Supra Ballast (sprinkler system)
 

So have all the Supra owners with the older sprinkler fittings have constant problems? My bags don't fill like you set them to. I have replaced all three of the diaphram peices above the VDrive and they still over fill the left rear when I only have the front switch on. Drives me crazy in addition to taking forever to fill them!!

Make sure the little black switch on the sprinkler valve is pushed down. If it is up it will allow the water to flow freely with it even being on.

You might want to check and make sure that things are wired correctly at the fuse bank and on the switches. On my 21V they front and left rear were mis-wired. Just take the switches off and see what color wire is going to each switch, then take a look at the fuse bank and make sure it is wired up correctly. Here is a pic of how the switches are wired I found on here a while back when i was having problems with mine.

ditto Adam

ditto Adam, but aside from that I've had constant problems with mine. I'm about to throw all my stuff in the trash and add 4 Jabsco's and replace the whole thing.

$10 says that after my post you'll get the "no problems with mine".

Ha ha ha ha

No problems with mine in my 24v it fills 1900 pound in about 2 mins and drains even faster!!!

Just pickin I hate mine its so slow and still fills the back bags while I'm just try to fill the front. I'm going to yank my out next winter.

It does the same crap no matter how the little black switches are flipped. :(

I have an 08 Moomba XLV which probably has the same Orbit sprinkler valves as your Supra. I replaced my valves with Irritrol 700 valves ($20+/- each) and have no leaking and fills my 565lb rear sacs in 8 min. Replacing the valves took maybe 20 min. I'm changing my whole system to 3 Johnson reversible pumps which are cheaper, faster, and no impeller issues like the Jabsco.

Where is a good place to check for trash in the system? The screen filter has nothing in it.

Go to Lowes and by a new sprinkler valve and try that. Sounds like a faulty valve to me. I had the same issues and with 5 minutes of work and $12 later, the problem was solved. There is a correct position for the black switches, so be sure they are right.

Which valve are you talking about? The round pieces on top of the Vdrive that have the diaphram in them? If so I replaced all three already.

'05 24v here and "no problems with mine"

'08 22SSV and completely replumbed the entire system with Tsunami's, see the below thread for a complete step by step. I had many problems with sprinkler valves --- slow fill times, bags filling when you did not want them to, priming issues, etc etc.... my recommendation:

1. Tsunami ballast fill upgrade - My current system, will fill 1900 lbs in about 8-9 minutes.

2. JABSCO ballast fill system the '09 and newer Supras are using

Both work well, and both have pro's and con's but the end result is a much better system!
Cost will be about $400-$600 depending on which system you go with, I also vented the bags which helps eliminate the air pockets.

http://www.supraboats.com/bbs/showth...hlight=Tsunami

or call wakemakers at www.wakemakers.com and ask for Jason, they have done many of these conversions, well worth the money. After your done take your sprinkler valves and install them on your irrigation system for your house, because they dont belong in wakeboard boats!

Replace this entire piece...including the black solenoid. I cut the black solenoid wires off as close to the old solenoid as possible to give me extra length on my wire and then just crimped the new one on. Fixed my problem.

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w.../sprinkler.jpg

Hey guys, I'm looking for some help!

I'm not trying to change my ballast set up since I haven't had any problem's with my sprinkler system until now. My issue is that when I turn on the switch to fill the front bag, it will spit water into the bag for a couple of seconds, then gurgle a little and then stop filling all together. Do you know what's causing this? The pump turns on and works fine. I thought that maybe the hose was plugged with debris but when I flip the little black switch on the sprinkler head to the "on" position, and turn on the fill switch at the dash, it fills just fine. Obviously, the problem with having the little switch in this position is that it will continue to fill the bag when I don't want it too.

Any help or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

ryan,
have you tried to do it with the boat moving and not moving with the "little black switch" in the off position? what was the result? Work fine when the boat is moving and having the symptoms you describe when it is stopped?

Diggs,
At the end of last season, it would do that - work fine when the boat was moving and having the issues when it was stopped. But now, it doesn't matter if the boat is moving or not, it just spurts water into the bag for a couple of seconds then just stops completely. I tried virtually everything I could think of to remedy the problem but no dice. The only thing that would allow water through at a normal rate was to turn the "little black switch" to the on position and turn on the fill switch, but it would gravity fill at a slower rate when we were moving and the fill switch was turned off.

Any ideas?

Ryan,

Don't know what all you have tried, but since when you turn the black switch to the on position that the sac will fill and when its off it doesn't it sounds like your solenoid for the sprinkler valve is no longer working correctly. Try to unscrew the solenoid from a valve that is working and replace it with the one that isn't to test to see if its just the solenoid or not. If everything works fine now, just go to HD or Lowes and get a replacement solenoid or if they dont have one get a new valve which has the solenoid on it and just swap the solenoids.

Thanks Nate, I didn't try that yesterday when I was on the water so I'll try that ASAP.

lol ..... I changed the valves and left the old solenoids in place thinking that they cannot possibly be the problem. I guess I was wrong?

This sounds like a priming issue, as Diggs mentioned try doing it with the boat moving this will force water into the scupper and help with the priming. I had this problem when I had my valves and moving the boat would help and also decrease fill times.

So I swapped out the bad solenoid with a good one and that worked, and I thought everything was good since it was all working like it should. It wasn't a priming issue as it wouldn't fill even when moving. But again, the new solenoid fixed the problem.

However, a new problem occured. Even though all the "little black switches" are in the off position, the front bag would gravity fill as we moved and also, when I hit the fill switch on the rear left and right's, it would fill the front as well. It's reacting as though the little black switch is in the "on" position now. Can the valve have gone bad now?

Ryan,

Glad you were able to figure out your filling problem. Sorry to hear that you have a new one. I know its frustrating dealing with these problems. The new problem sounds like the diaphram inside the valve decided to stay open on you. It could be something as simple as something being stuck inside of it keeping to from closing to the diaphram just completly giving out. I have not taken apart the orbit sprinkler valves that are in our boats, but i have taken apart Hunter, Toro and Rain Bird valves to clean them and remove debris. Usually have no problems being able to take them apart and using them again but there is always a chance that they wont work correctly again. And since I have never taken apart the Oribt valves I have no idea how well it will work after if you do that. You can also try blowing air thru the valve as well to clean it out. But if you are going to take the time to remove the valve and attempt to clean it, you might as well just replace it and save yourself the headache if cleaning it doesnt work. I do not believe that the Orbit valves cost too much.

Thanks for the suggestions Nate. I saw that the new Orbit 3/4 Valve's at Lowe's is a little different in design from the current ones on the boat. They don't have the little black switch, or if they do, it looks totally different. Not sure if that will matter though. I will maybe take it apart and see what's going on.

Here's a question for you though. Could it also be an electrical issue? Meaning, if I didn't crimp the wires good enough, could that have an effect on it?

Thanks again for your help!

If you didn't crimp the wire good enough wouldn't cause the valve to stay open. When you disconnect either wire from solenoid it will typically cause the valve to close. What it could be though, and no idea why I didnt think of this earlier, but make sure that the solenoid is screwed in place all the way. I know with the Hunter valves to manually open the valve you turn the solenoid a quarter turn. The Oribt valves may be the same way as well. I haven't played around with mine too much to see how the operate completely. The new valves that you saw at Lowe's are probably the same as the Hunter's for manually operating the valve now. The manual operating of the valve is used for priming the system.

Ok, thanks. I'll check to make sure the solenoid is screwed in tight all the way, and see if that helps.

The main problem I have with mine, is they don't empty the bags all the way. I usually fill while underway and it seems to help a lot with the time.

The first time I took my boat out, I was unaware of the little black switch. I didn't have the bags hooked up, and we cruised around the lake for a bit. I kept noticing that my bilge was full of water. Thought I had a damn leak. Scared me.

I recently bought 3 new orbit valves at Lowes and they all look just like the stock versions (little black switches and all), just a different color.

So are the black switches supposed to be "on" or "off" ?

The black switches should be "off" when you are not priming the system.

Big Nate,
I cleaned out all the valves and that did the trick (knock on wood). Didn't look like anything was causing it to stick or stay open, I just wiped away some gunk that had collected on the rubber gasket inside the valve. I did buy an extra valve which I will keep on the boat just in case it goes out again.

Thanks for the suggestions, maybe a ballast upgrade will be a winter project this year?

Hey Ryan
I do not have a Supra but I do have a Moomba. I had the same problem with my boat. I tried everything and really was not happy with the results. I ripped out the entire sprinkler system. I replaced it with 3 Tsunami 1200gph pumps, 3-3/4" vented loops, 3-1" scuppers, 3-1"ball valves, new hoses, and misc parts. I went from about 15 min or so to fill to 7 min to fill all three 400lb bags. I have been very happy with my system. Also, I have had zero problems with it. Let me

Hey Mark,
Thanks for the pics and suggestions. How long did the reinstall take once all the parts were set up? Did you have any spacing issues with the 3 pumps and extra hardware (any pics of that area)?

Mark?

How do you keep the water from auto filling with out the valves and a scooper intake.