Sprinkler System Installation

[miataspeedracer]

Anyone have any recommendations or referrals for a sprinkler system installation company? I'm in West Plano.

Thanks!

Michael

[Titus]

Anyone have any recommendations or referrals for a sprinkler system installation company? I'm in West Plano.

Thanks!

Michael

While I haven't had any experience with new installs here in Texas, I do have some general advice based on a system I had put in when back in CA:

1) Decide if you want a perfect install, a cheap install, or something in between. I got 4 estimates for my house and they varied greatly. You can get a really cheap job done (as I did) by one of the guys that leave yard care ads on your door, but you get what you pay for. I ended up replacing and re-adjusting a few heads on my own, and they used pretty cheap heads and valves. If I had spent about twice the money, I would have gotten a licensed contractor that spoke english, used higher quality parts, and properly adjusted the system before walking off with my money. If you plan on selling the house a year from now, get a cheap install. If you are going to live there forever, or it is for a rental property that you will need to maintain for years, have it done right.

2) Have the different sprinkler companies (Toro, Rain Bird, etc) create plans for you. You fill out a layout of the yard and give them your water pressure info and they will make full plans and parts list for you. It only costs around $20, and you can use the plans and parts lists to compare to what the installer tells you that he will do.

[onething]

DIY if you belong to TCB.

Did mine at the last house and it is at least as good as the one where I live now. The folks who sell the parts have tools to help you design your system, as Titus said. The tricks include proper sprinkler head placement and number of heads per station (how many come on at one time). They are covered in the planning info.

Once the system is designed, the hard part is digging the trenches. I rented a ditch witch and split the cost with a friend who was installing one at the same time. Took about an hour at my house 100'x150' lot.

Check the codes and get a permit. You will probably have to include a rain sensor, but that is just one more component.

If at all possible, go with a mechanical timer instead of electronic. They are more reliable and less likely to let out the magic smoke when there is lightning in the air.

IIRC, a friend said he did his in soil similar to the black stuff in parts of the metromess. The heaving and shifting destroyed the system in no time because the dirt was dry when he did the install. If the moisture content doesn't change much, that shouldn't happen.

OTOH - as POS Racing likes to disclaim - YMMV

[Titus]

Yep.. I also have helped with a DIY job, and renting a gas ditch digger is a must. It is like a giant chainsaw on wheels.

[POS Racing]

OTOH - as POS Racing likes to disclaim - YMMV

Yea! I got me one of these babies!

I don't need no fancy underground watering system. Ya damn city slickers and your new fangled technology!

[Treibenschnell]

Yep.. I also have helped with a DIY job, and renting a gas ditch digger is a must. It is like a giant chainsaw on wheels.

I put one of those damned things into some west Texas "soil"... we found nothing but boulders!

[billccsi]

I've done one, and had a pro do one. I wish I had seen the pro do his thing first....

If you have a lot of clay in your soil, you have to cut a wider trench and fill in around the plastic pipes with sand or sandy soil. That protects the pipes when that clay starts shifting. Otherwise, you'll be digging up broken pipes on a regular basis for the next few years.

And for the record, I'll use a pro next time as well. It's good to have a warranty!

[rexdart]

Isnt it easier to fill the yard with concrete and paint it green?

Astroturf is also low maintenance.

[channelmaniac]

Isnt it easier to fill the yard with concrete and paint it green?

Astroturf is also low maintenance.

Well... there is a house near Custer & Legacy where someone put whiterock all over their yard. They never have to worry about mowing!

[Treibenschnell]

Well... there is a house near Custer & Legacy where someone put whiterock all over their yard. They never have to worry about mowing!

Xerascaping is highly encouraged in my hometown, so we see a lot of stone and odd lawns...

Of course, I grew up in a desert.

[TurboDuane]

I too did mine TCB and I'm happy with the results.