OT - yard question

[Count Istvan Teleky]

Has anybody undertaken installing an underground sprinkler system themselves? If you have, was it worth the hassle or should I just go ahead and pay the professionals to do it. House is located in Starkville if that makes any difference to your answer. Not a primary residence so something to keep things alive in the summer is critical. Got tired of dragging hoses and sprinklers.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Hump4Hoops]

Do you have a month's worth of full weekends to spend there working on it?

 

[Count Istvan Teleky]

I think I could put in the time.

How complicated is this? I can envision it getting pretty complicated ...

 

[weblow]

Did this at 2 different houses I lived in. The first time I sketched it out and used a website to help plan it, decide on which heads to use...........

Rented a trencher and installed it. It took a ton of time and half of the heads recommended on the website did not provide good coverage of the area they were for. It was a 2 weekend process to get it installed and then a 2 month process of changing out heads. I WOULD NOT go this route.

The 2nd time I called out a man that installed sprinkler systems and asked for 2 quotes. A quote for a complete install and then a quote for him spraying where he wanted the trenches, me trenching it, and him installing the pipe and heads. I was shocked at how cheap it was if I did the trenching and covered the lines back up with dirt once he had installed it. He also came back out a few times and fine tuned the setup.

I would see if you could do this. Renting a trencher for a day is cheap as long as you are willing to run it.

Couple of pointers that I would give anyone installing a system in MS where the ground shifts on a weekly basis:

Get a piece of graph paper and a tape measure. Before you cover up your lines, measure exactly how far they are from the house, tree, fence, or whatever is a fixed object. Put this on the graph paper and keep it in a place where you can find it in a pinch. When you wake up in the morning and there is a pool in the corner of the yard, this helps tremendously. The other would be to go to radio shack and buy a large spool of the cheapest speaker wire they have. It shouldn't cost you but about $10. Lay this on tap of all of your lines before you bury them. This way, you can get a cheap metal detector or rent one for a few dollars to find your line instead of digging up half of your yard. I know it sounds crazy but I would have loved to have it when I had a leak in a line.

Hope this helps, sorry it was long.

 

[Count Istvan Teleky]

Thanks - option 2 sounds doable.

 

[TXDawg.sixpack]

I live in Houston (the land of red clay and shifting soil). When you install the heads, don't connect them directly to the water lines. Most irrigation supply houses carry swivel joints - they're about 18 - 24 inches long and have 360-degree rotating joints on each end. Use these to connect the heads to the water lines. They allow for quite a bit of adjustment when the ground shifts and you find your heads have sunk 2 - 3 inches below grade.

 

[RocketDawg]

I did the first (the layout map) but not the locator wires. Never thought of that. I've used the layout diagram several times.<div>
</div><div>Had mine totally installed by a company.</div>

 

[RocketDawg]

And I'm serious. I might have taken on the task when I was in my 30s but believe me it's a lot of hard work. When I had mine put in they company had a crew of about 6 people who worked sunup to sundown, but they did it in one day.<div>
</div><div>Running a trencher is hard, and all the bending over an kneeling down is hard on the old bod. Technically though it's a relatively easy job.</div><div>
</div><div>There's also a method of slitting the ground and pulling flexible pipes instead of trenching and installing PVC. Oh ... if you do it yourself, I'd use the thick-walled PVC instead of the cheap stuff. It doesn't cost that much more and is a lot more reliable.</div>

 

[State82]

is in error. Should have been called a Ditch *****. Because that is just what it is. It is a mfer.

 

[Center Z]

and you have no idea what you're doing, I would suggest either finding somebody you know that has done it before to help you, or find somebody that is doing it themselves and help them do it. All it takes is about a day of watching and "practicing" and you'll understand it. As somebody said, it's a ***** to run a trencher if you don't know how. The technical part is easy once you understand it. Whichever route you choose, either if you do it or you pay somebody, make absolutely damn sure you don't use 18 gauge wire. Use 14 or even 12 gauge if you can. You can do the piping and all the other **** perfectly, but the wiring is what will F you later on if you go cheap.

 

[Barkman Turner Overdrive]

Great idea.

 

[harrydawg.sixpack]

And my wife thinks all of you are idiots.....what does she know!

 

[Count Istvan Teleky]

... I've got all winter to think about it.

The hard work scares me less than the plumbing and wiring.

Good points - all - and thanks.

 

[RocketDawg]

rocks and small boulders and tree roots and you've really got your hands full. Not to mention even penetrating the clay soil we have in N. Alabama.<div>
</div><div>All that's why I let the "pros" do it (but remember ... a professional is one who gets paid for what he's doing ... it doesn't mean he knows how to do or cares about the job he does).</div>

 

[dawgnautique]

Simplified Irrigation,, written by MSU's own Pete Melby. Melby was one of my Landscape Architecture professors and his book is very easy to read and understand. Pay particular attention to the chapters that discuss pipe sizes/ layout....if you mess this up, there will be no way to get the proper coverage with the heads as it is designed; especially the zones that are located "way down the line" from the water source. You need to understand the impact of psi and gpm on the overall function of your system. The book lays out the proper types of heads to use for the different functions (turf area vs beds with tall plants/ground covers etc). The book is somewhat dated with regard to current types of controllers that are available...there are some very "smart" types of controllers that can monitor rainfall amounts and automatically adjust, able to be controlled by phone/computer etc. Do your research there. Also, depending on Starkville's regulations, you may need a licensed plumber to install the back flow preventer if you are connecting to the municipal water source (do this only if you don't have a well). You could always run down to the local Lowes and let hourly guy who also sells toilet seats and caulk tell you how to do it! Seriously, not a bad DIY project if you do your homework.

 

[fieldcorporal]

Installing sprinkler systems is absolutely not rocket science, and is a great diy project.

I built the softball field at my daughter's high school, and irrigated the outfield myself, including installing a pump to get the water from the lake.

A few points: 1. Make sure your coverage is from "head-to-head". That is, if your heads are rated to throw 25', then the each head should be 25' or less from the adjacent heads. 2. Use swing joints to protect against soil movement, tractors, cars, etc. 3. Go to an irrigation supply house (like Ewing in Jackson) to get your valves/heads. The quality products and advice is worth the small extra $, especially on a yard-sized project. 4. I used sched 20 pipe (a $ decision), but if I had to do it again I'd use 40. 5. Don't overload your zones with sprinkler heads. better to have more zones with fewer heads. If you overload you'll get reduced throw/coverage, resulting in "hot spots". Also, don't mix head types (big 40' rotarys and small bubblers, for example) on a zone. 6. Use grease-caps at your underground wire connections. 7. Label your wires at the control box and at each valve connection (dont' ask why I suggest this).

Melby's book is a good tool. I also bought a book (at Home Depot, I think) published by Scotts. It has lots of photos that I found helpful, and is oriented more to yards than athletic fields.

 

[Original48]

Outstanding username.