Lawn Sprinklers 101 - Everything you need to design and contruct an sprinkler system

One of the most important things that you can do for the look and value of your home, not to mention the considerable sense of your own self-esteem, is establishing and maintaining a green and verdant lawn.

Of course, this can seem like something that is easier said than done for many homeowners. Chances are, you are fighting a number of different factors and circumstances with your lawn. Depending upon where you live, there can be climate factors, cultural factors, geological factors and water resource factors that determine what kind of lawn you can ultimately have. The trick for homeowners, then, is not to necessarily get the greenest lawn in the world, just the greenest, healthiest one possible under your particular circumstances.

The first thing you need to know about keeping and maintaining a quality lawn is water. A lawn needs water to thrive. This can be a huge impediment depending upon your particular circumstances. First, look up your local restrictions on water usage. If there are none, or if there are few, you can probably construct a full water sprinkler system that generates a beautiful lawn.

There are three main components to any water sprinkler system. There is the sprinkler head, the sprinkler pipe, the sprinkler control valve, the sprinkler control timing system (though this is optional) and in many cases there is an emergency shut off valve.

The first step is in knowing what kind of sprinklers will work best in your system. Chances are you will utilize a mix of both rotary sprinkler heads and static spray sprinkler heads. If you have especially tricky areas of your lawn or garden that need to have a dedicated water delivery system, but neither a rotary or a static head will suffice, there are a number of different types of specialty sprinkler heads available on the market. Also, you may want to consider a sprinkler hose for certain gardening applications.

Next, there is the sprinkler pipe. Almost all residential, commercial and agricultural sprinkler systems use PVC piping, as it is sturdy, durable, flexible and immune to corrosion. Also, PVC tends to fair much better in cold weather climates than any type of metal pipe does.

Finally, you will need to consider what type of sprinkler control valve you need. There are two main types. There is the in line sprinkler control valve, which must be set up in a particular way, so as to ensure proper pressure is run throughout the system. In line valves are usually used with fully under ground lawn sprinkler systems. As such, in line systems are also built into the system, under ground.

The other type of sprinkler control valve is the anti-siphon valve. Anti-siphon valves are usually placed above ground, near the main water supply valve. They possess an internal back flow prevention system, but this alone is not an adequate back flow preventer. For most sprinkler systems, you will need to purchase and install a dedicated back flow preventer.

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Welcome to Water Sprinkler Systems?The Pride of Homeowners!

Have you finally graduated from apartment living by purchasing your very first home? Congratulations! Now you have your very first lawn to look after and maintain. Follow the home lawn care tips below so that you can have the lush green grass of your dreams.

Water sprinkler systems are going to be the most important part of keeping your lawn looking pretty. Your first step will be in selecting the type of sprinklers your particular lawn needs. Remember to consider the shape of your lawn before choosing a sprinkler head, as well as how far you want water launched. You don’t want to be missing patches of grass, but you also don’t want to be wasting water by watering the sidewalks or your fence.

The most common type of water sprinkler systems are usually considered rotary or pulse heads. These are the ones you see popping up from the ground. These systems pass water with pulsating action and usually cover very long distances. These are some of the best sprinkler heads for getting the most water distribution, which is why they are normally reserved for large areas. Otherwise, you tend to get a lot of wasted water runoff.

If you have a smaller lawn then simple hose-end attached sprinklers will do. You will have many water sprinkler systems to choose from. A good sprinkler head for medium sized lawns is the soaker-hose, which is also called the flat pin sprinkler. This type of sprinkler head shoots finer streams and tends to have slower delivery, which can be good for areas with clay soil that need more time to soak in water. A good sprinkler head for a small yard is the oscillating head. This is the rectangular sprinkler head that shoots up a wave of water into the air and moves back and forth in a fan like motion. These are the sprinklers you jump through in the summer time!

These sprinklers cover smaller areas but are perfect water sprinkler systems for small yards. You also must learn to “read” your grass. If your grass is taking on an almost bluish tint, then it is wilting and thirsty. Another sign of under watered grass is if you walk over it and your footprints remain there for hours. It will take very little time before you see the grass going upright and being perky again after walking on it if it is well watered.

Before you turn on those water sprinkler systems, you need to know how long to run them. How much water you give your lawn will depend on the type of grass you have. Bermuda grass only needs a half inch of water a week where as Kentucky bluegrass will need more than an inch and a half.

Now that you have the proper water sprinkler systems and know how to tell when your grass is in need of a drink, you are well on your way to having a lush lawn. Not too bad for a newbie homeowner!


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When it's time for a Sprinkler Valve Replacement

Performing a sprinkler valve replacement is generally not too difficult. A bit of mechanical and plumbing knowledge will usually see you through the task. It’s diagnosing the problem that is sometimes very difficult. A leaky valve can produce myriad symptoms. Fortunately, all of them will obviously have to do with the flow of water and that can help you to narrow down whether it’s the valve at issue or some other component of your irrigation system. This starts by checking the flow to the sprinkler heads.

If there is no flow to the heads, check to see if the control device is working correctly. Many of these devices have a clock display on them with a battery backup. This helps them keep on schedule in the event of a power outage. If the clock is set to the wrong time, it may be that there is a problem with the control unit. The battery being dead is a sign that it’s been depowered enough to drain it. If the control unit seems to be fine, however, it may be time for a sprinkler valve replacement. Or, it could be the wiring.

You’ll have to do some digging to perform a sprinkler valve replacement, so you may as well do it right away. Make sure you shut the valves on your backflow preventer before you do this, if necessary. If you don’t have a diagram that tells you which sprinklers are attached to each valve, you can find out by turning them all on in succession until you reach the broken valve. Dig a good sized hole around this valve; big enough to accommodate your arms. If there is a puddle of water around the valve, you may have found the problem already. The valve may simply be broken.

A sprinkler valve replacement, however, isn’t always necessary in these cases. The water may be gathering because the sprinkler valve is obstructed or because the rubber seal on the valve is cracked. You can take these valves apart very easily and inspect them for debris. You can flush out that debris by feeding water to that valve zone and letting it pass through. You may also need a new solenoid, which is equally easy to check. If it doesn’t spring in and out easily, it likely needs to be replaced.

Remember that a sprinkler valve replacement may involve cutting and reattaching some pipes. If you’re not comfortable doing this, find a handy friend or a pro to show you how it’s done. Once you learn how to do it, you can take over the work yourself and never pay for it again. The valves are not particularly expensive but, generally, it’s better to pay a few dollars more to get a high-end model than to save and go cheap. That way, you end up doing a lot less digging up patches on your lawn and spend much more time enjoying how green it is!

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