Sprinkler Systems

[311Hemi]

Looking to install a sprinkler system. Anyone have any recommendations on brands to go with, or is Orbit the main brand stores carry?

DIY or have it installed, is there big savings to DIY? I have a bobcat with a backhoe attachment if that will help with trenching?

Pricing out a system using the Orbit Sprinkler Design system on their HSOforum and it looks like $3500 price range for the yard I am putting in, not including labor. I have no idea if that sounds about right, but I am figuring around 13000 sq ft surrounding a house and down along a 125' driveway.

Any recommended places to get a quote from in the northern metro?

[Walleyehooker]

Its a lot less mess to have the pipe pulled in with a pipe puller than a back hoe. Not sure if you could rent one or have someone pull in the pipe and do the rest yourself to save some money. How many heads are you going to have? Might want to call around and get some bids as pricing varies a lot when it comes to irrigation systems.

[Eric Wettschreck]

311, you have a PM.

[311Hemi]

How many heads are you going to have?

I think this tool says around 67. I am just starting to look into this, so I have no idea if it's over estimating or if that is about right. For most areas, it seems it has multiple zone covering the areas. Like along both sides of the driveway it has two zones, even though one of the zones covers most of the area. Is this needed, I have no idea.

[Walleye Guy]

I had a 10 zone, 48 head system professionally installed three years ago. Hunter controls and a mix of Hunter and Toro heads and sprayers. The whole system installed was $2200. I got four quotes and the highest was over $4000. I did not pick the lowest quote. I liked the design, reputation, cost and recommendations from the contractor I chose. I also prefer to pay the contractor the full amount when the job is complete. Be wary of somebody who wants 50% down payment. There is a good chance they have cash flow issues.

I am a fairly handy guy and contemplated doing the install myself. The beauty of having a contractor do it is that your yard is not tore up at all during the process as they have equipment that knifes in the tubing. Seemless process with a great result.

I am no expert in irrigation design, but my first comment on your design is that you have a great deal of overlap on the sprayers/heads/ sprinklers. You want to have good coverage and cover everything. You don not need areas covered 2 and 3 times however. A professional would probably have a much simpler design that costs less.

[311Hemi]

Good info, thanks!

I am no expert in irrigation design, but my first comment on your design is that you have a great deal of overlap on the sprayers/heads/ sprinklers. You want to have good coverage and cover everything. You don not need areas covered 2 and 3 times however. A professional would probably have a much simpler design that costs less.

That's why I posted the image, it seemed like overkill to me but have never dealt with inground systems before.

[LwnmwnMan2]

I'd send you a PM, but apparently evyone else is.

Says you are over your limit.

[LwnmwnMan2]

I had a 10 zone, 48 head system professionally installed three years ago. Hunter controls and a mix of Hunter and Toro heads and sprayers. The whole system installed was $2200. I got four quotes and the highest was over $4000. I did not pick the lowest quote. I liked the design, reputation, cost and recommendations from the contractor I chose. I also prefer to pay the contractor the full amount when the job is complete. Be wary of somebody who wants 50% down payment. There is a good chance they have cash flow issues.

I am a fairly handy guy and contemplated doing the install myself. The beauty of having a contractor do it is that your yard is not tore up at all during the process as they have equipment that knifes in the tubing. Seemless process with a great result.

I am no expert in irrigation design, but my first comment on your design is that you have a great deal of overlap on the sprayers/heads/ sprinklers. You want to have good coverage and cover everything. You don not need areas covered 2 and 3 times however. A professional would probably have a much simpler design that costs less.

I disagree about the 50% down = cash flow issues. Most guys want 50% down because many people fail to pay once the job is complete. You can only float parts for so many systems before you DO end up with cash flow issues.

At least with 50%, most of the parts and some of the labor is covered.

[311Hemi]

I'd send you a PM, but apparently evyone else is.

Says you are over your limit.

I cleaned it up!

[fishersofmen]

Temaca Irrigation, St.Boni. Very reasonable, very good.

[The_King48]

Don't mean to hijack your thread. Anyway I am looking for a system just for my front. If anybody wants to make some cash PM and lets work out a deal. Does it matter if I am on a well system?

PS I live by St. Michael / Albertville

[DRH1175]

I installed my own system last summer after planning it for a few years. I am on a well pump that has a 8 GPM output. I ended up with 8 zones with 4 heads per zone with 2gpm nozzles. It works awesome. It was a lot of work, however it saved me some serious cash. With that said, if the wife would have given me the green light I would have had all the pipe pulled etc. I went with a hunter pro-c controller, Rain bird Rotors and Valves, and Orbit boxes. I bought the boxes and pipe and fittings at the big M store. Everything else online at Sprinkler Ware house dot com, saved me some serious dough. Good luck!!

[Jared_P]

I have been planning one out for two years and got a lot of quotes...I found one company that will do it for $300 more than I can do...I am gladly paying that to not have to pull the pipes myself...plus a three year warranty and I was sold.

JP

[jeffreyd]

could go with a water conservation set up and put it all in colored gravel to make it look like grass. That is the desert method here in Phoenix. Or astroturf. Good luck, i love the lay out of the property. I did my own here in AZ in 3/4 pvc pipe but since you have freezing issues that probably is not doable. Good luck.

[Tom7227]

Just trying to learn a bit. How deep are the lines installed? I can't imagine trying to trench that out. There has to be some sort of jobberdo that cuts a clean trench without having to resort to a shovel or a backhoe.

While at the U my kid was working on some sort of remote control rig for the lines that you could program in the design and it would cut the trench however you wanted. It seemed like a crazy idea to me especially since the guy wanted it to have GPS capabilities and be wireless to boot. Even with donated parts I think it was well over $5K. I also doubt that many computer science majors would want a job in the summer programming in the designs.

[jeffreyd]

i used a trencher to bury mine at 18 inches even here in the desert. we do have abotu 3 weeks a year where night time temps will get into the teens. not sure how deep you all have to go but would think if you could blow air into it to drain in the winter you would be alright.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Tom, most systems have the lines installed a foot to 18 inches underground. Not very deep thus the need to blow them out prior to winter.

Using coiled PVC a sneaker is used to "Pull" the pipe through the ground. The only visable damage to the lawn is a small cut and some tire tracks that quickly heal. The sneaker is pretty much the same thing an electrician would use to pull wire underground. Then, it's pretty much shovel work at each head. Dig down to the pipe, tap in a t, screw in a riser and screw in a head.

Interesting on what your kid did. My older brother does sprinkler systems for a living and they use a wireless sneaker. It's not GPS programmable but he stands off to the side and uses a remote control to drive the sneaker. His crew would have 311's place done in half a day. Years ago when he was uber busy I'd run up to his place and help out on the weekends. It's amazing how quickly they can get a yard done.

[lugnut]

Hey Eric what brand is that sneaker, curious as I bury telephone cables and sometimes a remote would be awesome when working in tight spaces. I'm kinda interested in seeing one in action

[Tom7227]

Here's what the trencher that they designed looked like. Some patent was issued on the part my son worked on and he was listed as one of the inventors.

[delcecchi]

Do the software right and it doesn't need to be "programmed" by a programmer type. Just some guy to draw the routes and stuff. Sort of like the gps in your car. If I want to go from point a to point b, I just tell it and it figures out the route. Here is would be someone place the heads and a program figures out the route and downloads it to the device. Stick a differential thing like surveyors use in the corner of the yard, and good to go.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Hey Eric what brand is that sneaker, curious as I bury telephone cables and sometimes a remote would be awesome when working in tight spaces. I'm kinda interested in seeing one in action

No clue. Next time I talk to my brother I'll ask.

[hawkeye43]

What would I have to do different if I would use lake water in an under ground system??? I have 9 outlets now that drag hoses around to water now, and would like to upgrade to an underground with popup heads.

[Tom7227]

What would I have to do different if I would use lake water in an under ground system??? I have 9 outlets now that drag hoses around to water now, and would like to upgrade to an underground with popup heads.

I would guess you'd need one heck of a pump. You would have to consider how much higher your would have to lift the water to get it to the level of your lawn, I think that's called the amount of head that a pump can handle. Then you would need to calculate the gallons per minute and pressure each head would require. I have no experience with this but I would have to set it up so that it only did a few of the heads at a time.

The last issue I can think of is coming up with some way to keep the gunk out away from the pump while it was on. We use a large trash pump to water the lawn and it takes someone right at the inlet to keep the weed and junk cleared from the screen.

[delcecchi]

Things to consider,

How many gallons per minute for the sprinklers?

How high above the lake is the lawn?

Where do you have electricity?

The folks I know that have lakewater systems put a strainer at the footvalve and a filter at the house.

Most people have a shallow well pump near the shore, mounted with pressure tank in a small enclosure to keep dry. The pipe to the water is typically black poly. I have heard of people with deep water near shore using a submersible pump but where we are it is too shallow.

[hawkeye43]

I have a 2 hp pump now with 220 power at the lake shore and can run 4 sprinklers with 3/4 in hoses. Each sprinkler does a 100' circle now. I was thinking if I could put in pop up heads, I could get away from dragging hoses around. I have a filter in the lake to stop a lot of junk, but still get a film that gets in the hoses and heads and I need to run the water first before putting the sprinkler on. Would slime be much of a problem in the popups?