Garden and Lawn Sprinklers

Are you tired of dragging garden hoses out to water your lawn? Do you think a sprinkler system is too hard to install?

If done correctly installing a lawn sprinkler system can be rewarding. Some things you need to consider are your climate, soil, and water flow rate and pressure. Choose a system with a built-in timer to prevent your lawn from becoming too wet or too dry. Check with your building codes enforcement agency to make sure you follow the installation requirements for your area.

To get a good estimate on what supplies you will need, how many sprinkler heads and valves, and how much pipe you will need, measure your yard and layout where you want the sprinkler heads to go. To get the best water coverage the sprinkler heads need to barely overlap the spray from the adjacent head. Keep in mind the obstacles you might have, such as the house, driveway, mailbox and flower beds. Once you have the drawing laid out transfer the measurements to your yard. Place colored flags where you want each sprinkler head to be located.

Once you are ready to dig call your local utility hotline to determine where all your underground utilities are located. They will come out and mark any underground power, phone, cable, gas and water lines free of charge. You are liable for any damages caused due to digging. So play it safe and call your local utility company.

There are three different ways to dig a trench, either with a shovel, rent a trencher or rent a trencher that installs the pipe as it digs. The latter is the quickest and easiest way to get your pipe in the ground without making a mess of your yard. Fill your trenches with a shallow bed of sand before placing the pipe if the soil is rocky. If your building code requires a backflow prevention device place it between the meter and the manifold. In the winter, you will need to drain your system in order to prevent your pipes from freezing so keep drainage in mind as well.

The last thing you need to do is test your system to make sure it is working properly. You might have to make adjust to some of the sprinkler heads. Time is the biggest issue a do it yourselfer will have, but the results can be the same as a professional installer.