Ask Lots Of Questions - There are some things to check out before you sign on the dotted line. Most important is the design. It involves an analysis of your water pressure, picking the right components, keeping beds and lawn zones separate, and providing zone to zone coverage but without wasting water. Experienced installers can do it quickly, but ask to have it explained to you.
Check The Quality Of The Parts - Most contractors don't use only one supplier, but might buy the controller from Rainbird, the pop-up heads from Hunter and the valves from Weathermatic. How long is the guarantee period? Cold winters are hard on sprinklers.
Ask About The Controller - Prices range from $80 to $400. A good one should be able to set different zones for different schedules per week. There must be a manual override so you can turn parts off and on when you wish. And there should be a rain sensor to turn it off when it rains and so conserve water.
How Much Water, How Often, And On What? - Don't let your sprinkler company set your timer by their mantra universal setting which is for golf putting greens in Arizona (a little each morning). Short, frequent waterings encourage shallow rooting, diseases and low tolerance to stress, like drought and heat.
The proper sprinkler settings for Cold Temperate Climates are: - Grass: About l hour per zone, once a week (This should be about l" of water. To check, put out a glass and measure the depth. The soil should be wet about 6 to 8 inches down. Use this also for newly planted trees and shrubs.
- Flower beds: 20 minutes every other day.
- Impatiens: 5 minutes, 2 x per day.
- Old shrubs and trees only need water when it doesn't rain.
In Tropical Or Desert Areas sprinkler settings depend on your particular climate, such as humid Florida or dry southern California.
How Can You Tell When The Grass Needs Water? - When walked on, the footprints remain visible for several minutes. When the grass blades don't spring back, it means wilting is imminent so manually turn on the water long enough to supply a full inch.
In Northern Climates - When it's, very hot and windy during summer, to prevent lethal, especially with bluegrass varieties, one may turn on the sprinkler for about 5 minutes during mid-day to syringe and cool off the grass blades.
The Best Time Of Day To Water is very early morning. Then the grass will be hydrated during the heat of day, and the individual grass blades will have time to dry off and not get fungus diseases.
When To Have A Sprinkler Installed - Ideally during the growing season so it can be fine tuned right away. If you put it in during fall, it may not be under warrantee if problems crop up the second winter.
Do-It-Yourself Kits - There are homeowner sprinkler kits. Parts for 2500 square feet cost about $800, the controller around $100 and you supply the labor. Good if you know plumbing and have big, strong hands because the parts are stiff and tricky to put together. Design is complicated so get help where you buy it. Also one needs a strong back because there is a lot of digging and bending.
The Biggest Problem with all underground sprinklers is if they are not installed deep enough, especially do-it-yourself systems. If too shallow, they can be punctured with an edger or a lawn aerator. Also frost heaves can push pipes to the surface which may trip someone or be damaged by the mower. In northern areas, six inches is a minimum, 8 is better, commercial installations may be 10 inches deep.
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