by Brent Johnson

The new Olson Valve Box can mean the difference between getting the job done today and "I'll call you tomorrow if I have time." Contractors have enough to worry about without creating a valve box from scratch. Although some diehard contractors may want to continue assembling their own valve boxes on site, in this heated up economy who has time for that?

Don Olson has been making preassembled valve boxes for approximately the last four years. The Olson WaterWell Utility Series is available in 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-valve models, with an optional flow control. All of the models are pre-wired with a junction box and groundwater connection, leaving one pigtail for quick controller hookup. Each unit is rated for a valve-blowing 150 psi and is pre-assembled in a compact 12" valve box with bolt-down lid. Individual angle/globe valves and dual-valve models are also available.

When Olson was looking for a product to expand his business there were plenty of gear rotors and pop-up sprinklers and it seemed like everything had been done. Then he remembers looking at a picture of an open valve box. "It looked like a bowl of spaghetti," said Olson. The idea for a new kind of valve box was born.

Paul Swanson has been using the Olson Pro Series valve box since 1997. At that time, the valve box was the first unit of its kind, and continues to be the only valve box that is fully assembled and integrated. Prior to the multi-valve assembly Swanson, like so many contractors, would buy all the valves and fittings he needed and custom build a new box for each new job. The valve box greatly expedited the amount of time it took to complete projects and the clean aesthetic quality of the plastic housing impressed his clients "instantly" upon inspection. Swanson particularly enjoys the easy pull-off bonnet which can be cleared of PVC pipe and bits of debris that get trapped in the line during installation.

Tom McCabe of Landscape and Irrigation Specialties likes the adaptability of the valve box. "It's amazing how easy it goes in with fitted components," said McCabe. He also likes the wiring and the way that he can leave open spaces in the box for later valve additions. One drawback to the unit, however, is that it can only accomodate 1 inch pipe. Despite this minor problem, McCabe speaks approvingly of the valve box. "It fits my little niche pretty well."

The valve box is not exclusively for professional landscapers though. Kathy Baldwin of Olson Irrigation suggests that the valvebox is ideal for the handyman who may not want to sit down with a bunch of different parts and figure out how it all works together. This plug-in concept has been a long time in coming to the landscape market. As both professionals and amateurs discover the convenience of preassembled valve boxes, no doubt, the consolidation of multipartate apparatus will take hold in landscaping just as it has in virtually every other industry. LCM