transmute your landscape with a DIY irrigation system . This well-heeled - to - install system is secure to make your locoweed attend great .
A homeirrigation systeminstallation can solve severallandscaping problemsand other issues in one project . First , it saves you the meter and trouble of tend to sprinklers and dragging hose around the yard . secondly , matching your landscape’swatering needsto your docket , climate , and plantings saves you money that would be wasted by inefficient manual watering . Also , yoursavings will increase even moreif you ’ve leave soakers and sprinklers on all Nox .
An irrigation system installation demand manual labor , but it ’s not backbreaking , especially if you do n’t rush it . You probably ca n’t finish the whole thing in one weekend , so you might as well take your time . Furthermore , modernistic technology has made gathering of the organisation — the valve , fittings , piping , and spray heads — well-heeled than ever .
Before You Begin: Map Your Irrigation Plan
Before you begin , you ’ll postulate to contrive your system of rules . provision starts when you begin to represent your irrigation system installation — making a elaborate study ofyour K , designating trees , shrub , sidewalks , fences , slopes , sunny and shaded areas , and all permanent structures and planting beds , along with property between them and a brief verbal description of what ’s found where . That entropy will help your provider determine what form of sprinkler oral sex will fit the specificwatering needsof each area . Your map must also show where the manifold ( connection / distribution period ) will be , usually in an invisible blot closemouthed to the H2O line of merchandise .
Your provider also will want to know something about the water pressure at your household , and most will lend you a gauge to value it . Water atmospheric pressure and flow rate matter because you ca n’t have more than 60 to 75 percent of the total pressure going into an irrigation system . If you need more heads than this general rule allows , you’re able to establish subsystems , each with its own consecrated valve , programme , so theywater at different sentence .
When it comes to timers , you ’ll find that manual timers , though inexpensive , take more aid than you may need to give to a system of rules you intend to do the work for you . On the other hand , supply automatic timers when doing your irrigation system initiation will ensurewatering decent on docket , even when you ’re not there .
When you begin your irrigation system installation , your resume will demonstrate priceless . You ’ll still need to put down stonemason ’s lines to conduct your dig , but your irrigation map will show you where to start and stop , how many top dog to install along a give crinkle , and at what interval .
You ’ll notice that each sprinkler head is designed for aspecific watering need . Many are adjustable to tolerate targeted smirch lacrimation without lacrimation aim such as sidewalks , private road , or the house .
What You’ll Need
Equipment / Tools
Materials
Instructions
Excavate Site
Lay out your intact organisation with interest and mason ’s lines . Use the line of work as a templet or grade the ground with paint and move the lines out of your way . Excavate to a deepness of 8 to 10 inches ( but consult your retailer for depth in a cold climate ) . preserve thesodto re - overcompensate the trench .
Connect Pipes
Connect pipe to the main piss provision pipe , then set up a control valve and antisiphon valve at least 6 column inch above ground level . When you put together the line and psyche in the trench , set out here and play from this location outwards .
Install a Control Valve
Install a ascendancy valve for each circuit in the system . Some type are made to be wired to the timer . Manual control valves are less expensive but far less convenient . If budget earmark , get the small - emf models . ensure the covers of all the valve boxes are at ground level .
Lay Out Pieces
Lay out the pieces on the earth in the order they will be installed . Cutpipeto duration and dry - assemble the pieces outside of the trench in sections . Lay a division in the oceanic abyss to check that it go . Then disassemble , glue ( or clinch ) , and reassemble . Mark spray capitulum locations clearly .
Take Measurements
Take periodic measuring as you ’re excavating and assemble . Spray heads must be level with each other or gravity will favor one over the other and prevent pop - ups from operating properly .
Attach Fittings
Clamp - on spraying head fittings install easily where you postulate them . Some spray head adjustment employ a ego - thrust backsheesh that fucking into the fitting to perforate a hole in the line .
Change Directions
Wherever the flow of body of water will exchange directions , put in the appropriate try-on — either a football tee fitting , four - way cross , or articulatio cubiti . If using glued pipe , ensure the surface of the juncture are sporting before gluing . If using clamped fittings , do not overtighten the clamps .
Install Heads
When you reach a atomizer head locating , set up the headspring specified by your irrigation mathematical function . Installlawn headsjust above ground level but lower than mower blades . rationalize the riser pipe for shrub heads long enough to position the head above thefoliage .
Flush Out System
Once you have installed all the nebuliser head , but before you hook up the system for good , attach ahoseand flush out the arrangement . check that all heading are operate right and provide the coverage required .
Connect Valves
Connect the control valve and antisiphon valve telegram , following the manufacturer ’s instructions . One of the advantages of miserable - electromotive force wiring is that you could consist it direct in the trench — it does n’t postulate a disjoined conduit . Seal the connections to keep out wet .
Mount Timer
Mount the timer at its locating and finish wiring the control valve and the index source of the timer . programme the timerto water the various zones of your system at the times of your pick .
Cover and Backfill
comprehend the valves with the producer ’s covers , then backfill the trench in soil layer of about 2 inches , pack the soil mildly as you go . Do not trouble the predilection of the spray heading . Re - cover the trench with superoxide dismutase .
Bonus: More Irrigation System Installation Tips
How to Choose a Sprinkler Head
Select sprinkler heads establish on the reportage needed for a give area . big areas need one expressive style , niche require another , and areas undershrubsneed still another eccentric . Do n’t put a shrub school principal or spray capitulum on a riser pipeline anywhere a someone could trip on it .
Understanding Pop-up Sprinklers
Pop - up mode sprinkler heads are installed just below ground level somowersor foundation dealings wo n’t damage them . The good single are adjustable . Shrub sprinkler are taller for habit in peak and shrub bed . When selecting the right height to put in , keep in mind the mature sizing of the plant life .
Water Supply Options: Mild Climates
In clime where wintertime weather does n’t play freezing temperatures , tapping your irrigation organization into an outside water line make an light installation , especially because you wo n’t have to cut any exist water furrow . Unscrew the outside faucet and install a tee match whose retail store diameter matches the sizing of your shutoff valve piping . Install pap on either side of the shutoff valve that will put the connecting cubital joint exactly at the bottom of the oceanic abyss .
Water Supply Options: Cold Climates
In inhuman climates , thebest fix for the irrigation servicing is indoors , close to the water meter . Cut the water line between the H2O metre and the mansion service line and set up a tee fitting and shutoff valve that will service the irrigation cable . Note the drain capital at the bottom of the blood line before it goes into the irrigation field . This allows you to enfeeble the arrangement beforewinter suspend .
Understanding Spray Patterns and Overlap
Install lawn heads , so they pull back to ground level when not activate but pop up high enough that their spray pattern rises above the grass . Shrub heads should be install on riser pipeline that put their sprayer pattern above the foliage . Bubblers let water out just above ground level .
Different atomizer head march patterns for various irrigation design . No matter what kind of spray heads are installed in a given orbit , ensure enough heads are installed , so their patterns overlap . Failure to overlap will get dry spots in the irrigated arena .
