Random Thoughts on the sprinkler

Good article Brandon, your yard looks great. I’ve really enjoyed my system, the yard stays green and it only took a few hours to install and saved considerable $$.

After reading, I had a couple of comments on some things I did on my system (just like yours!):

• The flow rate from each spigot is important to ensure that your sprinkler heads are spraying as far as you need. If you add multiple heads on a single spigot line, the flowrate will drop. One of the reasons to use the 30 ft throw rotors is to avoid multiple heads. If you start with a low flow and add heads, the coverage may not be what you expected. The websites for the spray heads have a distance vs. flow type of chart to help out. You can also add ‘zones’ and run different sprinklers at different times to keep the flow rate up.

• I think most building codes require some sort of backflow device. You noted to use the loop in the line or a commercial version. The loop has to be large enough to be above any other point in the system. Many spigots now have backflow devices also.

• I like the comment about putting the heads in semi-protected areas. I broke one this past weekend.

• I added pea gravel at the discharge filters to try to prevent dirt from packing up on it (although I’m sure it does anyway).

• You probably want to record the line routing on the lot plan in case you ever want to dig a hole or add something. It’s easy to forget where your line is after a couple of years.