…With a Sprinkling System.
If you have a farm or a yard, you want your place to be lush green! However, keeping it that way can be a chore and expensive. When hand watering, it’s hard to know when it is time to quit or whether you have watered every part of your yard evenly. And, let’s face it, holding a sprinkler can bore a gardener to tears. Of course, you can buy the kind sprinklers you leave on the ground and move around. But getting them in just the right place each time you move it and getting the water pressure just right, so that you are watering every part of your yard, but not your sidewalk or fence, can be frustrating.
WHAT DOES A SPRINKLER SYSTEM COST?
There are two main categories of costs that factor into the price of owning a sprinkling system – The parts and installation, and the actual usage and maintenance.
1. Parts and Installation
Of course, there are many factors that go into the cost of setting up your system. Probably the most obvious one is the property factors – size, slope, soil, landscaping. Then there are equipment choices – number of zones, types quality of materials. Finally, there is the labor and possibly a permit.
When choosing parts, one needs to consider that the cost of the part is a one-time cost, while the water that some parts may save can mean long-term savings.
It is estimated that an underground system for a 2500 square foot lawn one can expect to pay between $2,500 and $5,500. The national average is $4,000.
Choosing subsurface irrigation, in which the water is on longer but slower, can save you from 30 to 70% in water use. With this type of system, will also cut your need for zones in half.
2. Usage and Maintenance.
A sprinkling system can save you money in water usage. This is because if installed correctly, with appropriate zones, and the controller is programmed wisely, the system will sprinkle evenly and only when and where water is needed, eliminating water waste.
You also save on maintenance when you choose good quality parts.
3. Budget Installation
The message is that saving money on parts is not always cost effective. If the investment is more than you feel comfortable with, it might make sense to start with a smaller part of your property and add on to it as you can afford to do so.
It’s also important to understand that there are some basic costs that don’t increases with the size of the lawn. So, if the property you want to water is double the size, the cost may only increase 50%.
WHAT HARDWARE IS INCLUDED IN A SPRINKLING SYSTEM?
Most obviously you will need pipes to channel your water. They are run from the main line to the area that you want watered. These pipes are dug underground so no one steps on or trips over them, and so they won’t distract attention away from your beautiful garden. There are two kinds of pipes used for irrigation, polyvinyl chloride pipes (PVC) and Polyethylene tubes (Poly). Both are plastic, the PVC is generally used in warm climates, while the Poly is used where winters are cold and soil freezes.
Second, you will need valves. These gadgets serve as gatekeepers, opening and closing to regulate the flow of water into each specific “zone” you want watered.
Third, there is the back-flow prevention device. That gadget protects contaminated water backing up and mixing into your drinking water.
Next are the sprinkler heads. In lawns these are generally placed in a small well so that the top is at ground level when not in use. This prevents them from being damaged by lawn mowers or other equipment; it also prevents tripping. And, hey, it looks better! When water comes at them through the pipes, they pop-up and filter the water through holes, causing the water to sprinkle gently onto the verdure. When surrounded by shrubs, sprinklers can be made to stand as much as 36 inches above ground.
The most complicated piece of hardware is the controller. It is an electronic device that is programmed to direct each set of sprinkler valves to open and close at certain times. It can also be configured to read the rain sensor and shut off the water for a time if nature has already watered.
Your sprinkler professional will lay your system according to your specifications. He will also zone your property based on a number of features on your property, for example, slope, soil, sun and shade, and, not least, the type of vegetation you have or plan to put in. He will know what kind of backflow device will work for your property, what kind of pipes to use, how many and what kind of valves would make most sense for your property. He will also determine what kinds of rotor heads will work best for you. There are steam rotors, gear driven rotors, impact-style rotors, spray heads or mist heads. Then he will place them so they work as efficiently as possible and no water is wasted. In some areas, he will see the advantage of drip irrigation for the most cost-effective way to water.
Once put in, you will love your new sprinkling system (not to mention your lush, green, beautiful yard and flowers). And you will wonder how you ever managed without it.
Mike and Hannah and Tim were incredible I could not have asked for more honesty and incredible work ethic and responsible and accountable and wow wow wow way incredible customer service and they fixed my issue to 100% and I’m so happy and so pleased I would recommend sage quality solutions to anybody! Thank you Mike again to your team and to Hannah and Tim coming out for his incredible work he did on my system and even this morning he called before he was coming out to let me know his timing and that is incredible customersService! Bongo loving… Read more »