Hi all- I recently installed some sprinklers in my cmall backyard, its 16 by 35 feet approx. 5 pop up spray heads. I got good static pressure off the hose bib (80psi) so I ran the feed to the sprinklers off that, alas, I get an insufficient flow rate. (drops it to about 5 psi) Soo... My new project: T off the water main under the house, and run a feed to the backyard on the other side of the house. Its about an 80 foot run. Theres a fair amount of room underneath the house, 5 feet at the highest point and about 2 at the lowest. Not ideal working conditions, but this is plumbing work! :) So I plan on doing the following- shutting down the main at the street, cutting into the main at the house, installing a T, sending that through the approx 80 feet of pipe to the backyard, and putting a threaded fitting on to attach the PVC with. My specific questions- what other fittings should I install? I have heard of putting a drain valve at the low point, a ball valve to shut it off seperately (since the T will be in front of the house shutoff, as the house shutoff butts up against a pressure regulator and theres no room to put a T in between) and a hammer arrestor. I have found tons of info on soldering, but not much on how to suspend/mount the pipe itself. Also, since I am striving for the most laminar flow, and I am under the house so aesthetics are unneccessary, I was thinking of not using angle fittings but rather gradual bends in the pipe. Also, should I insulate? Its a cold water feed, for the grass only, but I dont want exploding piping either. (like anyone does) Any thoughts on this appreciated. Besides minor ficture repairs, this is my first real plumbing adventure, so feel free to make any comments. One thing I am doing right- I bought a few feet of pipe and some fittings to practice on, so my soldering skills will be good before going under the house. Thanks all. EricT

Hi All- I recently had to get a new h2o heater, the old one was full of sediment. It was(new one is) electric, lower heating element was cooked on the old one. So, got that new one installed, and it wasnt working so well. I called the guy who put it in, he asked me to shut off the recirc pump. He thought it was odd in that it recircs the hot water feed back into the cold water line, effectively siphoning cold water back into the heater (as I understand it). I shut it off, and it works great. Which means unfortunately, I have to move it. I dont mind sweating pipe, but I was just wondering about fittings. Code wise, I am in Arizona, residential area. This is what I was thinking- I need a T on the hot water out line on the water heater, which would go to the recirc pump. There would be a shutoff valve on each side of the recirc pump, plus a check valve is there now, I figure it might be time to get a new one of those. My plumber also mentioned I would need an air bleed off valve of some sort, to ditch the air created in system... although wouldnt running the hot tap do just that? The other side of all that would go to the .5inch hot water recirc line, which is already present. What I cant figure out, is how homeowners over the years have not corrected this, or realized it. And what plumber put it in wrong! To diagram it out- recirc line- ball valve - check valve - pump - ball valve - hot water feed out from heat tank. Does that make sense to y'all? Any tips before I proceed, things not to forget? Thanks as always, Eric PS- Pics of existing setup posted on request.