From: William Brown 
Newsgroups: alt.home.repair misc.consumers.house rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Any suggestion on sprinkler installation?
Date: Sun, 04 Apr 2004 17:02:37 -0400

The suggestions to have drains installed, have anti-siphon valves, and 
to get a map, are good and I would second them.  Ask them how to deal 
with freezing, if you are located where you enjoy that.  I think the 
poly tubing is supposed to be used where freezing is a possibility, as 
it has some flexibility.

Before they come out, sit down and decide just what you want your yard 
to look like in the future.  For example, if you might be installing a 
garden or flower beds, or altering them, you should plan your zones to 
accommodate that.  Some plantings don't like to be wet, so you might put 
a drip watering zone in for them.  We even put in a drip watering zone 
for the potted plants my wife keeps on the porch and patio.  We also ran 
a line to the bird baths.

I have read about fixtures that can mix fertilizer into the water, but I 
don't know if that is worthwhile.

Tony wrote:
> I'm planning to have a lawn sprinkler installed.  Overall property size is
> 1/3 acre, less house and driveway.
> 
> None of my friends have had work of this sort done, so I've called several
> local nurseries and a lawn service I've had good success with for
> references.  Every one of these places said their primary recommendation was
> the same company in this area.  Interestingly enough, when calling around to
> businesses in the area, I had the best "vibe" from this place even before
> seeking references.  It's also nice that this business is less than 2 miles
> from my home.
> 
> This is a heavy business time for this work in our area, and so it may be a
> couple of weeks before someone can come out to look over my property and
> give me an estimate.  A few other businesses in the area gave me a "rough
> quote" over the phone.  A couple of businesses even gave me the specific
> price they charged for other homes in my neighborhood with yards and systems
> of similar size to mine.  I'm prepared to pay whatever cost would be
> reasonable to get a high quality system.  (We've saved a while to get this
> put in, and I want to have it done right.)
> 
> What kinds of questions should I specifically ask the representative when he
> comes by?  Apart from the overall design of the system, placement of heads,
> types of heads used, manufacturer and warranty, are there any other good
> questions to ask?
> 
> Since this company is of such excellent reputation, I'd like to rely on
> their expertise, but at the same time I want to go into this fully informed
> as to potential pitfalls.
> 
> A year or so ago I sent my yard info off to Toro to have them spec out a
> system if I were to do it myself.  The system was so intimidating, I decided
> a professional install would be the way to go.  Is it likely that a local
> company would install a system very similar to the one Toro spec'd out, or
> was that system overkill (to sell more Toro heads and equipment)?
> 
> I'd really like to have a sophisticated controller since the sytem is likely
> to be spec'd out with several zones, and there is a difference in the type
> of grass and amount of sun present in each zone.  Any recommendations on
> this kind of equipment?  Is there a difference in the "high end" controllers
> and the el cheapo versions?
> 
> My yard does have a good number of trees in certain areas.  They are very
> mature oak and magnolia trees.  I don't think there'd be any reason that
> sprinkler lines would need to run extremely close to these trees, but I can
> see the trenching cutting some of the roots that are close to the lawn
> surface.  Is this any great cause for concern?
> 
> Tony
> 
> 

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