OT: Any suggestions on lawn sprinkler system companies?
- Thread starter gdogg
- Start date
I'm about to put one in my yard. This will be my 4th one. I've had quotes before that we're nearly $4,000. You can get the materials from Home Depot for $500-$800, considering the size of the yard.
The one shortcut I do it just tying in the system to an outdoor faucet. Past that its basically gluing PVC pipe together and renting a trencher.
The one shortcut I do it just tying in the system to an outdoor faucet. Past that its basically gluing PVC pipe together and renting a trencher.
So, I have a spot in my backyard that doesn't drain very well. I bought some leveling sand to drop in there. It's not really a hole, just a low spot. I think filling it in will fix the problem, as the rest of the yard drains fairly well. I am also planning on adding a flower bed in another spot in the backyard. We have only been in the house 2 years, and it was sodded with centipede.
My question is: If I can take up the grass where I put the flower bed (in a sod-like fashion), can I just put it down on top of the low spot filled with sand to cover the bald spot? Should I put some kind of soil or compost on top of the sand? Should I not do this, because it will cause a nastier problem for the foreseeable future?
Not trying to hijack, but didn't really need a whole thread...
Also, YOU NEED A SPRINKLER METER IN MADISON. You'll thank me later.
My question is: If I can take up the grass where I put the flower bed (in a sod-like fashion), can I just put it down on top of the low spot filled with sand to cover the bald spot? Should I put some kind of soil or compost on top of the sand? Should I not do this, because it will cause a nastier problem for the foreseeable future?
Not trying to hijack, but didn't really need a whole thread...
Also, YOU NEED A SPRINKLER METER IN MADISON. You'll thank me later.
meter for the system. Yeah, it will cost you a few extra hundred plus the backflow preventer (another few hundred) but you won't have to pay that sewer fee every month that you pay on your house meter because they know its sprinkler water. Why pay the sewer fee if the waters going in the yard and down the street? It will pay for itself in a few years. You can also put some faucets around the yard off of it and wash the car, power wash the deck, let the kids play in the hose, fill up the pool, Clorox the house etc w/out paying sewer fees on that water either. You also won't have to worry about sprinkler robbing pressure when you hop in the shower.
Looking to dig one up and replace it myself...
How much would I have to pay per foot to have someone else do it? Any recommendations on a contractor?
How much would I have to pay per foot to have someone else do it? Any recommendations on a contractor?
jb1020 said:
Call your water system and ask them to install an irrigation meter. They will charge a tapping fee (different depending on where you live), but if you are connecting it directly to a spigot then you are paying the sewer fees on all the water that you water your lawn with.
If you have a well and a septic system, then disregard everything I posted.
ETA: Good lesson for me in reading the entire thread before posting - dawgebag already had covered this.
They did say it was pretty beneficial to get the 2nd meter put in, though its a $15 per month minimum, I think it pays for itself in the summer.
The first 2000 gallons are free...I'm not savvy enough to know how far that goes in terms of watering a yard.
Its $190 to have the meter installed.
The first 2000 gallons are free...I'm not savvy enough to know how far that goes in terms of watering a yard.
Its $190 to have the meter installed.
It will pay for itself over a couple of summer months. Plus, you don't want to be paying Madison sewer costs on the extra water - it jumps up in a hurry. I can speak from experience. You may use more than 2000 gallons if you water heavily during the summer, but it'll still save you a ton, since you won't pay the sewage surchages on all that water.
Mine paid for itself in about two months, but I was dealing with sod in a dry summer. I think the second meter never got over 60 or so dollars.
Mine paid for itself in about two months, but I was dealing with sod in a dry summer. I think the second meter never got over 60 or so dollars.
If you are having drainage problems the easiest way to fix it would be corrugated pipe(plastic pipe with holes in it) or a French drain(layer of rocks in the ground). I would do the French drain. <div>
</div><div>On the sod. No worries just make sure you don't transplant it during the summer. Centipede has a shallow root system so water it well when you move it. No topsoil. It grows great in sandy environments.</div>
</div><div>On the sod. No worries just make sure you don't transplant it during the summer. Centipede has a shallow root system so water it well when you move it. No topsoil. It grows great in sandy environments.</div>
Always, ALWAYS run a tracer wire with anything new you put in the ground. You never know when you may have a phone line, cable line, etc go bad, get struck by lightening, get cut, etc...and need replacing. When replacing other utilities, you can easily end up with a major problem when a plow blade goes in the ground IF the installation contractor can't get an exact location on your sprinkler system.
You also need to be sure to have all of your utilities located before putting a trencher in the ground. Generally gas and power companies will locate all the way to your house(to the meter, generally on your house), but water only locates to the meter(generally near the road, near the main), and phone/cable companies generally only locate to a ped/pole near your house(only locate the main cable, leaving you personally responsible for your own). It's imperative that you locate this stuff beforehand and take precaution to avoid cutting these utilities. The bill for a mistake in cutting one of these utilities can get quite expensive, even on occasions when the repair is actually quite simple. Oftentimes, an ATT tech will require a brand new phone line be placed from the PED to house(especially in the u-verse era), rather than a very simple ground splicing. This requires an installation contractor come out and place the wire(minimum depth 8-12" if subcontracted to anyone outside of att itself), which in turn, has potential to interfere with the freshly laid sprinkler system, and the rest of your underground utilities.
Any questions, let me know... spent ~ 1.5yrs as a construction foreman overseeing ATT underground installations on private property for the southwest quadrant of the state. It's nothing "difficult" about what you are wanting to do, but it can be tedious at times, and overlooking one little detail can turn it into a nightmare, QUICKLY...
You also need to be sure to have all of your utilities located before putting a trencher in the ground. Generally gas and power companies will locate all the way to your house(to the meter, generally on your house), but water only locates to the meter(generally near the road, near the main), and phone/cable companies generally only locate to a ped/pole near your house(only locate the main cable, leaving you personally responsible for your own). It's imperative that you locate this stuff beforehand and take precaution to avoid cutting these utilities. The bill for a mistake in cutting one of these utilities can get quite expensive, even on occasions when the repair is actually quite simple. Oftentimes, an ATT tech will require a brand new phone line be placed from the PED to house(especially in the u-verse era), rather than a very simple ground splicing. This requires an installation contractor come out and place the wire(minimum depth 8-12" if subcontracted to anyone outside of att itself), which in turn, has potential to interfere with the freshly laid sprinkler system, and the rest of your underground utilities.
Any questions, let me know... spent ~ 1.5yrs as a construction foreman overseeing ATT underground installations on private property for the southwest quadrant of the state. It's nothing "difficult" about what you are wanting to do, but it can be tedious at times, and overlooking one little detail can turn it into a nightmare, QUICKLY...
I can highly recommend Evergreen Irrigation in the Reservoir area, located on Old Fannin Rd. Good guys, and do dang good work. Monte Rawls is good too. I cant stress this enough, do not call Love Irrigation, Paul Love is a crook and an ******* to boot, not to mention he's the most expensive in town.
They can run $20-$30/ft and up, if installed correctly. A "true" french drain will have a washed gravel bedding/backfill, regardless of whether you use the sock pipe or line the trench with the geotextile fabric (best installation). As far as a contractor recommendation (in the Jackson metro area), Dorman Foundation Company is probably the best drain contractor I have dealt with.
Use NDS E-Z Drain for the french drain. Less materials cost, and easier to install. Also, for irrigation, you will want to use a MP Rotator nozzle from Hunter Irrigation. Slightly more cost up front, but will save you 30% on water usage which will translate into monetary savings. I would also recommend a Hunter Solar Sync, or some type of rain sensor so you don't water when its raining Rain Clik is a very minimal cost.
Any irrigation company worth their salt should recommend these, and put in any type of head that you ask for. I personally specify Hunter products especially for the nozzles, but Rainbird does have some good products as well. Hunter's MP nozzles will get to a smaller radius than a rainbird will.
Any irrigation company worth their salt should recommend these, and put in any type of head that you ask for. I personally specify Hunter products especially for the nozzles, but Rainbird does have some good products as well. Hunter's MP nozzles will get to a smaller radius than a rainbird will.
I live in the "other" Madison ... Madison, Alabama. Water costs about the same as gasoline here. My household water usage is generally about 5,000 gallons/month ... and costs about $55-$60. The water itself is about $25 of that and the sewer is about $35 ... sewer is more than water.<div>
</div><div>I have a second meter, and my water bill for the lawn (sans sewer) runs around $200 per month and has been as high as $300. That's trying to keep fescue alive during the summer, which used to be quite possible but with the climate warming is very difficult to do now. I'm going to sod with Zoysia in April or May.</div><div>
</div><div>When I put mine in about 15 years ago, the second meter was about $200. Now it's in the $700-800 range, but probably still worth it to keep a nice lawn.</div>
</div><div>I have a second meter, and my water bill for the lawn (sans sewer) runs around $200 per month and has been as high as $300. That's trying to keep fescue alive during the summer, which used to be quite possible but with the climate warming is very difficult to do now. I'm going to sod with Zoysia in April or May.</div><div>
</div><div>When I put mine in about 15 years ago, the second meter was about $200. Now it's in the $700-800 range, but probably still worth it to keep a nice lawn.</div>
If you're young, give it a shot. But if you're an old fart with a bad back, get it done by "professionals" (meaning that they get paid for what they do, but not necessarily that they do a good job). When they did mine, there were about 12 guys working from sunup to sundown but they got it done in one day.<div>
</div><div>If you do it yourself, I'd recommend getting the thicker wall PVC and you'll have many fewer problems than if you use the thin-walled stuff the installers use. It doesn't cost that much more.</div>
</div><div>If you do it yourself, I'd recommend getting the thicker wall PVC and you'll have many fewer problems than if you use the thin-walled stuff the installers use. It doesn't cost that much more.</div>
Lord man, you either have a huge yard or an extremely green yard.
Our water/sewage bill now runs a minimum of $53. Thats what it always is in the winter months. In the summer if we water, fill up kiddie pools and what not it can run about $100. But thats really not sufficiently watering the yard.
After talking to Fannin water assn. they said I'd have 2 water bills. The first one would likely stay at $53, assuming our indoor use stays under 2000 gallons.
Then our second bill would be water only with a minimum fee of $15. And then they start charging after 2000 gallons. She told me what a guy down the street from me was paying with his second meter and he used 3800 gallons and paid $40. That probably waters his yard 5+ days a week.
Seems like a no brainer for me.
Our water/sewage bill now runs a minimum of $53. Thats what it always is in the winter months. In the summer if we water, fill up kiddie pools and what not it can run about $100. But thats really not sufficiently watering the yard.
After talking to Fannin water assn. they said I'd have 2 water bills. The first one would likely stay at $53, assuming our indoor use stays under 2000 gallons.
Then our second bill would be water only with a minimum fee of $15. And then they start charging after 2000 gallons. She told me what a guy down the street from me was paying with his second meter and he used 3800 gallons and paid $40. That probably waters his yard 5+ days a week.
Seems like a no brainer for me.