A well-maintained lawn can be a beautiful addition to any home, and a great source of enjoyment for every member of the household. Unfortunately, lawn care can be incredibly time-consuming. One of the biggest lawn care obstacles most homeowners face is watering.
Using a traditional sprinkler - one which is attached to a garden hose and must be moved around the lawn manually - is not only time-consuming, it's also incredibly inefficient. An underground sprinkler system, however, is convenient, easy-to-use and, because it uses much less water than a traditional sprinkler, very cost-efficient. Plus, with a programmable system, water usage can easily be adjusted to suit the weather.
Installing a sprinkler system can seem a like a daunting task, but it really doesn't have to be. The secret is proper preparation. Here are the four basic steps:
1. Go to Town
Before planning, purchasing or installing anything, the homeowner is advised to first check with their local municipality. Most cities and towns have regulations in place for residential sprinkler systems. Common codes revolve around keeping water away neighboring properties, regulating the amount of water used and specifying the types of materials which the system can consist of.
Additionally, homeowners must also alert their utility company. Installing a sprinkler system involves a lot of digging, which means the utility company will need to mark all underground lines before ground can safely (and legally) be broken.
2. Measure the Property
Accurate measurements of your property eliminate many of the hassles associated with installation. If the homeowner doesn't feel comfortable measuring their property, there are plenty of reputable services available. Plans based off of satellite photography are even available, which can be extremely accurate.
In addition to property measurements, the homeowner will also need to know the water system flow capacity and pressure.
This professional blueprint, done to scale, should indicate all buildings, plants and microclimates. The blueprint should also show the location of all buried utilities.
Developing an accurate blueprint is perhaps the single most important step in installing a sprinkler system. An inaccurate blueprint can lead to an improper amount of materials purchased, which can result in wasted time and money. If the homeowner doesn't have much experience creating blueprints, hiring a professional can actually end up making more economic sense.
3. Shop for Materials
The basic components necessary for a sprinkler system include sprinkler heads, tubing, valve pumps and a control box. The climate where the system is installed has a significant influence over which types of materials will work best. For climates which are warm year-round, PVC pipe is usually the preferred option. However, if the climate is such that the ground freezes in the winter, flexible polyethylene pipe is usually the better choice.
Sprinkler heads come in a wide variety of options. Bubblers water small areas, fixed-spray sprinklers work best on medium-sized areas and rotor sprinklers offer the largest coverage. Also, drip emitters, which water plant beds and pots, are also a popular option.
4. Installation
With proper planning and material selection, installation should be pretty straight-forward, if labor intensive. Proper planning prevents mistakes, decreases frustrations and can even cut costs - so it's worth taking the time to do it correctly. An underground sprinkler system doesn't just make lawn care easy, it also reduces utility bills and increases property values. Most homeowners find it to absolutely be a worthwhile investment.
