Replacing a sprinkler

Last time I mowed my lawn I noticed one of the sprinklers was way too low, take a look:

Sprinkler below ground level

This sprinkler needs adjustment before grass completely covers it.

I have been using the Toro 570Z Pro Series sprinklers and have been very happy with their performance and their range of available sprinkler nozzles, so I would like to stick with this series. I only need to get the sprinkler higher, for example with a 1" extension or get a 3" sprinkler instead of the current 2". The benefits of having a 3" sprinkler instead of using an extension is that the sprinkler riser (the barrel where the sprinkler nozzle screws to) will be longer and will be able to throw water at a longer distance, so I am going to get this replaced with a Toro 570Z 3" sprinkler.

Update: The first thing one REALLY wants to do is to make sure your sprinklers won't turn on while you are working on them! So turn your sprinkler valve off or main water supply off before you continue! And don't ask how I figured this out :)

First thing I am going to do is to remove the dirt and grass out of the way so I can get the sprinkler out without allowing dirt into the water pipe.

Sprinkler is now ready to be removed

Once I unscrew the sprinkler from the pipe I have an open water pipe waiting for any debris to get in, so I like to put a cloth to cover the open pipe, like this:

Cover the open pipe while working to avoid debris

Now I go pick up the 3" sprinkler and I decide to put both sprinklers side to side to compare their lengths and make sure everything looks right.

Toro 570Z Pro Series sprinklers

Only one year after installation, the old sprinkler looks like it's been there for decades. By the way, in the previous picture I had the PVC adapter removed from the old sprinkler. That's the male-male adapter that allows you to screw the sprinkler to the pipe. Now it's time to get that adapter in the new sprinkler, and I strongly recommend the usage of Teflon tape here. Take a look at the new sprinkler with the adapter in:

New sprinkler is now ready for installation

Now it's just a matter of screwing the new sprinkler and putting everything back as it was, dirt, grass, etc. if you have been careful enough you can even put the old grass back and wait till it grows new roots. This is what it looks now, after grass has been growing in the area for a few weeks (it looks lower than it actually is because grass has not been cut yet):

New look of the replaced sprinkler

One more thing, the Toro 570Z sprinklers come in two versions: With and without nozzle. If you buy the sprinkler without the nozzle (sprinkler body only), you can purchase a wide range of nozzles from the 570 series, including variable arc nozzles, and the 570 MPR+ nozzles which include a pressure compensating device. The ones that come with the sprinkler are the cheaper (but still good) 570 MPR nozzles. You can compare the 570 MPR and MPR+ nozzles here:

Click here for information about Toro 570 MPR nozzles.

Click here for information about Toro 570 MPR+ nozzles.

Hope you enjoyed this project!