Inground sprinkler system

[jeffinsgf]

I did this last summer. I put right at 3/4 of an acre under irrigation. Once you get past the head scratching, it's pretty easy.

If you're starting with an area of 1000 square feet, take a look at the MP Rotator spray nozzles: MP Rotator

They work a little differently than most. You'll find a lot of fans for them on the irrigation forum at lawnsite.com. I used them on one of the trickier parts of my yard, and if I had it to do over again, I would probably have used them even more.

By the way, you WILL NOT find many fans of Orbit equipment on Lawnsite. Think Rainbird and Hunter. My system is all Hunter (controller, valves, and heads) except for about a dozen of the MP Rotators (in Hunter risers).

The Residential Design Handbook from Hunter is free and much better than Rainbird's. The design concepts apply regardless of whose products you use.

The Hunter Pro-C Controller would be nice in your situation because it is expandable by adding 3 zone chips and it is pre-wired to start a pump.

Good luck. This can be a very rewarding project. I had a blast doing mine, even though I did it on a lawn that in places is almost solid limestone and I did it during near record heat last July. It is really cool the first time your controller shuts down one zone and fires up another just like you set it up. It is also cool when the arc from one head drops directly on its neigbor -- which means you did all your pressure, volume and nozzle calculations correctly.

 

[jeffinsgf]

I did this last summer. I put right at 3/4 of an acre under irrigation. Once you get past the head scratching, it's pretty easy.

If you're starting with an area of 1000 square feet, take a look at the MP Rotator spray nozzles: MP Rotator

They work a little differently than most. You'll find a lot of fans for them on the irrigation forum at lawnsite.com. I used them on one of the trickier parts of my yard, and if I had it to do over again, I would probably have used them even more.

By the way, you WILL NOT find many fans of Orbit equipment on Lawnsite. Think Rainbird and Hunter. My system is all Hunter (controller, valves, and heads) except for about a dozen of the MP Rotators (in Hunter risers).

The Residential Design Handbook from Hunter is free and much better than Rainbird's. The design concepts apply regardless of whose products you use.

The Hunter Pro-C Controller would be nice in your situation because it is expandable by adding 3 zone chips and it is pre-wired to start a pump.

Good luck. This can be a very rewarding project. I had a blast doing mine, even though I did it on a lawn that in places is almost solid limestone and I did it during near record heat last July. It is really cool the first time your controller shuts down one zone and fires up another just like you set it up. It is also cool when the arc from one head drops directly on its neigbor -- which means you did all your pressure, volume and nozzle calculations correctly.

 

[_RaT_]

Rainbird also makes a small device that attaches to their electric valves that regulate the pressure. Its adjustable.

 

[_RaT_]

Rainbird also makes a small device that attaches to their electric valves that regulate the pressure. Its adjustable.

 

[RobertN]

I found I leaned toward a few brands and products. I like Rainbird spray heads, Hunter rotors, Irritrol valves, and that Hunter Pro-C controller. We have the big Pro controller(ICC) at home, since we have 20 some odd zones between sprinklers and various drip requirements.

 

[RobertN]

I found I leaned toward a few brands and products. I like Rainbird spray heads, Hunter rotors, Irritrol valves, and that Hunter Pro-C controller. We have the big Pro controller(ICC) at home, since we have 20 some odd zones between sprinklers and various drip requirements.

 

[RobertN]

Jess Stryker web page has good info on designing for a well supplied system

 

[RobertN]

Jess Stryker web page has good info on designing for a well supplied system

 

[_RaT_]

I like the ICC as well. A big dial you spin to the desired function. Intuitive and simple. For rotors, it depends on which model. The Falcon puts out a pattern that I think beats the Hunter hands down. I actually did a good test on them when putting in a few acres of grass. From 0 to 60' out, the RainBird nozzle just did a better job then the comparable Hunter which I think was the 30 series. Comparable price to.

 

[_RaT_]

I like the ICC as well. A big dial you spin to the desired function. Intuitive and simple. For rotors, it depends on which model. The Falcon puts out a pattern that I think beats the Hunter hands down. I actually did a good test on them when putting in a few acres of grass. From 0 to 60' out, the RainBird nozzle just did a better job then the comparable Hunter which I think was the 30 series. Comparable price to.

 

[RobertN]

The Hunter Pro-C and ICC are the easiest and most intuitive controllers I have used. I figured my first one out in just a few minutes. When I reviewed them with customers, they picked up on it quickly. Also, we have the remote control for that controller series; it works nice for testing circuits, troubleshooting, ect.

I came across a lot of various controllers. Some were a nightmare to figure out, and I worked with them all the time! Seems the cheaper they were, the worse they were too(to operate and change programs)...

This is another thing that got me to buying contractor grade vs consumer grade. They don't carry this stuff at the box stores.

 

[RobertN]

The Hunter Pro-C and ICC are the easiest and most intuitive controllers I have used. I figured my first one out in just a few minutes. When I reviewed them with customers, they picked up on it quickly. Also, we have the remote control for that controller series; it works nice for testing circuits, troubleshooting, ect.

I came across a lot of various controllers. Some were a nightmare to figure out, and I worked with them all the time! Seems the cheaper they were, the worse they were too(to operate and change programs)...

This is another thing that got me to buying contractor grade vs consumer grade. They don't carry this stuff at the box stores.

 

[_RaT_]

I was using a Toro consumer type controller. I thought I was doing something wrong as I could not get the thing to work even when following the instructions to a T. It turned out that you have to wait about .5 seconds between each command, its that slow. A half a second does not sound long until you realize you do commands much faster then that.

 

[_RaT_]

I was using a Toro consumer type controller. I thought I was doing something wrong as I could not get the thing to work even when following the instructions to a T. It turned out that you have to wait about .5 seconds between each command, its that slow. A half a second does not sound long until you realize you do commands much faster then that.

 

[woodlot]

Thanks a lot for all your suggestions and tips, some really good ones, and they will make desiging my system easier.

 

[woodlot]

Thanks a lot for all your suggestions and tips, some really good ones, and they will make desiging my system easier.