Can i install my own sprinklers?
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If you tie into the city water coming from the street, you maybe required to install a "backflow" device. This is the standard that most cities require on under ground sprinkler systems. Check with your city's water dept. and see if this is required in your town. If it is required, it has to be installed by a licensed irrigation specialist or plumber, and pass the required "test" and inspection. Most all landscape companies have someone that is licensed to do this work. Once you have the "backflow" hooked up, you can install the piping and sprinkler heads yourself, if that is what you wish to do. The backflow is there so that nothing "back flushes" into the city's water system from your irrigation. Check with your city's laws regarding this. You may not even have to worry about it, and if this is so, all the better for you. Hope this answers your question...
****Additional Details****.One good thing is the "free" water supply. As far as easier or harder... It may be easier from the brook, but does this brook have enough water in it during the heat of summer to supply your watering needs? If it does, you'll need to find a way to "pump" it to your yard. The distance from the brook to the mainline, will effect the water pressure in the system. What size of pump you'll need, I do not know.. (never used an alternate water supply). And if you are having trouble with the pump for any reason, or it happens to breakdown, you will be without water, and will have to go back to handwatering until it's replaced or fixed. The intake hose can bet clogged too as a possible problem. By being hooked up to city water, you are "almost" ( I use this word loosely) always guaranteed a water supply. The Pressure will always be there to allow your sprinklerheads to popup and do their job. If it were me, I would hook to the city water, ( less problems).. Good Luck!
http://www.american-lawns.com/lawns/wate...
** Billy Ray **
Yes do it and see
Sure can, they sell kits for you to do it.
draw a picture of your lawn to scale,or have someone do it.
sprinkler heads cover like a 4 or 5 ft. radius,so you set them to overlap. 1/2 sprays go along drives or walls or edges to overlap also. draw them in. then you measure them out on the ground with chalk or flower. dig trenches and go by drawing. set heads at ground level. if you want a timer,to water at night you have to find main water line at house and tie in.
then you can be on the internet while the lawn is being watered.
You will have to install a double check valve. Which is a back flow presenter. You do not have to be licensed to do this. The testing you have to do on this is on the two back flow preventers inside the double check valve. You will have to contact and pay a licensed BAT tester and submit the results to your water supplier. After this is done, test your water pressure. Average for a residential house is around 65psi. The better the pressure the more heads you can get on one zone. Then figure out how many zones you need. If its a large grass area you will use rooters. Which can shoot up to 40'. At 65psi you can get 4 or 5 rooters on one zone. Smaller areas and flower beds will require pop ups. 4'' pop ups are used for lawn areas. And 6'' pop ups are used for planting areas. You can usually get 8-10 on a zone. Depending if you have them shoot 8,10,15 feet or if they are half’s, fulls, or quarters. Fulls will take more water, which means less heads on that zone. Also if you do not have a specific angle like 90* or 180* you can use a VAN type nozzle. Which is adjustable to any angle. Once you figure out how many zones you need. You install your main line pipe. Commonly 1'' sch. 40 pvc. Off the main line you will T to the valve, which will control the on off of that zone. Install every valve closest to the zone you are putting in. This cuts down on pipe cost. Then from the valve use 1'' pipe on the first half head, then reduce to 3/4''. This will prevent lose of pressure on the last heads of the zone. If you have no idea what you are doing, the best bet would be to go to a irrigation whole seller with you yard drawn to scale and have them design it. This will tell you what parts you need and where to put them. From there you will just have to properly install everything. If you hire it out, the average cost per zone will be around $600, plus $500 for the hook up. Depending on your location. There are a lot of factors to involve when installing an irrigation system. Improper installation could result in too much water in some areas while other areas don’t get enough. Which is a waist of money. Also I would recommend using Rain Bird heads and nozzles. Some others are cheaper but you will have problems with them clogging easily. If you do hire it out. Make sure you get "head to head" coverage. This means if you have a head that shoots 15', you put the heads 15' apart not 30'. More even coverage this way.
If you think you can "you can." In essence you can do anything once you put your mind to it infact if you wanted to you could rebuild your whole house from scratch. That and you'll need a good resource with a perfessional on hand to ask questions just in-case you don't understand something.
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