A beautiful and well maintained home enhances the value of any home. Installing an irrigation system is a good way to keep your home’s landscape and plants well maintained without the constant hassle of manually doing it yourself. You can either do it yourself or hire a professional landscaping company to do it for you.
Learn how to install an irrigation system with this article.
Reasons For Installing An Irrigation System
Some reasons for installing an irrigation system are that you are able to have them water your home’s landscape and plants at scheduled times, saving you time, and also water as well.
Irrigation systems make taking care of your lawn very convenient, since once everything is set up, there is no need to set up or take down anything.
The consistency that comes with having an irrigation system set on a scheduled timer leads to a healthier and more vibrant lawn.
Planning Your Irrigation Installation
The first step to installing an irrigation installation system is to measure the size of your home’s lawn and to determine the shape of the landscape that you will want to be irrigated. Be sure to create a scaled map of the area that you will want irrigated.
You will need to identify the soil type or types that your home’s landscape has. Water will be absorbed at different rates depending on the soil type.
Learn about the different plant types that you have or want to have so that you can group plants with similar watering needs together.
You will need to locate the water source and check its flow rate and pressure.
Choosing The Type Of System
There are a few different types of irrigation systems, which we briefly go over.
Sprinkler systems are great for lawns. They have fixed, pop-up sprinkler heads to water an area.
Drip systems are great for flower beds, gardens and shrubs. They deliver water straight to the roots of the plants.
Soaker hoses slowly release water along their length. These are great for small gardens.
Many systems are made of a combination of these systems.
Time To Design The Layout
When designing the layout, you will want to group plants with similar watering needs together. You will want to make sure that each zone has its own control valve.
You will want to choose sprinkler heads based on your preferred coverage area and spray patterns to avoid overlapping or areas not being covered.
You should plan the layout of the main and lateral pipes so as to keep them as straight as possible. This will help reduce loss of pressure.
You may want to consider adding a smart controller with weather sensors or a raing shut off device to minimize water loss.
Local Regulations
Local regulations vary from county to country. You should check with your city or local county to so that you know what is and what is not permitted and so that you know what permits you will need to get.
You will need to get in contact with your utility provider to mark any underground lines that may be present so that you do not damage them during installation.
Supplies And Tools
You will need to gather the tools and supplies necessary to set up the irrigation system.
You will need PVC or polyethylene pipes for the main and lateral lines, control valves, shut-off valves and a backflow preventer, elbows, tees, couplings and adapters for connecting pipes, drip emitters or tubing if you are going to implement a drip irrigation zone, shovels, teflon tape, pipe clamps, a pressure gauge, trenchers or pipe pullers for digging and a programmable controller if you want to automate watering schedules.
Installing The Irrigation System
Once you have everything planned out and the materials ready, it is time to install the irrigation system.
You will want to start to mark the layout by using stakes, strings and maybe paint to mark the paths for where the pipe and sprinkler heads will be placed. Next you will want to dig trenches for the lines. These trenches for the lateral lines will need to be between six and twelve inches deep, and between eighteen and twentyfour inches deep for the main lines.
Next, you will want to attach the main line to your water supply. Be sure to also install them shut-off valve and also the backflow preventer. You should have the manifold be in a central location so that it is accessible, and you will want to connect each zone valve to the manifold.
Next, you will want to run the lateral pipes from the zone valves to the sprinkler head or drip emitters, using fittings to connect the pipes. Next, attach the sprinkler heads or drip emitters to your lateral lines, making sure that they are all aligned.
Next will come the installation of sprinkler heads and emitters. You will want to mount sprinkler heads on risers, making sure that they are placed flush with the ground when not in use. Drip systems should be placed near the plant roots. Be sure to secure them if you need to.
You will want to test to make sure that the area that you want irrigated is covered when it is in use.
Next, you will want to mount the controller in a location such as a garage or a shed and connect it to the zone valves using low-voltage wires. Following that, you want to program the controller with the watering schedule that is tailored to your lawn.
Testing The System
One of the final steps is to test the system. To do so, you turn the water on and test each zone for any leaks, water pressure issues or misaligned sprinkler heads. After that, make sure that the controller and sensors are working properly.
The Final Step
The final step should be to backfill the trenches to avoid damaging any pipes and to tamp down the soil and to replace any sod that you need to replace.
Resources And Guides
There are many resources and guides to help you learn how to set up an irrigation system yourself, such as House And Home Blog.
If you are looking to hire a professional landscaping contractor or company, you can go to website such as All Contractors Near Me, Angi’s List and others.
Conclusion
Once you are done, you get to enjoy of having installed an irrigation system and having more time to enjoy your home, while also enjoying a lawn that is low maintenance, and whether you do it yourself, or hire a professional irrigation installation company to do it, knowing how it is done also gives you a peace of mind.