Jump to content

  • GUESTS

    If you want access to members only forums on HSO, you will gain access only when you Sign-in or Sign-Up .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member. ?

What questions to ask for irrigation system quote

Shorelunch

By Shorelunch
in Lawn & Garden

 Share

Recommended Posts

Shorelunch Mentor

Shorelunch

Posted
Posted

I'm in northern MN and will be getting quotes for an underground irrigation system. If it matters, we have a well, have fairly sandy soil and a gently sloped lawn.

What questions should I be asking or what should I be looking for?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
18 inch Crappie Experienced

18 inch Crappie

Posted
Posted

Make sure they know how to work with a well. You will have to pay more for more zones with a well but having it set up right is key. Do not just shop for price, the cheapest guy will have the less amount of zones but not getting the coverage you need at the right pressure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Fishinguy40 Rising Star

Fishinguy40

Posted
Posted

Ask how the zones will be layed out. Then consider what areas get heavy sun and which don't. Make sure your zones are separated appropriately.

I had a sprinkler system installed several years ago and love it but wish the zones had been layed out differently. Front of my house faces due west so the front yard gets very heavy sun in the summer and requires lots of water. The back yard gets early morning sun and grows like crazy because it doesn't get stressed like the front. BUT....part of the back yard also gets the heavy afternoon sun. This area is a slight hill, faces west and is furthest away from the house so it is not shaded by the house. This area should have been put on it's own zone to prevent it from burning out. Instead it is on a zone with another area of the yard that receives shade from the house. So I either have grass on the hill that burns out or I need to mow parts of the back yard twice or more a week due to all the watering.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
setterguy Veteran

setterguy

Posted
Posted

I've installed irrigation for close to 20 years. Wells can be a tricky wicket if someone doesn't know what they are doing.

The system needs to be set up so that the pump will continue to run throughout the whole irrigation program and not be cycling constantly, you will burn your pump out quick. There needs to be a lot of front end work to determine the amount of water that will keep the pump in the "running range" of your pressure gauge. You can adjust the kick in and kick outs a bit but I wouldn't go over 65 on the kick out.

Even after all calculations have been made there still may need to be some tweaking on the system to get your desired running pressure. Sometimes 1/2 gallon per minute +/- will make all the difference in the world.

Make sure you are receiving a rain sensor on the system, it is a MN law that all irrigation systems installed after July of 2003 must have one.

Sandy soil - ask about the price difference between plastic and stainless steel heads. If your yard is VERY sandy stainless steel may save you money in the long run. What happens is sand will get inside the seal of the head and start to score the head as it goes up and down, eventually causing the head to stick up. This won't happen with stainless.

Make sure they have their low voltage license. This is a fairly new law that most people don't know about.

You should get head to head coverage, anyone worth a salt will know that, but I've seen plenty of "What were they thinking" jobs.

As far as parts go, ask about warranty. Do your research on the brands they are selling. Everyone has their own favorites. I would stay away from Toro. Any of the other brands will perform OK and be fairly similar.

Feel free to ask any questions when you do get some bids, I'd be happy to help.

Fishingguy40 - Any way to change the nozzle sizes on those problem areas your having so you can be putting more water on the hill and less on the parts that get too much water? Just a cheap fix idea. It shouldn't really affect the performance because you would be taking from the same zone and redistributing the water....just a thought.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Quetico Experienced

Quetico

Posted
Posted

Best question to ask- Do I really need this? 2nd best- Wouldn't it be far cheaper to switch to no-mow fescue eliminating the need for irrigation altogether?

Answer to #2- YES. But your irrigation guys definitely wont answer that one properly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Gus Veteran

Gus

Posted
Posted

Best question to ask- Do I really need this? 2nd best- Wouldn't it be far cheaper to switch to no-mow fescue eliminating the need for irrigation altogether?

Answer to #2- YES. But your irrigation guys definitely wont answer that one properly.

2 hours on a riding mower every week is 2 hours I don't have anyone bothering me! smile

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now ↓↓↓ or ask your question and then register. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Wanderer
      Just Food and Drink

      By Wanderer · Posted

      It’s done automatically.  You might need an actual person to clear that log in stuff up.   Trash your laptop history if you haven’t tried that already.
    • smurfy
      Just Food and Drink

      By smurfy · Posted

      😂 yea pretty amazing how b o o b i e s gets flagged, but they can't respond or tell me why I  can't get logged in here on my laptop but I can on my cellular  😪
    • Mike89
      Just Food and Drink

      By Mike89 · Posted

      I grilled some brats yesterday, maybe next weekend will the next round...  
    • Wanderer
      Just Food and Drink

      By Wanderer · Posted

      You got word censored cuz you said        B o o b ies….. haha.   Yeah, no… grilling is on hiatus for a bit.
    • smurfy
      Just Food and Drink

      By smurfy · Posted

      Chicken mine,  melded in Mccormick poultry seasoning for 24 hours.  Grill will get a break till the frigid temps go away!
    • Mike89
      Problems with Yetti

      By Mike89 · Posted

      good luck!!!   
    • rundrave
      Problems with Yetti

      By rundrave · Posted

      we had some nice weather yesterday and this conundrum was driving me crazy  so I drove up to the house to take another look. I got a bunch of goodies via ups yesterday (cables,  winch ratchet parts, handles, leaf springs etc).   I wanted to make sure the new leaf springs I got fit. I got everything laid out and ready to go. Will be busy this weekend with kids stuff and too cold to fish anyway, but I will try to get back up there again next weekend and get it done. I don't think it will be bad once I get it lifted up.    For anyone in the google verse, the leaf springs are 4 leafs and measure 25 1/4" eye  to eye per Yetti. I didnt want to pay their markup so just got something else comparable rated for the same weight.   I am a first time wheel house owner, this is all new to me. My house didn't come with any handles for the rear cables? I was told this week by someone in the industry that cordless drills do not have enough brake to lower it slow enough and it can damage the cables and the ratchets in the winches.  I put on a handle last night and it is 100% better than using a drill, unfortatenly I found out the hard way lol and will only use the ICNutz to raise the house now.
    • Wanderer
      Problems with Yetti

      By Wanderer · Posted

      I haven’t done any leaf springs for a long time and I can’t completely see the connections in your pics BUT I I’d be rounding up: PB Blaster, torch, 3 lb hammer, chisel, cut off tool, breaker bar, Jack stands or blocks.   This kind of stuff usually isn’t the easiest.   I would think you would be able to get at what you need by keeping the house up with Jack stands and getting the pressure off that suspension, then attack the hardware.  But again, I don’t feel like I can see everything going on there.
    • rundrave
      Problems with Yetti

      By rundrave · Posted

      reviving an old thread due to running into the same issue with the same year of house. not expecting anything from yetti and I already have replacement parts ordered and on the way.   I am looking for some input or feedback on how to replace the leaf springs themselves.    If I jack the house up and remove the tire, is it possible to pivot the axel assembly low enough to get to the other end of the leaf spring and remove that one bolt?   Or do I have to remove the entire pivot arm to get to it? Then I also have to factor in brake wire as well then. What a mess   My house is currently an hour away from my home at a relatives, going to go back up and look it over again and try to figure out a game plan.           Above pic is with house lowered on ice, the other end of that leaf is what I need to get to.   above pic is side that middle bolt broke and bottom 2 leafs fell out here is other side that didnt break but you can see bottom half of leaf already did but atleast bolt is still in there here is hub assembly in my garage with house lowered and tires off when I put new tires on it a couple months ago. hopefully I can raise house high enough that it can drop down far enough and not snap brake cable there so I can get to that other end of the leaf spring.
    • smurfy
      Just Food and Drink

      By smurfy · Posted

      Chef boyardee pizza from the box!

  • Topics

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

  I accept