I have an in-ground sprinkler system with a separate city water supply
and meter for irrigation water. For anyone that doesn't know,
irrigation water is a lot cheaper than house water because it doesn't
go through the sewer and doesn't have to be treated. Theoretically,
it is all consumed by grass and shrubs.

My problem is that I sometimes hand-water plants and flower beds but
all of the spigots around the outside of my house are on the *house*
water supply and meter, not the irrigation water supply. It would
save me some money if I could use irrigation water. I would like to
splice into the irrigation water supply - possibly through the
backflow - so that I could connect a hose and use the cheaper water
for
those purposes.

In Florida, most everyone with an irrigation system has an upside-down
u-shaped set of PVC piping that comes up and back down to the ground
where the backflow prevention is located. Can I have an irrigation
specialist cut into that and add a spigot? Does anyone know if the
city (mine happens to be Jacksonville) would have any problem with
that? Could I do it myself? I do know how to change sprinkler
heads, add risers, etc, so I can be self-sufficient. Has anyone done
this? Any tips?

Thanks!
Carol

Carol wrote:

I have an in-ground sprinkler system with a separate city water supply
and meter for irrigation water. For anyone that doesn't know,
irrigation water is a lot cheaper than house water because it doesn't
go through the sewer and doesn't have to be treated. Theoretically,
it is all consumed by grass and shrubs.

My problem is that I sometimes hand-water plants and flower beds but
all of the spigots around the outside of my house are on the *house*
water supply and meter, not the irrigation water supply. It would
save me some money if I could use irrigation water. I would like to
splice into the irrigation water supply - possibly through the
backflow - so that I could connect a hose and use the cheaper water
for
those purposes.

In Florida, most everyone with an irrigation system has an upside-down
u-shaped set of PVC piping that comes up and back down to the ground
where the backflow prevention is located. Can I have an irrigation
specialist cut into that and add a spigot? Does anyone know if the
city (mine happens to be Jacksonville) would have any problem with
that? Could I do it myself? I do know how to change sprinkler
heads, add risers, etc, so I can be self-sufficient. Has anyone done
this? Any tips?

Thanks!
Carol


It depends on what kind of backflow preventer you have. If it's an
atmospheric vacuum break, the loop should be already past the control
valve. If it's a pressure vacuum break or a double checkvalve it could
be before or after the control valve, but I wouldn't mess with it.

It would be better to dig up and tap into the supply line between the
meter and the control valve.

-Bob