WETS Irrigation Technician Practice Exam

Swing joints connect PVC to the sprinkler head while allowing movement and cushioning. The curved, swivel portion lets the head flex with ground movement or impacts, which keeps the head aligned and reduces stress on the PVC riser and the fitting at the head. This protective flexibility also lets you adjust the head height for proper spray distance without stressing the pipe. Elbows are fixed bends, so they don’t absorb movement; couplings just join pipe ends without protection or flexibility; unions are for easy disassembly but don’t provide the protective flexing a swing joint does.