How to Install a Valve Box for Lawn Sprinkler Systems

Valve boxes, or irrigation boxes, are a protective covering for irrigation controls such as sprinkler valves. These boxes are made out of a heavy-gauge plastic that resists corrosion and is very durable. Valve boxes must be installed underground and filled with a substrate, such as crushed gravel, to prevent water and mud from entering the sprinkler controls. Installed correctly, valve boxes will provide a lifetime of protection for your irrigation equipment.

Valve box
Shovel
Rake
Level
Crushed gravel or river rocks

Instructions

- 1
  Clear all debris, including grass and gravel, from the area where the valve box is to be installed. Clear an area that is at least 6 inches wider and longer than the measurements stamped on the box.
- 2
  Remove the dirt from the area that you have cleared until you have a hole that is the size of the cleared area and the depth of the box. If your box is 21 inches deep, for example, your hole should measure 21 inches from the base to the top of the surface.
- 3
  Level the bottom of the hole with a shovel and rake, periodically checking the ground with a level to ensure it is as flat as possible. Remove dirt from areas that stick up, and add dirt to areas that are shallow.
- 4
  Place the valve box in the hole.
- 5
  Fill the edges around the outside of the valve box with dirt until the dirt is level with the top of the box.
- 6
  Fill the bottom of the valve box with at least 4 inches of crushed gravel or river rocks. The rocks will seal the bottom of the box and prevent mud from running into the valve.
- 7
  Place the lid on the box. Insert a bolt into the small opening on the top of the lid and tighten it. The bolt is designed to deter vandalism and theft.

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