Indexing valves are mechanical valves that change from one outlet to the next each time the water flow is stopped and started so they will work if controlled manually with a hand valve, automatically with an electric control valve or if used with a pump that has the means to start and stop the flow of water.
Ideally the valve should be installed at the highest point of the system and as close as possible to the water source, if the valve cannot be installed at the highest point check valves will need to be installed on outlets that have zone lines higher than the valve to prevent back flow stopping the valve from cycling. The need for the valve to be installed as close as possible to the water source is to prevent the valve from skipping through zones as the supply line fills purging air before reaching working pressure.
The 6000 series valve has a built-in atmospheric vacuum breaker (AVB) that vents the valve to the atmosphere upon shut down to aid in the valve draining so as to cycle to the next zone, the 4000 series valve does not have an AVB so even though the valves will usually work without one if needed due to problems with the valve draining one can be added on the supply line before the valve.
When installing the valves care should be taken to not let glue drip inside the valve and damage the interior, and when gluing PVC into the outlets or inlet no glue, cleaner or primer should be used in the sockets of the valve. The best method is to use purple primer and clear glue on the PVC only as the valve itself is not PVC but constructed of ABS plastic and a chemical reaction occurs between the two plastics when glue is applied to ABS that causes the PVC to be pushed back out of the socket. Once pushed into the socket with the valve “right side up” the pipe should be held in for 15 seconds to allow the glue to set. The glue joints should be allowed to set for a minimum of 2 hours before testing the valve.