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HomeReaders ChoiceDo It Yourself Lawn Irrigation System

Do It Yourself Lawn Irrigation System

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Sprinklers For Large Lawns Reviewed

How to Install a Sprinkler System | A DIY Guide

This section will provide a detailed review of the best sprinklers for large lawns and gardens, including the four top options highlighted in the section above. I based my selection on the sprinklers with the best features, ease of use, and technical details, among other aspects. Read through each review to find the product that fits your specific needs.

  • Huge 4973 sq ft. area of coverage 94 feet x 50 feet
  • A durable sprinkler with a metal-based construction and metal connector thread
  • Control width, length, and flow for square or rectangular coverage

Cons

  • Nothing at this price.

The Eden 94116 Metal Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler is another fantastic product. This metal-based sprinkler is driven by a dirt-resistant turbo gear system that sprays water up to an incredible 4,973 square feet.

I also really like that the thread for the hose connector is metal, offering that extra durability that will extend the product life. I opted to use the HD plaster quick-connectors supplied, screwed them into the metal connector thread, and start to work through each of the spray settings.

There is width, length and water flow control on the sprinkler head making for an unlimited number of possibilities. Square, rectangle you name it, you can do it. Perfect for covering uniform areas of lawn or garden.

Features:

The efficiency of the quick-connect fittings is further enhanced by the twist and lock mechanism, which avoids accidental disconnection of the hose and the sprinkler.

Cons

Cons

Cons

Cons

Lawn Sprinkler System Diy

A lawn sprinkler system is essential to caring for your home and lawn. Once you’ve established the correct area in every type of soil condition and climate and have determined how much water you need to apply during each watering cycle, it’s time to install your outdoor automatic watering system. All you need to get started is a sprinkler head, parts, some PVC pipe connectors, elbow joints, Tee connectors, and other PVC components. With the right tools and materials, you can install a simple lawn sprinkler system in a matter of hours, making this project suitable for anyone who wants to start landscaping on their own property.

Smart Controllers Save Water

According to the EPA, residential outdoor water use in the United States accounts for nearly 9 billion gallons of water each day, mostly for landscape irrigation. Experts estimate that as much as 50 percent of this water is wasted through overwatering caused by inefficiencies in irrigation methods and systems.

Traditional controllers for yard sprinkler systems turn each zone on and off for a predetermined amount of time. A rain gauge connected to a controller will monitor recent rainfall and shut down the system in the middle of or shortly after a rain event. Thats helpful, but there are controllers and sensors available now that can track temperatures, sunlight and other seasonal conditions, and will adjust the watering schedule accordingly. A well-planned design along with a properly functioning smart controller can save a couple hundred gallons of water per day!

The one shown here, made by Rachio, connects to a home Wi-Fi, allowing the homeowner to control it or get updated on a smartphone.

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Install Heads With Swing Pipe

For this yard sprinkler system, install a section of swing pipe, often called funny pipe, between the end of the poly pipe and the sprinkler head. Because funny pipe is flexible, you can much more easily position the head exactly where it needs to be. Funny pipe also allows the head to move a bit in case its run over by a vehicle or pushed around by the frozen ground. When a head is connected directly to the rigid poly pipe, any movement could crack the fitting that connects them.

Dual System Diy Irrigation

The 25+ best Water sprinkler system ideas on Pinterest

This dual irrigation system is great for raised beds or traditional in ground gardens, so you can use it even if you have a container garden. The first part of the system is a soaker hose that keeps your plants clean and refreshed. The second part is a drip irrigation system that delivers water to the roots of your plants right where they need it.

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Irrigating Herb Gardens In 2l Bottles

Perhaps youre very interested indeed in doing a little bit of gardening this summer but you actually live in an apartment and youre pretty much limited to small herb gardens right now? Well, believe it or not, irrigation is still something you might consider paying attention to even in your little herb patches! Check out how Parents.com made these simple but super effective irrigating herb gardens using 2L pop bottles.

Three Reasons We Want A Sprinkler System

Time, Money, Healthy Law

  • Your time is valuable: Your Green Lawn Plan has you mow, fertilize, and water your lawn. If you take a moment to think of those three lawn care tasks youll come to the same conclusion I did, watering your grass can consume the most time of all three tasks. You probably manually water your grass with hoses, sprayers, or rotary sprinklers and each time you do youre thinking how nice would it be to have an automatic sprinkler system or irrigation system. An automatic sprinkler system or irrigation system would reduce your lawn maintenance by a third or more and you would maintain a healthy lawn while affording you additional time for other things.
  • Save money and water: How many times have you stretched out the hose, laid down the sprinkler, and four hours later you remember you left the sprinkler on? Ive done it and the first thing I thought about wasnt how green my grass was going to be, but how much was next months water bill going to be. Not to mention in some communities there are watering schedules and time limits to promote water conservation which can result in fines for excessive watering. Saving money and water is easily accomplished through the use of an automatic system or irrigation system. Once you set your system on a timed schedule youll never have to worry about watering time, wasting money or wasting water.
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    How To Decide If You Need An Underground Irrigation System:

    • The type of grass in your lawn affects irrigation needs.

    • Some turfgrass varieties have higher water requirements than others.

    • Your soil type also affects the efficiency of irrigation. For example, sandy soils absorb water more quickly than clay.

    • An irrigation system gives you better control of your soils moisture content, but if you supply more water than the soil can absorb, runoff is the result.

    Planning and purchasing the correct components are the keys to success. But dont be discouraged. Most manufacturers of home irrigation systems have design and planning guides that simplify the job considerably.

    Roll Out The Irrigation

    How to Install the InGround Sprinkler System
    • At flowerbeds and trees, connect drip-irrigation tubing to the pressure reducer and microfilter coming from the underground PVC pipes.
    • Roll out the tubing along the flower bed, keeping it close to the base of the plants.
    • Keep unwinding the spool back and forth throughout the flower bed space the tubing 12 inches apart.
    • If necessary, join one length of tubing to another with a push-in coupling.
    • When you get to the end of the layout, cut the tubing with a utility knife if necessary, flush it with water, fold it over, and slip on an end clamp.

    Tip: Set the tubing in the sun for a few hours and it will soften and be much easier to install.

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    Lawn Watering Made Easier

    I have to say I’m impressed with the budget lawn-irrigation system I’ve created. It can’t match the reach and control options a serious high-end solution would offer, since they are professionally installed and tailored to your specific needs. That said, for around one-twentieth the price, I now can water 90 percent of my home’s front yard — not a bad deal. I can also push the timer’s watering schedule back a few days if it rains sufficiently just by tapping a button.

    Place The Pipes In The Trenches

    • Following the plan, lay PVC pipe in all the trenches leading from the valve box. If necessary, join pipe sections with couplings and PVC cement.
    • Wherever a pipe branches off to a sprinkler head, splice in tee fittings, then attach a short length of flexible piping, which will connect to the sprinkler head.
    • Where a pipe connects to drip-irrigation tubing, attach an upturned elbow, a short vertical pipe, and a pressure reducer with a microfilter.

    Tip: Save money and avoid extra trips to the home center by buying PVC fittings in multi-piece contractor packs.

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    Learn More About Your Water Supply

    You need to gather information about your water supply to ensure you purchase the right components and tools.

    Luckily, manufacturers often design custom systems that are specific to your yard and region. They provide instructions on how to check your water pressure and flow to find the right sprinkler system.

    Heres what you need to know about your water:

    • Size of the water service line
    • Water pressure in PSI using a pressure gauge you can attach to the outside faucet
    • Size of the water service line
    • Flow rate measured in gallons per minute

    Linux Powered Garden Sprinkler System

    Do It Yourself Lawn Irrigation System / How to create a DIY sprinkler ...

    Your garden is a veritable paradise. You’d love to spend every waking moment in it, but you must also get your work done. Keeping the garden adequately watered and well maintained with a cleverly designed sprinkler ensures that your plants grow lush and healthy. This is no longer a problem with this Linux-powered sprinkler system. It uses open-source codes that control water flow, offering more precise control over when water gets sprayed on the plants, allowing you to manage water usage better too! This simple yet sophisticated sprinkler system will keep your garden beautiful and green. The instructions are straightforward and can be built in just a few hours.

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    Connect The Timer Wires

    • Mount the programmable timer on the house wall.
    • Strip the insulation from the ends of the 24-volt wires that lead from the zone valves to the timer.
    • Attach the wires to the timer terminals, as shown in the manufacturer’s instructions.
    • Hire a licensed electrician to run power to the timer, if necessary.
    • Set the timer and run a test to make sure that each zone and all the sprinklers are operating properly.
    • Finally, adjust any nozzles that are spraying off course.

    Ready to bring your lawn to the next level? Check out some of our favorite lawn care resources.

    The Dos And Donts Of A Sprinkler System

    DO DONT
    • Leverage morning hours Watering your yard at night can bring on fungus growth. Does the side of your yard stay green with mildew and mold? Watering in the morning will help.
    • Install a rain shutoff device or humidity sensor to stop unnecessary watering when your yard already has enough moisture.
    • Utilize your timers some irrigation systems retrofit timers, saving you water and money.
    • Dont water the pavement Make sure your sprinkler head only covers lawns and gardens. Poorly placed irrigation systems waste up to four billion gallons of water every day.
    • Dont use your sprinkler when its raining.
    • Dont let your system waste water by running into the streets or drains.

    Now that you know all about sprinkler systems and how to install one yourself, how about stocking up on top-quality equipment? Visit our shop to see our limited offers.

    We feature quality rotors, nozzles, and irrigation sprays from superb brands like Toro, Rain Bird, and Hunter.

    Weve been in the game for 11 years and pride ourselves on our excellent customer service. Dont believe us? Take it from our clients:

    Have ordered several times and always receive a shipping notice within hours of placing the order. Usually have delivery in just a day or two. John Stout

    Great price on the backflow valve. Delivered quickly. Excellent follow up. Who could ask for more? Ruth Jackson

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    How To Replace A Sprinkler Head

    You can change a sprinkler head by using a wrench or screwdriver. First, make sure to disable the water supply to the sprinkler system and drain the water from all of the irrigation lines and sprinkler heads.

    Also, ensure that the replacement head is compatible with your irrigation system. Reattach the sprinkler head to its base and tighten the screws. Then, restart the water supply and check for leaks.

    Q How Many Sprinkler Heads Can I Put In A Single Zone

    DIY ABOVE GROUND Sprinkler System (2020 UPDATE!)

    That depends on both the pressure of the water and the type of sprinkler heads used. On average, a pop-up sprinkler head will water up to 300 square feet of lawn. An installer will decide the optimal number of heads by factoring in water pressure in gallons per minute and the flow rate for each head.

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    Installing Your Sprinkler Heads

    With my valves and backflow preventer installed, I moved on to installing my sprinkler heads. Previously, as I had laid my zoned water lines, I had incorporated one of these set-ups whenever I came upon one of my orange flags.

    This follows this schematic that I showed earlier . To create a spot in my line for a sprinkler head, I incorporated a threaded tee connection into my line. This is basically the same as a straight coupling but with a third hole on the top where I could twist in a threaded swing pipe elbow.

    I assembled these connections in bulk one night on the couch twisting the swing pipe elbows into a couple dozen tees, as well into some white elbows that would go at the end of each zones water line. They were pretty easy to thread by hand, but then I stuck a screwdriver in the end of the gray elbow to give me leverage to tighten them a couple more turns. I also cut small sections of funny pipe in bulk and attached them. They just twisted on with a bit of pressure.

    That same night on the couch I also one prepared my sprinkler heads in bulk . This meant twisting the small gray elbows into the back of each one

    and installing red nozzles into each one based on the type of spray I wanted. This took longer than youd expect, since I had to use that special white key to pull the sprinkler head out of its chamber to access the nozzle hole. It took a surprising amount of force to keep it from snapping back in .

    Final Thoughts On Sprinkle Repair

    It may seem daunting at first to repair a sprinkler system, but its relatively straightforward. By following our instructions, you can fix your sprinkler system in a jiffy. However, if youre not comfortable making any of the repairs or adjustments listed in this article, dont hesitate to hire a professional.

    What kind of issues have you stumbled upon when trying to fix your sprinkler system? Share your experience with us in the comment section below!

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    Diy Underground Sprinklers For $100

    Do it Yourself! Create your underground sprinkler system for $100 cost. These are incredibly easy to build. You will be surprised how easy it is to save money with these inexpensive DIY underground sprinklers. Save money with this DIY project and simple how-to guide. Build your own underground sprinklers that won’t cost you a ton because they’ll last longer than commercial models. This is perfect for anyone with a small yard who does not want to spend hundreds of dollars installing sprinklers from a professional service. The most common problem with this system is that it sometimes goes out of whack at night due to changes in temperature or light conditions.

    Sprinkler System Cost: Types Of Sprinkler Systems

    How To Install An Irrigation System

    Different types of systems require different types of material, which will factor into the cost of having a system installed. For a 1-acre yard, expect to pay about $10,280 for an in-ground system, $1,800 to $2,000 for an above-ground system, and $1,800 to $2,500 for a drip system. Automating any of these systems will add another $10 to $325.

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    Install The Ground Stakes

    • Once all the irrigation tubing is laid out, secure it with plastic ground stakes. Hook each stake over the tubing and press it into the dirt .
    • Space the stakes about 18 to 24 inches apart.
    • Note that it’s often necessary to place two stakes very close together and on opposite sides of the tubing to hold it down.
    • To prevent the water coming out of the drip-irrigation tubing from evaporating too quicklyand to help hide the tubingcover the area with bark mulch. Spread it at least 4 inches deep and it will also deter weeds from sprouting.

    How Much Does It Cost To Install A Sprinkler System

    A professionally installed system for a typical ¼-acre lot is $3,000 to $4,000. But you can DIY it for under $1,500. The heart of an underground system is pop-up sprinkler heads. An average 2500-square-foot ground, its around $1,500-$2,500, whereas a system for 5000 sq. feet prices about$2,500-$3,500.

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