Water is the key to a healthy lawn, and here sprinkler installer Scott Judy gives a brief overview of the five components of the installation process: - Measuring and calculation
Measure the yard with a tape measure, make a plot and decide where you want to put the sprinklers (figure A). Measure the water pressure and make a few calculations (you can pick up a flow-rate chart at the hardware store that will be helpful in determining the sprinkler's yield based on the water pressure and the diameter of your pipe). - Installing anti-siphon valves
Water enters the lawn-sprinkler manifold through the main supply. A cutoff valve at this point enables you to cut off the water should the need arise. The water flows through the assembly to the anti-siphon valves -- the heart of the system -- down the pipes, and out to the sprinkler heads. The anti-siphon valves (figure B) serve to keep brackish water, lawn chemicals and fertilizers from backing up into the main water supply. - Digging a trench and laying the pipe
Dig a trench 6" to 8" deep, with its sides sloping at a 45-degree angle. As you work, lay the dirt to one side and the sod to the other, keeping the sod intact. (Depending on the amount of moisture in the sod, you may need to cut it into 1' sections.) Assemble your pipes (this demonstrations uses half-inch PVC pipes) according to the requirements of your particular sprinkler system. Cut the pipe as needed with a patchet-action pipe cutter, which is available inexpensively at most hardware stores . When you glue sections ("slips") together, be sure to apply the glue thinly and smoothly to each area, inside and out, in an area of about 3/4". (Note: Sections that are to be threaded together are known as "threads.") Attach your riser (the part that comes up from the ground). You can get rigid or flexible risers; the flexible type (figure C) is good to use along driveways so it won't break if it's run over by the car. - Choosing and installing sprinkler heads
Sprinkler heads are available in brass or plastic, in full, half or quarter patterns (figures D-F). - Installing the timer
The timer has a battery backup for power outages; the backup feature enables you to save the settings so you don't have to reset every time the power goes out. The timer shown in this demonstration has four stations available, but only two are used to begin with (figure G). The white wire is the common wire, the green goes to the first station and the red to the second. Set the timer, enter the frequency of watering you desire, and run the wire to the manifold. Connect each wire to the solenoid of the appropriate anti-siphon valve (figure H). Then connect the common wire (for more stations, you will need to create short "jumper" wires connecting the common wire to each). Web site resources for sprinkler installation: Information from Allaboutlawns.com A Sprinkler for Any Lawn
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