NO POP-UP SPRINKLER SAVES MORE WATER THAN LITTLE TUFFY

Little Tuffys are available in 4” and 6” pop-ups with catalogue numbers TUF4 and TUF6. They are compatible with all female nozzles.

Check valves for low-head drainage are available either packaged separately (25/bag) or pre-installed into the pop-up stem for a nominal extra charge.

For a nominal, extra charge, Little Tuffys are also available with purple caps for use with reclaimed water. Catalogue Numbers are TUF4PC or TUF6PC.  

Little Tuffys are truly green sprinklers. In addition to saving water and labor, they do not use troublesome plastic flush caps. Little Tuffys are packaged with environmentally-friendly, bio-degradable cork stoppers in place of flush caps. Leave the cork in while installing the sprinkler as the wiper seal and riser stem area is sensitive to fine, silty soil. The cork protects that area during installation. After the cork is popped out, leave it on the ground or bury it with the sprinkler head as it will become compost in 4 – 6 months.

Boxes of Little Tuffys each contain 25 sprinklers. To operate the LittleValves, each box contains 2 LittleValve metal keys that can be put onto a keychain.  Additional keys are available upon request at no charge. We suggest that for just a few dollars, you purchase our red, T-handle Allen wrench  (AW7187) for additional leverage.  There will be times when you will need the extra leverage.

Little Tuffy pop-up sprinklers, of course, provide you with all the benefits of our other Little Valve parts, like eliminating overspray and most misting, getting rid of 5’, 8’ 10’ and 12’ nozzles; servicing or changing out nozzles while the water is on because pop-up stems do not retract until the water is shut off; eliminating all forms of pressure regulation; bringing sidestrips down to 2’ – 3’ left and right; better looking landscapes due to higher uniformity; AND being able to have drip and micro-spray applications, which can be installed on the same valve system as regular sprays without the use of ¼” tubing, emitters, Y strainers or pressure regulation.

To protect the LittleValve from dirt and grit when operating at low volume [spraying 6' or under], including drip or micro-spray mode, look for our Low Volume Application filter screens (LVA screens) that go into the bottom of any manufacturer's pop-up stem (or can be placed onto the end of a Schedule 80 or cutoff riser for our stationary parts).  LVA screens are available in bags of 25.

Please note that Little Tuffy was put through the “3,000 Up & Down” test at the  C.I.T. and passed with flying colors. Further, the new heads were field tested for 2 years at various locations with pressures from 165 p.s.i. up to 200 p.s.i.

An additional feature is that Little Tuffy wiper seals are replaceable and are not expensive. Wiper seal leaking is the first sign that your sprinkler is losing its efficiency. Most manufacturers do not sell wiper seals separately and Rain Bird's 1800 series pop-up wiper seals are co-molded with the cap, hence they don't even have a separate wiper seal.  Generally, when the wiper seals go bad on sprinklers, a complete, new sprinkler has to be purchased. In the case with Rain Bird 1800s, caps are available at irrigation distributors but usually cost the same or more than a whole new sprinkler.

When you receive your order of Little Tuffys, we urge you to read the Tips, Information & Instruction page that will be included with the products. On the backside you will find our Warranty.  We also encourage you to read over the 'Preferred Nozzles' information page.  The TUF4 is competively priced. The TUF6 along with our check valves are exceptionally well-priced.

Trade customers:  If the counter people at your distributor are not familiar with Little Tuffys or the other LittleValve parts, we urge you to call us between 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Pacific time. We will make the necessary arrangements with the distributor to ensure you promptly get the products you need.

SUGGESTED LITTLE TUFFY
INSTALLATION PROCEDURES

Install your Little Tuffys making sure the surrounding soil grade meets the Tuffy caps + or - 1/4 inch above the bottom of the cap.  [Little Tuffys are sensitive to fine, silty soil getting between pop-up riser stem and the wiper seal.] After completing the installation, turn on the water to the system, which will fully elevate the Tuffy pop-up stems, which, in turn, will force out the corks. (The corks will pop-out under pressure so stay clear of any sprinkler when turning on the system.) Since the pop-up stems are packaged in the 'closed' position, very little water will exit the stems until you open the LittleValves.

NOTE: The LittleValve stem in your Little Tuffy does NOT shut off 100%; it shuts off about 96% - 98%.  Do not try to shut it down completely; that will not happen. 

Remember, when the irrigation valve (RCV) is opened up, the system is now live. When the system is on, the pop-up stems will not retract.  Go to the first sprinkler closest to the water valve (RCV), open the LittleValve to flush the lines and the sprinkler itself.  After a good flushing, close the LittleValve.  Then insert your nozzle filter screen, thread on the desired nozzle and then --- keep the LittleValve closed down. Then go to the next sprinkler and repeat doing it the same way, and then onto the next until every head in the entire system is flushed, screened and nozzled. Upon the completion of flushing and nozzling all the heads, your job will be as dry as a bone - almost.

Then we suggest that you do NOT make your final adjustments to the system until your plants or lawn are installed.  After planting is completed now turn on the system.  The Little Tuffy pop-up stems will elevate but again very little water will exit them because you had them closed down from before when you flushed and nozzled after installation.  Now you adjust the LittleValves until each sprinkler is throwing the water the distance you want it to.  

Through controlled testing in 2003 with the Center for Irrigation Technology (C.I.T.) - located at Cal-State University in Fresno, CA, we learned that LittleValve sprinklers use approximately 82% less water during installation of new systems.  We have improved on those procedures and now see that by properly installing LittleValve modified sprinklers or Little Tuffy pop-ups, the water savings during installation can reach over 90%.  

CAUTION:  If your installation was not a 'clean' installation such as having broken pipes or other ways in which dirt and rocks got into the piping, when you flush out the system, you will likely run into situations where you have to do it the 'OLD' way, which means removing the pop-up stem completely and flushing out all the debris through the open pop-up body. With 'clean' installations, you generally avoid that grief.

Additional tips and suggestions can be found in the Little Tuffy section of the "TIps, Instructions, Information" tab.
Live technical information can be obtained by calling us at the number below from 7am to 7pm - Pacific time.