Rainbird is one of the most reliable underground sprinkler system brands there is. Their products are reliable and easy to adjust. However, I am going to share some pro tips you may not know that will make adjusting the Rainbird 5000 Sprinkler Heads a breeze.
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Special Note:
If your sprinkler head is not turning or rotating adjusting it will not help. Unfortunately, the only thing you can do to fix it isto replace the entire sprinkler head. After adjusting the head it may rotate for a cycle or two, but it will inevitably stop rotating in the same place.
Required Tools:
I hate reading through an entire post just to find you need special tools to complete the job, so I will lay them out for you in the beginning. Luckily you only need 2 tools and can get away with only have one of them.
ChannellockPliers
These are used to grab the sprinkler head at the base and rotate it into position. Sometimes you can rotate the head by the neck, but I do not recommend it.
Adjustment Key or a Flat Head Screwdriver
A Rainbird Adjustment key is not 100% necessary when adjusting a Rainbird 5000 Sprinkler Head, if you do not have one, you can use the Flat Head Screwdriver. Having the key makes it easy to pull theRainbird 5000 Sprinkler Head out from its case, or up out of the ground.
Lets Start!
Begin adjusting by locating the Left Stop or hard Stop setting of the Rainbird 5000 Sprinkler Head.
- Rotate the top of the sprinkler head (turret) all the way to the Right and then back to the left.
- When the turret of the sprinkler heads stops on the left side, this is known as the hard stop.
- No matter what you do with the key, the head will always stop in the same place on the left side.
Left Stop Adjustment Or Hard Stop on Your Rainbird 5000 Sprinkler Head.
- To do this you will need to physically turn the entire head to align it where you want the left side to spray.
- Using a pair of Channellock Pliers, rotate the entire head to the right, and align the head where you want the left side to stop.
- Why turn it to the right? If you turn it to the left, it could possibly unthread the sprinkler head from the fitting, making a HUGE MESS.
- If you find it is too hard to turn to the right, and then proceed to turn the head to the left.
Adjust the Right Stop of the Rainbird 5000 Sprinkler Head.
- Once the left side is set you can now, set the right stop, this is done with the key or a flat head screwdriver.
- Rotate the turret all the way to the right side and as you turn it back towards the left side, stop turning it where you want the right side to stop
- Next, insert the key or a flat head screwdriver and turn it counterclockwise while holding the turret
- Rotate the turret over to the left stop and back to the right to verify the adjustment.
- If you went too far, turn the key clockwise to increase the radius.
- Once the left side is set you can now, set the right stop, this is done with the key or a flat head screwdriver.
Adjust the Spray Pattern.
- Once the rotation is set, now you can decrease the spray pattern.
- Insert the flat head screwdriver directly over the nozzle location until it engages a flat head screw.
- NOTE:Sometimes this is kind of hard to get locked in, especially if it has been overgrown with dirt and grass. Feel free to peel back the rubber dust cover to see how the key needs to be aligned.
- Rotate the nozzle adjustment screw clockwise to decrease the spray pattern and counterclockwise to increase. DO NOT TURN IT TOO FAR TO THE LEFT. This will cause the adjustment screw to back out and you will NEVER find it.
Verify the Adjustment.
- Rotate the head through its full range of motion and ensure it is starting and stopping correctly
- Next, rotate the head nearly all the way to the left side and allow the Railbird 5000 Sprinkler Head to finish the rotation on its one. NOTE: sometimes the heads will rotate differently on their own, sometimes more and sometimes less.
- Repeat Step 2 or 3 as necessary.
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