Sprinkler valve replacement not beyond the average do-it-yourselfer

If you have been procrastinating about replacing the sprinkler pressure vacuum breaker that froze and popped its top last winter, time's a' wastin' -- grass is dyin', and flowers are witherin' in the bud.

Yes, it looks like a formidable job and it is, but it's not beyond the average do-it-yourselfer's abilities.

First thing is to find the shutoff valve for the sprinkler system. This may or may not be the main water valve for the whole house. Most homes in Carson Country have been switched to auto-read water meters, meaning a city worker can drive past the house and push a button to see how much water has been used. This meter is usually buried in a heavy plastic box in front of the house and labeled "water," though it is not always the case.

To turn off the house's water, one needs a meter key and a steel T-bar (not to be confused with a T-bar ski lift). This is a pipe with a handle across the top and a split end which fits over the below-ground valve. Usually, a clockwise turn shuts the water off, but again not always.

Almost all automatic sprinkler systems have a separate shutoff valve, usually located away from the main water cutoff. This is often a plain 2-inch pipe protruding from the ground with a plastic cap on it. One opens and closes this valve with the meter key T-bar, again, not always.

If you can't find your main water shutoff valve, call the Carson City Water Department, and a crew will come out and show you where it is. The crew will often make good suggestions on how to proceed, but the men are on city time and can't do the job for you.

Once the water is off, it's time to take off the old pressure vacuum breaker, usually a brass cylinder about a foot high with intake and output openings. This is connected to the water supply (incoming) and to the valves that regulate the flow of water to lawns and plants (outgoing) by PVC tubes or pipes.

To remove the valve, cut the incoming and outgoing plastic pipes. The best way is with a pipe cutter, but in a pinch one can do it with a hacksaw, although this often leaves an angled cut on the pipe end.

Once the old valve is free, check it for pipe sizes. These valves usually come in 3/4-inch and 1-inch sizes. The valves look alike, but are clearly marked for size.

When it comes to finding a new one, major home and garden supply stores stock the valve, usually for about $60. You will also want to pick up some PVC pipe in the right sizes, couplers to connect the new valve to the old, new plastic pipe pieces and pipe-thread screw-in adapters to attach to the new valve, Teflon tape -- to ensure the valve fittings won't leak -- and plastic pipe glue.

Then comes the tricky part -- matching the old pipe ends to the new valve. As the incoming water pipe comes out of the ground, it is vertical; the outlet pipe is horizontal. Since you cut out part of the old pipe and with the section connected to the old valve gone (the threaded plastic adapters stay with the old valve), new pipe has to make up the difference.

Next is sizing the vertical incoming pipe replacement. This usually requires two pairs of hands as one person holds the valve and the other estimates the length of pipe needed to support it, leaving room for the screw-in adapter, which is placed in the new valve and then mated to the new pipe.

There is no simple way to assure the match, but if you hold off on the glue, you can check until you get the right length. Once it all fits (and this can be time-consuming so leave time for a beer or ice tea) sand things roughly, add the glue to all sections and put it all together.

If you're lucky, the god of do-it-yourselfers will be looking over your shoulder and it will all hang together. Neatly, even.

Let the whole thing rest for perhaps 24 hours then turn the water on. Reactivate the timer system and wait for the sprinklers to come to life.

Your grass will thank you, your flowers will thank you, and perhaps your spouse will not have another home task for you. After all, it's baseball season on the tube.