lat@druxx.UUCP (TepperL) (04/27/85)
Below you will find the responses to my query about sprinkler
systems. I haven't received any more in over a week. Many thanks
to everyone who took the time and trouble to respond.
Larry Tepper
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From: ...!harvard!weber
While I have not kept up with the innovations of the last three years,
I think my recollections will be helpful.
The systems are in general quite good and reasonably inexpensive. What
specific types of spray heads and controllers you choose depends heavily on
the garden you have.
If you are watering a lawn or reasonably even and flat plantings, 1/2
inch spray heads will serve quite well. They rarely get clogged and put
out a good amount of water. The number of heads on a system and size of
pipe can be determined from charts that a good store will give you.
DON'T try to stretch what the documents suggest. In fact, Unless you
have very high water pressure, I would suggest using only 75% of the
recommended load on a given system.
If you have a steep hill, or fast draining soil, or sparsly planted
areas, a drip system will be useful. These are more of a headache than the
spray, because the pipes and heads are smaller and get clogged more easily.
But, if you need it don't be scared away, Even drip is fairly reliable.
It is a good idea to run bigger pipe ( 3/8 - 1/2 inch ) as much as possible
to help water pressure and ease clogging.
Now a few general warnings.
1) Use schedule 40 PVC pipe. There are cheaper types, but the
tend to rot quickly. As far as I know the black flexible pipe
for drip systems is all good.
2) Make sure your glue joints are good and allowed to dry. You
only get one chance.
3) There are many fancy electric control systems out now. I don't
know much about the new ones, but the old mechanical clock by
Richdel worked quite well and is inexpensive.
good luck, Fred Weber weber@harvard
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Date: Fri, 5 Apr 85 07:22:00 mst
From: ...!lanl!cib (C.I. Browne)
I put my own sprinkler system in a few years ago. If you
rent a trencher, it is really not a great deal of work, with
the principal effort going into the design of the layout
and the refilling of the trenches so that they end up level
with the lawn. Most systems use "birdie" heads; at the time
that I put mine in I investigated (experimentally) the Toro
claim that their heads put out far more uniform coverage
than birdies. They are correct. The birdies that I tried
had a decided minimum in the middle of the pattern.
Three suggestions: (1)Be lavish with your automatic drains. It
is hard to judge the low points in the system, and the
automatic drains are cheap. (2)If you decide to put in the
system, by all means put in a timer/controller. Aside
from the joy of not having to haul hose around, the great
advantage of the system is the ability to water early in
the morning (0400-0500) when the pressure is high and
the effectiveness is greatest. (3) Give a lot of thought
to your zone layout and the gpm each will require. It is
a great deal easier to provide extra zones in the first
place and patch the zone with additional heads later
than to go back and patch in another zone.
cib
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Date: Thu, 4 Apr 85 08:53:49 pst
From: ...!ucbvax!klein@ucbcad.Berkeley.ARPA (Mike Klein)
Yes, I have great recommendations for "Rain Jet" sprinklers. NOTE:
these are not at all the same as the "Rain Bird" choppers. I shopped
around quite a bit about two years ago, and these are absolutely the ones
to get. They are about $4 a head for plastic, $8 or so for metal, but
they are certainly worth it. The design has a mind-blowing number of
patents on it, and I thought sprinklers were low-tech! The sprinkler
head has a resonant chamber in it that forms large drops that it then
shoots out. It also has a scheme that vibrates and rotates the head as
it operates, randomizing the pattern and getting even areas right under
the head wet. There are many advantages to this, and I can't think of
any disadvantages:
- Large drops are much closer to real rainfall that mist.
Rain-Jet says larger drops are more easily absorbed
than mist; this I don't know about.
- Large drops do not blow away in wind as much as mist.
- Large drops have a higher terminal velocity, so the head
shoots them out at a low angle at a higher speed,
so the patterns can be very big. One of their biggest
is a 48-foot diameter circle.
- The vibration and rotation of the head gets water evenly
all around the head. This is really true! I do NOT
have to overlap head patterns, thus one Rain Jet
head often does the work of many conventional heads.
- The control over the pattern this design gives allows heads
with SQUARE patterns! I have used a lot of these in
my yard, again not needing to overlap patterns. I think
I used only about 1/3 of the heads I would have if I
had used conventional heads.
I must say that I've had this system in place for about two years and am
very happy with it. My parents had the usual stuff (Champion heads, I
think) and they often had to readjust the heads, turn it off it was too
windy, etc.
As for the rest of the system, I very highly recommend using drip irrigation
for trees and bushes. This gets the water right where it is truly needed,
deep in the tree's roots instead of at the surface.
For valves and controls, it depends on whether you are going automatic or
not. I did; if you are too, I would recommend getting a control that
is digital because it allows much more flexibility in programming
times and frequencies than the mechanical ones. For instance, if you are
planting a lawn, you will need to water it very lightly three times a
day for a few weeks. Be absolutely sure, though, that the digital
control has battery back-up for at least 24 hours. I bought Lawn Genie,
but only because it was easily available where I bought the rest of
the system. There are certainly others that will do fine.
I have also heard a lot of garbage on pipe. The only thing that makes
sense is to get sprinkler pipe of a good heavy gauge (Schedule 40 is fine)
and to get a diameter that is about 1/4" larger than the most restricting
diameter between that pipe and the main coming in from the street. In my
case, my meter is a 5/8", so I bought all 3/4" PVC pipe. I only went
1/8" higher than the main because none of the pipe runs that carried
a lot of flow were very long. Rain Jet puts out an informative little
brochure with tables of pressure loss versus pressure, pipe diameter,
and flow rate.
-Mike Klein
...!ucbvax!ucbmerlin:klein (UUCP)
klein%ucbmerlin@berkeley (ARPA)
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From: ...!nsc-pdc!patch
I installed lawn sprinklers for over 5 years when I was in H.S. and college
for summer work. Here are my reccommendations:
1) If you are installing in an existing lawn, spend the money to
rent a pipe puller. This is a machine with a vertical blade that
will pull the pipe from point A to point B under the ground without
any trenches and minimal damage to the existing lawn. We used Davis
"Mini-Sneakers" which are very manuouverable for those tight spots
in residential lawns.
2) Use 1-1/4" PVC pipe for the main line. (This is the line that
is constantly presurized by water.) This pipe is semi-rigid, white,
and the joints are glued with primer and "camel snot".
Use 1" "Poly" pipe for the feeder lines. This is the black
semi-flexible pipe that is connected with inserts and clamps.
3) At the main connection to your water pipe, bring copper piping
up out of the ground to a position higher than ANY point in the
entire sprinkler network. Then attach a turn-off valve, a backflow
preventer, a vacuum breaker, and take the pipe back down to the
ground for connection to your main. The purpose of all this is to
prevent water from sucking back into the main line should the water
presure be removed due to street maintenace, etc. The vacuum
breaker does just what its name suggests and allow the water to
drain from your system when you shut it off for the winter. An
additional feature you may want to add is a connection for an air
hose to purge the system of all water for winter shut-down.
4) At low spots on the main line attach drain valves with a good 2'
of gravel below each valve (underground) to receive water that is
drained from the system.
5) Don't overload each feeder line. Usually, about 5 full-circle
sprayers are about all that can be attached to a 1" pipe. We had
pretty good success with the Buckner series of sprinklers. These
are cast-iron bodies with "pop-up" stems and fine mist sprayers.
(Buckner 403 pop-ups)
6) For larger-area coverage, I would suggest the impact-rotating
sprinklers. 3 per line seems about right.
7) Spend the money up-front for electric valves and a timer. The
additional cost is well worth the convenience of being able to water
at night when the pressure is higher, and the water is more useful
as it is not evaporating. Also, you can leave for vacations and be
assured that your lawn is being watered (too bad it isn't being
mowed though).
8) I know we charged a lot to install systems, but you might just
want to see what it REALLY costs. The sprinker installers get their
parts wholesale, install a typical residential in one day, and
guarantee their work. It just might be worth it. Get references of
installations that have been through at least 2 winters.
9) Before installing any spray fittings on your pipes, flush the
system with running water for a couple of minutes to clear the pipes
of dirt. Otherwise, you will be unclogging the spray fittings for
weeks.
Good luck,
Pat Chewning
NSC Portland Development Center
15201 NW Greenbriar Pkwy
Beaverton, OR 97006
(503) 629-9090
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From: ...!RDCF.SDC.UUCP!barryg (Lee Gold)
As a lazy person (also one who occasionally goes off on extended vacations)
I recommend you follow our example and spend an extra $100 or so and
put in an electronic timer for your sprinklers. We've been happy with
our DewBee by IrriTrol but there are many on the market, and I haven't
heard bad things about any of them. I also recommend pop-up sprinklers
for easier mowing.
--Lee Gold
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From: allegra!fluke!dms (David Sherman)
Larry,
The best way to water your lawn is to put it in Everett, Washington.
I did this 2 years ago. The first year I watered it all summer (foolishly
thinking it would turn brown if I didn't, and also because I have no
water meter, the bill is a flat rate no matter how much I use). Last
year I decided not to water at all, hoping thereby to avoid mowing, but
to no avail. It stayed green and grew clear through August. Thus I
suggest that Everett is the best and lowest cost lawn sprinkling system
available. I sincerely hope this information helps you.
---David
David Sherman decvax\
John Fluke Mfg Co. ihnp4 >!uw-beaver\
PO Box C9090 MS 275G allegra >!fluke!dms
Everett, WA 98206 USA ucbvax >!lbl-csam /
(206) 356-6373 hplabs/
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From: ...!cadtec!lrolla
I installed a sprinkler system about two years ago and have only one problem
with the sprinklers.
The sprinklers that I used were Gene. The problem is that they use a "wiper"
blade. This is a little flat o-ring that goes between the sprinkler head and
the the water pressure. The problem is that when the blade wears out you loose
water pressure and the sprinklers will not pop up. I started noticing this
problem after about a year of use.
I had to write back to the manufacture to get the blades because no one carried
them in the entire Bay area.
My only suggestion is to pick sprinklers that have no rubber washers that can
wear out.
=====================================================================
Larry Rolla Cadtec Corp. 2355 Old Oakland Rd. San Jose, CA 95131
{decwrl!nsc,csi,onyx,teklds}!cadtec!lrolla (408) 942-1535
--------------------
From: ittvax!dcdwest!benson
I put in a system last summer. I did it myself with some supervision
from a knowledgeable friend. It was a positive experience.
My memory for brandnames is not good, but I believe the major valves
were made by Reidel. They are plastic and they are leaking slightly.
Pick good valves. I am using a solid state timer and I love it, it's
also Reidel, costing about $60.
Your water bills will double, but you know that already.
_
Peter Benson | ITT Defense Communications Division
(619)578-3080 | 10060 Carroll Canyon Road
decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!benson | San Diego, CA 92131
ucbvax!sdcsvax!dcdwest!benson |
--------------------
From: ...!hpfcla!hp-dcd!donn
Having put in 2 myself (2 houses) and helped with others, a few comments:
1) It doesn't matter much which brand of heads you use, other than the fact
that a few don't need overlap or work well from the center of an area,
as opposed to the majority that need to have heads on the edge.
The major brand that's that way is Rain Jet (with the "square" pattern).
In existing landscaping, this feature is nice. In new work, it doesn't
matter too much.
2) Don't be afraid to mix brands to get the best deal. In particular,
I don't really like the Rain Jet plumbing, in spite of the heads.
3) Use a pipe puller!!! The easiest way to install a system, in either
old or new landscaping. These can be rented from (some) rent-all places.
The Case "Mini-sneaker" is the one I've used. It's a big piece of machenery,
but it will fit through a standard gate. It'll pull 100 feet of black
polyethelene pipe under the sod without distrubing it much (Just tamp it
down again.) It's impressive. (A trick: it steers by being articulated
at the center and bending using hydraulic rams: the path of the joint
at the center is the path that the pipe will follow! It makes more
sense when you see the machine.)
It uses a "chinese handcuff" to hold the pipe. Be sure to tape the end of
the pipe or you'll fill the pipe with (packed) dirt which you'll regret.
Be sure to have heavy gloves to deal with it; the wire making up the
handcuff will eat bare hands. It takes 2 folks to run it: one to feed
the pipe at one end (and watch for it losing the pipe; it sometimes happens,
and the driver never even knows) and one to drive at the other end.
Once you've pulled the pipe, use saddle-tees to put in risers in the middle
of the line. (Pull thru the location of all mid-lawn heads; allow for
a fairly long turning radius.) Saddle tees provide threads so you can
screw directly into the pipe. Saves a lot of time. (There's a tool for
cutting the pipe that bores a hole once the saddle tee is in place, and
holds on to the piece you cut out so it doesn't foul the system; use it!)
Saddle tees also work nicely for drains, when installed sideways.
You'll have to use ordinary tees, etc at the end of the lines, or where
you want to tee off a new line.
There are compression clamps (one time) that will work as well as the screw
type hose clamps, and are half the price. You may want a few screw types,
but not very many (just remember to put the rings on BEFORE making the
joint; they don't go on after the connection is made).
That's a start, anyway.
Donn Terry
HP Ft. Collins, Co.
(303) 226-3800 x2367
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Me again (Larry Tepper, that is). You may wonder what I've decided
to do. Good question. My wife and I moved into a house in a new
development in the early fall of '84. Everybody in our neighborhood
is putting in their lawns now. As it so happens, the guy who lives
behind us owns a landscaping and irrigation company. Honest! I didn't
learn this until a week after my original request, when I first noticed
what an incredible job he was doing with his lot.
After looking through some literature and discussing things with him,
I have decided to have his firm install a system at our house. He
prefers Rain Bird systems (not the same as Rain Jet). They have
slick pop-up heads that disappear into your lawn when not in use.
We are including a drip system for shrubs and trees, with a handy and
flexible digital timer. The timer is run from re-chargable batteries.
The batteries are constantly recharged from a wall outlet. Power
outages do not affect the programming of the timer.
Three things affected our decision to not do the installation ourselves:
1) After eight months of looking at dirt, we wanted a lawn as soon as
was reasonably possible. Doing the research to PROPERLY plan a sprinkler
system, and to then install it myself would probably cost us another
month. I really should have started planning back in February. Also,
my spare time is at a premium right now.
2) I know myself and abilities fairly well by now. The SECOND sprinkler
that I did myself would be just the way I wanted it. The first would
have problems with it due to being on the short end of the learning curve.
Combined with pressure to get it done soon, I wouldn't be able to do
the necessary background work. Something would break and I would have to
dig up part of it.
3) Our neighbor is charging cost + 10% for the parts of the system.
Not bad. When his crew installs the system it will be guaranteed. If
it does happen to break, I know just who to contact. I get to drink
the beer while they do the work. We also had the money available.
--
Larry Tepper {ihnp4 | allegra}!druxx!lat +1-303-538-1759