The water in the garden comes from two yard hydrants: one on the Hansberry side, one next to the greenhouse. To turn the water on, lift the handle. Pushing the handle down turns the water off, and pushes any water left in the hydrant into pipes that are below the frost line.
Each hydrant is connected to a hose splitter. Two hoses are connected to the splitter on the Hansberry hydrant (one is connected to a hose reel). The splitter on the greenhouse hydrant connects one hose to a reel and another hose to the sink and to the hose that is attached to the toolshed. The hose that feeds the sink is certified as drinking water safe.
Each hose should have an attached spray head. They all work a little differently, and they are all interchangeable.
Turning the water on
Make sure the switch on the hose splitter is set to the “on” position for the hose you want to use.
For the Hansberry splitter, the switch(es) should be parallel to the direction of the splitter.
For the greenhouse splitter, the switch(es) should point to the center.
Pull up the handle to start the water flowing.
Using the sink and the toolshed hose
To use the sink: If the water is on, just press the foot pedal. Don’t touch the handles or the orange valve.
The orange valve should be parallel to the pipe.
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To use the toolshed hose: Make sure the spigot attached to the toolshed is turned on.
The spray head is a little complicated. There is a connector between the hose and the spray head. Do not remove it the connector from the hose.
The valve switch on the connector is blue: on is up, off is down.
The valve switch on the spray head is black: on is down, off is up.
Turning the water off
- Push the hydrant handle all the way down. It is fine to leave the splitters in the “on” position if the spray heads are off. However, if the splitter is in the on position, the hydrant will spray you. If you don’t want to get wet, you can turn the splitters off before you push down. If there is water left in the hose it will still spit a little.
- If, for any reason, one of the hoses doesn’t have a spray head, make sure the splitter is in the “off” position.
Check to make sure both hydrants are off if you are the last person to leave the garden.
Troubleshooting
Nothing is coming out of a hose
- Check your hose for kinks. This is usually the issue.
- Make sure the spray head is in the “on” position (depending on type).
- If you are using the toolshed hose, make sure the spigot is open.
- Make sure the splitter is in the “on” position. This is the second most common issue.
If none of that works, turn off the water (by pushing down the handle) and disconnect the hose. If you are using the Hansberry hose you will need to disconnect the whole hose splitter. Pull up the handle. If nothing comes out, or if reconnecting the hoses doesn’t help, email maintenance@hansberrygarden.org or talk to me (Heather).
Nothing is coming out of the sink
Try turning the handle on the right while pressing the foot pedal. Do not touch the handle on the left!!
Check to make sure the splitter is in the “on” position.
Make sure the orange valve is parallel to the pipe.
If it still doesn’t work, contact Heather
The water coming out of the sink doesn’t look clear
Take off the aerator (if it’s on) and let the water run for a little while.
Something is leaking
If it is leaking at a connection point, please tighten it gently (turn the water off first). Don’t do anything else. If it still leaks, email maintenance@hansberrygarden.org or talk to me (Heather).