Hammer Company, Inc.
Sprinkler and Drain Service & Installation
1645 Euclid St., Santa Monica, CA 90404
(800) 660-1452 (310) 450-1122
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SERVICE
Normal Service, Emergency Shut-off, Emergency Service, Terminology, Ordering Tips
Normal service and maintenance
Normal service rates apply to our primary service area. Outside of the primary service area a premium charge applies.
Our primary service area extends from the Los Angeles International Airport up the coast to Camarillo, then east to Studio City, south along the 110 to Century Blvd, and west back to the airport. This includes the following zip codes:
Santa Monica (90402, 90403, 90404, 90405), Culver City (90320, 90232), Marina Del Rey (90292), Venice (90291), Playa Del Rey (90293), Westchester (90045), Ladera Heights (90056), Beverly Hills (90210, 90211, 90212), West Los Angeles (90025, 90034, 90035, 90064), Mar Vista (90066), Brentwood/Bel Air (90049, 90077), West Hollywood/Hollywood Hills (90048, 90069, 90046, 90068), Hancock Park and surrounding areas (90004, 90005, 90010, 90019, 90020, 90036, 90038), Pacific Palisades (90272), Malibu (90265), Topanga (90290), Tarzana (91356), Woodland Hills (91364), Encino (91315, 91436), Calabasas (91403), Sherman Oaks (91403, 91423), Studio City (91604), Agoura/Agoura Hills (91301), Westlake Village (91361), Thousand Oaks/Newbury Park (91320, 91360, 91361), Camarillo (90310, 90312)
When Hammer Company installs a complete sprinkler system we always install a shut-off valve so the outside water can be shut off without shutting off the inside water. This gate valve or ball valve might be installed above ground, often next to the shut-off for the house water, or it might be installed below ground, typically in a green plastic valve box.
If the problem is that a section of sprinklers continues to run when the controller says it should be off, this can sometimes be shut off at the control valve for that section. Most control valves are installed above grade in shrubbery areas. Sometimes the offending valve can be identified by feeling a slight vibration of the valve as the water is running through it. A stem extending above the center of the valve with a cross about 1-1/2 inches in diameter can be turned clock-wise until the valve shuts off. Care should be taken not to overly tighten the stem or it could damage the valve body.
Sometimes a sticky valve can be freed by going to the controller and manually activating the running section (even though it is already running), and then turning the section off at the controller. If this fails the first try, one or two more tries may succeed.
All the water for your property passes through a water meter located in the alley or near the street. These are usually under the ground in a concrete or gray plastic box. In some areas a valve is installed either next to the meter inside the box, or within a foot or two of the box, that a home-owner can shut off. This will shut off all the water to the property, including the house. However, many older meters do not have a valve that a home-owner can shut off.
As a last resort, your water company maintains 24 hour emergency shut-off service. They will shut the water off at the meter, usually without charge.
Hammer Company does offer emergency service. Such service is at premium rates and is sometimes limited to the immediate problem of shutting off the water until repairs can be effected in the day-time.
Emergency service is charged at a premium rate, usually 1-1/2 times the normal rate, so it is helpful to decide what is an emergency and what can be handled in the normal service mode. Any after-hours work or week-end work for the convenience of the customer is at emergency rates. When there is water running continuously at a high rate – such as a section of sprinklers stuck on or a broken pipe running continuously – this is a true emergency. Water oozing around one or two heads is not an emergency, and usually is not even urgent. This is a common malfunction that can usually be handled in normal service scheduling.
A system that is not turning on, and therefore plant material is drying up, is usually not an emergency, unless a newly seeded lawn is in the establishment period. Most plant material, especially lawns, that have been watered regularly, can endure 2 or 3 weeks or more without water and recover quite nicely, even in the hottest part of the summer. Shallow-rooted plants such as annuals or dichondra are more vulnerable.
After-hours emergency phone numbers are recorded on the answering machines for Hammer Company. These numbers go directly to the homes of personnel on call. If the situation calls for normal service, or urgent service during regular hours, the emergency numbers should not be called and the information left on the regular messaging system.
It is helpful to use terminology familiar in the industry to identify problems. Following are some helpful terms.
Water meter : A device usually located in the alley or next to the street that measures the water used on the property. It is usually in a concrete or gray plastic box under ground.
House main: An underground pipe that runs from the meter to the house. It is under pressure all the time and is usually the main supply for all the property. There is usually a shut-off valve located next to the house at the end of the house main.
Sprinkler main: An underground pipe that branches off from the house main and distributes the water throughout the property for landscape watering. Normally it is under pressure all the time. There is sometimes a shut-off valve located at the beginning of the sprinkler main to shut off this pipe.
Gate valve: A device to shut off the water on a main line. It has a round handle and may be installed below grade in a box or sleeve, or above grade.
Ball valve: A device to shut off the water on a main line. Instead of a round handle it has a lever handle. It may be installed below grade in a box, or above grade.
Sprinkler valve: A device that activates a section of sprinklers. It allows the water to pass from the main line to the pipes that run to the individual water outlets. It is usually above ground and often has a short stem coming up from the center of the top of the valve with a cross on top. Sometimes it is below ground, usually in a plastic box. This is NOT called a head.
Valve body: Automatic valves installed above the ground and made out of brass have two parts to them. The lower half is called the body. The upper half where the wires attach is called the automatic adapter.
Valve stem: This is usually a metal rod about 3/8 of an inch in diameter extending
up from the middle of the top of the valve. It usually has a cross on top, about 1-1/2 inch in diameter. Sometimes it has a slot or a square top instead of a cross.
Automatic adaptor: The upper half of a sprinkler valve that allows the valve to be activated remotely. It usually has a large, saucer shaped portion of 3 to 5 inches in diameter.
Solenoid: The solenoid is about 1 inch in diameter and sits on top of the valve. It is where the wires attach to the valve.
Sprinkler lateral: Pipe, usually underground, that extends from the sprinkler valve out to the individual heads. It has pressure only when the sprinkler system is activated.
Sprinkler head: A device from which the water either sprays or streams out to water the plant material.
Rotor head: This head shoots water out in a stream and rotates it over the area to be watered. It is used in larger areas.
Spray head: A spray head puts out a fan of water, more like a shower head.
Pop-up: A head – spray or rotor – that pops-up when the section of sprinklers is turned on, and drops down when it goes off.
Bubbler: A head that bubbles, or in some cases puts out a series of streams, close to the head. Sometimes it is used for orchards or other trees.
Nozzle: The final orifice from which water emerges on the head. The nozzle is usually detachable and can be cleaned or replaced without replacing the rest of the head.
Hose bibb: Sometimes this is called a faucet or a garden valve. This is a valve made to attach the garden hose to.
Controller: An electronic or electro-mechanical device that controls the automatic valves. Often mounted in the garage, this is the device where the start-times, watering days, and duration of watering is set.
Drip system: A sprinkler system that uses low pressure short watering radii to water plant material, usually installed above the ground.
Emitter: This is the device from which the water emerges on a true drip system; in a sense it is a drip head.
Drip tubing: Light weight tubing, usually 1/8th to ½ inch in diameter and black in color for transporting water to emitters.
Spaghetti Drip: Tubing that is 3/8 inch or less in diameter.
Roof sprinklers: Some homes in brush fire areas have sprinklers mounted on the roof to water down the house in the event of a brush fire. These are not "fire" sprinklers as that term is normally used in the industry.
Section: A group of sprinkler heads activated by an individual sprinkler valve, usually corresponding with an individual section number on a controller.
Time and convenience are at a premium for most people. A well-placed service order can minimize the time and inconvenience of keeping your system operating. Service calls vary in the amount of time on the job according to the scope of work required as service proceeds. Consequently the only set time that can be offered is the first appointment of the day. Any other times are subject to the progress of other calls during the day.
If you get a recorded message when you call we are either closed or our staff are all on the phone with other customers. If you leave a message indicating your name, address, phone number and a description of the problem it will help the dispatcher when he returns your call to expedite your work order. If you have special scheduling needs it may help to leave that information as well.
Free estimates are provided for new installations, replacement or automation. We do not do free estimates for sprinkler repairs. Usually by the time the system is inspected and diagnosed much or most of the work required to correct any problems has been done. Our estimators do not carry tools or materials to diagnose or correct problems. Our service personnel do provide estimates for additional work once the problem has been diagnosed and evaluated, which service they perform as part of their normal duties at our regular service rates
Hammer Company, Inc.
1645 Euclid St., Santa Monica, CA 90404
(800) 660-1452 (310) 450-1122
[home]