Planning and installing water sprinklers with diy-landscaping
The most difficult or complex part is the irrigation. That's the part people typically hire out, but I'll cover some of these aspects as well. You will want to plan out the irrigation system according to the needs of the plant life because the needs are different from each other.
There are basically two types of sprinkler systems. Spray systems and drip systems. The spray sprinklers are great for lawns and big bushes.
Drip irrigation systems are great for flower beds, small bushes, and small trees.
You will want to hook into a main water supply that has a lot of pressure. Make sure that your water supply can handle the pressure needs of the irrigation. Most landscapers use PVC pipe and Poly.
The best systems are controlled with electric valves. This saves a lot of time and they can be programmed with timers. The valves are connected in-line with the pipes and they open and close. Each valve runs a group of sprinkler heads. It's a good idea to use different colored wire when wiring the valves so you can keep track of which group of sprinklers goes to each part of the programmer/timer.
You will need to plan out the sprinkler head placement in an organized manner so that every inch of lawn gets watered. Try to utilize the "hub" method so that the water pressure to each riser is even.
You can cut the PVC pipes to length and use PVC fittings for joints, corners, and tees. After you cut the pipes, make sure to get all the excess burrs and plastic slivers out of the pipes. The PVC pipes are joined together with a solvent compound that makes a really strong connection.
You can use PVC all the way to the riser or you can use flex hose from the PVC that connects to the bottom of the sprinkler head riser. This makes it easier to measure and to get a good fit for diy-landscaping projects.
The sprinkler head needs to be slightly recessed from the top of the lawn. Most sprinklers have risers that pop up with water pressure. The sprinklers should be well below the level of the sod to prevent lawn mower damage.
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