Interesting article on how DIY install underground sprinklers. I’m a certified installer and find the biggest problems with self installed systems are the lack of proper design. This is key, because water is cheap in countries, such as the US and Canada however countries like Australia, well your lucky if they even let you water your lawn!

Two helpful hints: IMAGE A SQUARE BOX, place a sprinler head at each corner and you will be fine, break your yard into lots of different boxes and you should be good to go. Put turf (grass) on seperate zones from your flowers or plant material and you’ll be good to go.

Pipe size determines how many sprinklers you can put on a single line along with your WATER PRESSURE. Determine how many gpm each sprinkler head requires and divide it by the gpm the pipe is capable of. 3/4" pipe is around 8gpms and 1" pipe is around 12-15gpm. Don’t use smaller size pipe unless you are going with drip lines or micro sprays.

Install a back flow preventor of some sort, at minimum a dual check valve, they are $25-30 at your hardware store such as Home Depot.

gpm: gallons per minute

For more questions, you can contact me at info@next-rain.com

-Todd
Next Rain Irrigation Ltd. – we are a Calgary, Alberta Canada underground lawn sprinkler company.