Small Things - Big Problems

Just as a point of clarity, I full understand I am saying nothing new in this post.

Once Seth The Sportsman helped me figure out why my valves on the outside weren't set up right, and then how to fix my RPZ valve (Reduced Pressure Zone Device), I ran into another problem

Seth could not anticipate my third problem. I still had water spraying out of the drain valve near my sprinkler water shut-off.

Another youtube video called this my "drain nipple" and believe me, I was a little fearful google searching sprinker drain nipple - but the search results were not only tame, but also unhelpful.

Frustrated, I took a break and came back to it the next day where I traded out my "drain nipple" with another "drain nipple" on the same system. The nipple was leaky no matter where I put it.

I took my leaky nipple to the hardware store, and quickly realized that the guy there did not call it a drain nipple, but rather a valve...and I quickly confirmed, not feeling fully confident using this term in public.

Instead, we got a new valve after some searching and the difference between mine and the replacement was a rubber stopper in the bottom that had apparently fallen out of mine during the winterization process.

Three dollars later, I'm back in business and I've replaced the tiniest part (missing a tinier part inside) and everything was how it should be.

But the lesson there is HUGE - and that is SMALL things can make a BIG difference. I know you know it already, but it's so true (and sometimes frustrating, unless you find the fix, and then you pat yourself on the back).

Pictured is my drain valve I replaced. There's a little rubber piece inside that was missing which caused water to spray out like crazy in my utility closet.