro's T5 all day long. Thanks for the video, Jay!
Others have had the exact opposite experience with Toro heads. These PGPs have served me very well, they are in their 8th year now and this is the only one that ever had a problem.
You're making a great living, until the gear drives start going out in the rapid sets, are you really having good luck with those, I hate those things.
I have a number of Toro sprinkler heads in my yard, along with ones by Hunter and Rain Bird. Toro sprinkler parts are hard to find in the big box stores in my area, the Capital of our State, which is a little surprising to me. Any there any online or other sources of Toro heads and parts that anyone can recommend? Thanks in advance.
When I first bought my house, my sprinkler sytem was mainly made up of Hunter PGPs and these Toro heads from the 90s. A few of the Toro and Hunter heads still remain but most of the sytem is a mixed bag of different brands as an experiment of mine. As of now, I think most of the brands perform pretty much the same.
There is another cause for a leak that wasn’t mentioned. In my case the screw on cap had a hairline crack. One could think the riser seal needs replaced but really it was the cap.
Hunters are the best in ground pop ups. Simple and easy to adjust. I have the stainless steel version. Only bad part on the plastic pop ups. They score more easily, so in turn they wear out the swipe rubber quicker.
Ha! Sorry...PGP's are miserable. Stop giving Hunter a pass due to their historical marketing prowess. Their rotors only pop up 4", their seals leak like crazy and their nozzle distribution is just OK. Try the Toro T5 Rapid Set rotors if you want a GREAT performing rotor. Higher, 5" pop same body height, NO seal issues, best nozzle in the industry and 5 year warranty. Proof? Why are their countless Hunter videos on seal replacements?
The cap does not unscrew on mine. I wonder if is an older model that does not unscrew. I have even tried locking it in a vice and using large channel lock plyers. Thank you for taking the time to do this video. I have the PGPs in the house I moved into recently and it apparently took 20 years for the few heads I had to replace to go bad (stopped turning after they got to the furthest point in one direction.)
The sprinkler went together somehow, so that cap is supposed to unscrew. Whether they had changed the design to what I showed in this video or not over the years, I don't know. Worst case scenario the entire sprinkler can be replaced, and they're not very expensive. I know Home Depot offers a volume discount on them if you need several.
Thanks! When a channel gets to be this size, that's bound to happen. Haters gonna hate. But, each one counts for a view, so I still get paid. That's what the haters don't understand.
Great video once again! I'm disappointed that there were already 4 dislikes, I couldn't find anything wrong with the video. Infact, its better than alot of videos out there that fix the same problem, just a different sprinkler.
kd9bwi When the sprinkler is not operating, it should be recessed at the ground level. The topmost part of it, the part that sprays the water, is called the turret. There's a part that screws on at the top, when it is unscrewed, the body of the sprinkler comes off the bottom. Then that same top piece that unscrewed can be removed from the turret by prying up as shown. The entire sprinkler can simply be unscrewed from its fitting as shown in the video. Also serviceable but beyond the scope of this video is the nozzle itself, several different ones are included with a new sprinkler. Whatever nozzle is chosen can be further adjusted as to the length of its spray, and of course the circumference of the sprinkler can be adjusted from a few degrees to almost 360 degrees.
I just replaced 17 leaking PGP rotors on one residential property today. Those things are garbage. I heard Hunter fixed the seal problem within the last several years, but I have yet to see any sort of proof of that yet. It'd be nice to know it was true, otherwise these 17 I just replaced are going to go bad again, probably sooner than later.
I'd be interested to see if indeed they have fixed the seals. They also make industrial grade ones that are supposed to be leaps and bounds better than these consumer grade ones, but they also cost a pretty penny.
For all the haters out there, the PGP rotors are what the irrigation company I worked for back in the early 90s used and we never had maintenance calls for those. Rainbird & Toro on the other hand, numerous calls! Fast forward to 2018, my house that i bought new in 2009 had hunter pgp rotors and they just started leaking at the start if this season. So, I ordered 25 new seals and have a weekend project. I bought new seals for a total of 0.46 per seal. Way better than paying $7-9 per head. Given these are Hunter replacement seals, I dont expect any issues with them and will get another 9 years out of them.
Exactly! A friend of mine just had a system put in, and they used PGP heads. My system is now about 8 years old, and I've had one other seal fail. Big deal.
The source I used at the time of this particular recording is no longer around. However, I did find a seller on ebay that is selling them (just the rubber part (plastic part rarely goes bad and shouldn't even need replacement)) for under $2 apiece, in lots of 3: www.ebay.com/itm/3-Pieces-Hunter-181500-PGP-Riser-Seal/322614254837
If it's a Hunter PGP head, that's the right part. If it's a PGJ, there's a different one for that. If the head has been in service for 18 years, you're probably better off just replacing it, especially if you can't tell what it is exactly. Heads are pretty cheap as well, the local big box store sells the PGP heads for under $12.
Well done .... my hunter heads similar to your are 1 year old .. they all are leaking when you turn that zone on ... maybe the installer didn’t include the washers ... I will shop for them ... also , how do I make the head to do higher above the ground? I need them to be another 2 to 3 in higher but the spring won’t keep that high . I can do it by hand but they go back to a lower position once I release them . Thanks so much
The washers were included with the head from the factory, they didn't need to be put on first. If the head isn't popping up high enough, that could be due to too many heads on that zone and not quite enough water pressure to drive them all. Try it at midnight and see if it pops up any higher, when less people are using water. Otherwise, you can remove the head and use a taller riser pipe to raise the entire sprinkler up higher.
My PGP's have worked well for many years. I had a 150 year-old dead oak removed recently and the trunk was dropped on one of my PCP's. They only cost $13, so I don't see any reason to repair them...just replace with new.
Why do you think that the heads are leaking ? Or at least around the heads at the base? I believe that I have the 4 in. Pop-up Pro-Spray Body w/15 ft. ADJ Nozzle. Thanks so much
If they started leaking immediately from day 1, they likely weren't manufactured correctly. If it started sometimes after, and there weren't any close calls with the lawnmower, the seals just went bad. If you have especially sandy soil, this can certainly happen, the sharp corner of a grain of sand lodged in there could destroy the seal in short order.
I would have liked to see how he flushed the line without getting it of mud when the water runs back down into the hole. Unless he didnt. Maybe there is another video on how to do that?
Simple: I used a spare cut-off riser. If you don't have one, they're usually under a dollar at your local home improvement store. Bonus points if you also get an elbow to direct the water away from the hole. I didn't have that luxury, so I just left the riser installed until the water got down below the connection point, then removed it.
I've been doing this professionally for years. Screw the empty canister back onto the plug while you are replacing the washer. Flush the line via the empty canister. Three seconds of pressure more or less. Quick and easy, no mess.
It's actually a little less labor fixing them, since the sprinkler is already adjusted, so if you put it back the same way, you skip having to do that. The seals, when I bought them, I got a pack of 4 for $6. So yes, it's worth fixing them.
Great video....thank you. I have a Hunter head that is leaking from where the line is, about an inch down from the top of the head (@ :21 of your video, mine leaks from that upper line around the head). Do you have a recommended fix for that? Thanks very much in advance........
@@jaykay18 Thanks....The face of the head reads Hunter PGP. But are there different sizes/spray amount? If so, how do I identify the size of the one that I'm replacing so that I get the right one?
@@joemarchand8313 The one in there can be removed and placed into the new one, you'll need the adjustment key for it though. The store will sell not only the whole assembly, but also different nozzles, and the adjustment key, which you will need to set up the new one. I know the key's like $1.50, at least it used to be before the world turned upside-down.
@@jaykay18 I have the white adjustment key. My question is how do I buy the correct replacement head? Or, are all Hunter PGP replacement heads the same?
@@joemarchand8313 They sell different nozzles for different applications. Depends on the area you are watering. This one from the orange store has a 3GPM nozzle, which is probably fine for most purposes: www.homedepot.com/p/Hunter-Industries-PGP-Gear-Drive-Rotor-Sprinkler-with-3-Gallon-Per-Minute-Nozzle-PGP-ADJ/202067943
Thanks. My local supplier told me they didn't make any replacement seals. I have someone who has a bunch of leaky heads and was hoping to just change a seal. I may need to go directly to the manufacturer for new seals instead of a whole new head.. How much did the new seals cost? Thanks!
You don't need to go to the manufacturer. Just go one ebay, which is where I got mine. Search "Hunter PGP Riser Seals" and take your pick, they're usually about a buck apiece.
@@markcanepa1207 yes thank you. I got some a few months ago from a place in TC Michigan along with other parts. About 30 cents a piece for the seals. Still haven't had the time to change them yet though. To busy with my regular job. This is a favor for people i built a house for in 06' and for my mom. I take care of their systems.
You can buy the seal alone, but you'd have to find it online, there wouldn't be a store that would sell them over the counter. Amazon and ebay are your best bet. I think I got mine from ebay.
@@jaykay18 what is the name of the seal, please? Every one of my sprinklers are leaking at the base. The seal is white but not sure what is the name. Thanks so much
I have a PGP and it was leaking the same way. It is on the lowest head of a zone. I will buy a PGP check valve but would also want to buy the seals that you replaced. What is the part number of those two components? Thanks
Everything goes according to plan until I go to screw the top into the casing. It just will not turn sufficiently. After about 1 revolution it binds and a part of the plastic protrusion on the casing which acts as the screw is still visible. I've tried this on 2 sprinklers. What might I be doing wrong?
Cross-threading? Though it sounds like you're careful to not do that. Only other thing I can think of is perhaps there's dirt in the threads that's causing it not to screw all the way down.
@@jaykay18 when I screw the cap into the casing w/o the rotor inside it screws in all the way with no issue. When the rotor is inside it will not. Any ideas of what I may be doing wrong?
@@markcanepa1207 Only thing I can think is maybe the rotor isn't seating down all the way inside? Try turning it a little bit one way or the other and make sure it fully seats. It really should be obvious, just look closely, there should be an indication of what's causing the bind.
It was crossthreading. The cap, relative to the top of the roto,r is just enough out of kilter that cross threading is really easy to do. But I eventually, by keeping a really close eye on the cap in relations to the to top of the head, I was able to get it to screw in all the way. Thanks for having me look in that direction.
