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Thread: Lawn Sprinkler System?

  1. #1
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    Default Lawn Sprinkler System?

    I’ve been wanting a sprinkler system at my house for a couple years now. After some online research, talking to a couple landscapers, and YouTube videos, I’ve finally gotten around to mapping out my yard and drawing my own system design. I may even send off my yard map to rain bird and see how a “professional” would design a system for my yard compared to what I drew up. What components or hardware do y’all have or recommend? I’ve been looking Hunter brand products just because I have a little experience with their rotors when I made some portable sprinklers. I have a larger yard, roughly 138’ x 300’, and have drawn up the system using as many Hunter PGP rotor heads as possible and filling in the smaller spaces with their MP rotator nozzles. Right now my drawing is either 10 zones with 3 valve manifold locations covering everything with head to head coverage except for 2 fringe areas of the yard or 12 zones still 3 valve manifold and the entire yard is covered head to head. Any advice will be appreciated. I’m planning on this being a DIY project as I believe the material cost for the project will be around 1/4 to 1/3 the cost of the ballpark price a landscaper gave me. I’ve never put in a sprinkler system but have experience putting in water lines and running a walk behind trencher.
    Quote Originally Posted by Birddawg View Post
    I dont know how it was done. For all I know that weird bastard that determined it's gender licked it.

  2. #2
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    If you hire someone to put in a well,.....I would discuss/tell him that you do not want water with rust in it. I good well man knows what layer to stop in to get pure water.

    Nothing is uglier than a rust stained foundation, sidewalk, or driveway.


    I have 13 zones.....and no rust stains anywhere.
    Last edited by Catdaddy; 05-04-2021 at 09:21 PM.

  3. #3
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    I have Hunter. No issues what so ever and about to put a system in my son's house at the beach
    Don't forget the backflow device

  4. #4
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    I’m a weathermatic fan, but have used all the big brands and they’re all fine. I like the weathermatics because you can set the spray pattern before installing the head.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Catdaddy View Post
    If you hire someone to put in a well,.....I would discuss/tell him that you do not want water with rust in it. I good well man knows what layer to stop in to get pure water.

    Nothing is uglier than a rust stained foundation, sidewalk, or driveway.

    Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk
    Per advise from a landscaper, I am looking at just using my county water since I’m already on a septic system so no sewer fee or extra meter cost. He said the extra water cost would be better in the long run verses the up front cost of a well, and ongoing cost of a water conditioning system (to avoid stained concrete) and possible well pump replacement.
    Quote Originally Posted by Birddawg View Post
    I dont know how it was done. For all I know that weird bastard that determined it's gender licked it.

  6. #6
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    W P Law in Lexington helped me design my system. They are located at I 20 and highway 378 on the frontage road. They specialize in irrigation systems. I just gave them a diagram of my yard and told them how many gallons per minute out of my well. They also have everything you need , from the pipe, the heads, and any hardware you may need.

  7. #7
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    Rain bird will design it and give you a parts list. It comes with instructions and everything. Just tell them what you are trying to do and wait.
    Last edited by banded_mallard; 05-05-2021 at 07:46 AM.

  8. #8
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    hard to beat the simplicity of a rainbird 5000...And if you have the extra money, a RainMachine Pro-16 is worth it...

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Catdaddy View Post
    If you hire someone to put in a well,.....I would discuss/tell him that you do not want water with rust in it. I good well man knows what layer to stop in to get pure water.

    Nothing is uglier than a rust stained foundation, sidewalk, or driveway.


    I have 13 zones.....and no rust stains anywhere.
    Yep, I have a really nice $4k well and have used it twice and the turned it off. It stains everything


    Also, to the OP.....even without a sewer charge you might be surprised how much your water Bill could be. Not sure what all you plan on watering, but you might want to check some consumption numbers before you decide. I have a heavily landscaped 1 acre lot and my water Bill can hit $500 during peak season. That pays for a well pretty quickly.
    Last edited by Chessbay; 05-05-2021 at 06:38 AM.

  10. #10
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    It’s not rocket surgery. You don’t need and irrigation consultant upselling you. Figure out how many GPM you are getting at what pressure and design your zones around that. Head to head coverage is best. Hunter is a good choice and will serve you well. Buy the simplest clock you can because they are all disposable.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by CUduckreeper View Post
    Per advise from a landscaper, I am looking at just using my county water since I’m already on a septic system so no sewer fee or extra meter cost. He said the extra water cost would be better in the long run verses the up front cost of a well, and ongoing cost of a water conditioning system (to avoid stained concrete) and possible well pump replacement.
    I'd be very surprised if a well wouldn't pay for itself in less than 5 years with that size yard. Plus, with a well, you will have more GPM and water pressure so you'll be able to use less zones/heads.

    ETA: After the initial install, maintenance is not bad. Even if you have to put a new pump in, it's less than $1,000 in most cases. In the long run a well beats the breaks off county water in terms of cost.
    Last edited by Remy; 05-05-2021 at 07:26 AM.

  12. #12
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    1" pvc. flexible risers. 25' between heads. go around perimeter first then add heads in the interior if needed. i'm gonna say max 5 heads per zone. 4 is better. just depends on GPM. Just did my dads yard. All rainbird. Used a ride on trencher. Highly recommended.
    Last edited by Redleg Camo; 05-05-2021 at 08:07 AM.

  13. #13
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    Make an extra zone just for drip irrigation of the potted plants on the front porch and back deck.

    An irrigation well is not just an option where I live, it's a necessity. City water is obscenely expensive. A couple years ago, my wife grabbed the convenient hose at the house that's on city water to water a dry spot in the yard. She laid the hose down and forgot about it until the next day. We got hit with a $1400 water bill that month and the town wouldn't even back off of the sewer charge.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Catdaddy View Post
    If you hire someone to put in a well,.....I would discuss/tell him that you do not want water with rust in it. I good well man knows what layer to stop in to get pure water.

    Nothing is uglier than a rust stained foundation, sidewalk, or driveway.


    I have 13 zones.....and no rust stains anywhere.
    Will you send me the contact info for the person who put in your well?
    Quote Originally Posted by Birddawg View Post
    I dont know how it was done. For all I know that weird bastard that determined it's gender licked it.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Palmetto Bug View Post
    Make an extra zone just for drip irrigation of the potted plants on the front porch and back deck.

    An irrigation well is not just an option where I live, it's a necessity. City water is obscenely expensive. A couple years ago, my wife grabbed the convenient hose at the house that's on city water to water a dry spot in the yard. She laid the hose down and forgot about it until the next day. We got hit with a $1400 water bill that month and the town wouldn't even back off of the sewer charge.
    How many times a week are y'all watering, 2-3 times, daily? How much water a week are you trying to put down 1" 1 1/2"? Trying to figure out what my water consumption would be. My county water is $63.54 for the first 12,000 gallons then it goes up $7.19 per 1,000 gallons.
    Quote Originally Posted by Birddawg View Post
    I dont know how it was done. For all I know that weird bastard that determined it's gender licked it.

  16. #16
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    Make sure you run a big enough pipe to your supply(ies)

    I had to add a few when I moved some flower beds last year and lost pressure on some others. I added valves to rotate pressure as needed.


    Shouldn't be an issue if designed properly though.

    I just replaced my toro controller with a rainbird and its way easier to program than my 14 year old Toro was.

  17. #17
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    You should be able to get a separate meter for the sprinkler system, I know in the past in richland county the sewer bill was based on the water bill, not sure if its that way anymore or anywhere else, may want to check.

    I put mine in about 20 years ago, I pump from my pond, up hill about 40' to the actual sprinkler zones. I cant sprinkle from my well pump, it runs dry after about 25-30 minutes. When I did mine I had white pipe all ove rthe yard with teh heads on it, ran it, moved them around til I had the coverage I needed, looked like a big spider had put a web all over the place. Then painted where the lines were and rented a ditch witch.

  18. #18
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    I am told PVC cost is currently through the roof.

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