The Complete Handbook of Sprinkler Accessories

Chapter 1: Understanding Sprinkler Accessories

1. Understanding Sprinkler Accessories

A sprinkler system is often described by its most visible part: the head that pops up and sprays water. But that head sits on top of a chain of components—valves, fittings, risers, regulators, sensors, and controllers—that determine whether water actually lands where it should, in the right amount, at the right time. These connecting and controlling components are the sprinkler accessories. They are the plumbing, the switches, and the brain of the system. And in most real-world failures, they are the cause.

Consider a typical failure: a lawn that develops a dry brown patch in an otherwise green yard. A homeowner might replace the spray head on that spot, and the patch recovers for a week before browning again. A professional will check, in order: the nozzle size, the pressure at the head, the flow through the valve, the controller schedule, and the condition of the filter screen or wye strainer upstream. In most cases, the problem is not the head itself, but an accessory upstream of it—a clogged filter, a regulator set too low, a valve diaphragm that is weak and unable to fully open. This is the universe of sprinkler accessories, and this chapter will explain what they are, how they fit together, and why getting them right matters in practical terms.

What Counts as an Accessory

Sprinkler accessories can be organized into functional groups. First are the water delivery components that sit between or below the heads: fittings,