Deck Automatic
Automatic sprinkler systems: should I install myself, or have someone else do it?
I want to put in an automatic sprinkler system (because we have drought restrictions where you have to water at certain times, so I want to set it to go off early in the am). Is getting a prof to do it better (I want to learn how to do this, but not screw it up), or is it easy to set up or should I hire someone?
Also, we want to put in a deck in the backyard, so should we wait and do this first (with HOA's approval), or put in the sprinkler system first? I don't want to build over it or have it hit the deck and get mold underneath.
Any suggestions?
Well, thanks for asking. Very good question. Many homeowners I run into don't even bother to ask. They just figure they can read a book or ask a few questions at home depot and figure it all out themselves. Unfortunately, the result of homeowner-installed irrigation systems is almost always a complete mess. In 14 years of being an irrigation contractor and irrigation repair specialist, I've seen hundreds of systems that were installed by homeowners. Typically, the system I am looking at is owned by a new homeowner and it is the previous homeowner who installed it. Regardless, in all those years and in all those systems I've seen, I've only ever come across one homeowner installed irrigation system that was installed properly. Heck, even half of the irrigation systems I see that were installed by so-called professionals are designed and/or installed improperly.
In my experience, I've come to the conclusion that there are just certain things homeowners should never try to do themselves. Things like roofing, concrete, granite counter tops and irrigation are in this category.
There is a LOT to learn. And even if you get the best books and read up on proper installation procedures, often what you read is WRONG for your area. One of the biggest mistakes I see all the time is homeowners installing the wrong variety of backflow device for our climate. (backflow devices are required for any sprinkler system). In warmer climates like CA or AZ you can install above-ground backflow devicers. And all the Home Depots sell these kind of backflow devices. Books on irrigation teach how to install these kinds of backflow devices too. So you could be doing things exactly "by the book" and exactly per the recommendations of the guy at Home Depot, but for my climate, you'd be doing it all wrong. Because it freezes in the winters here. So above ground backflow devices and valves are TOTALLY WRONG for this area. That's just one example of the many mistakes I often see with homeowner-installed systems. There are dozens of other common mistakes I see all the time.
One of the biggest reasons people hire us to install sprinkler systems is because they've come to realize that the crappy system they inherited from the previous owner is virtually useless. It sometimes takes some time for new homeowners to admit this. Because nobody wants to admit they bought something they thought was good but turned out to be garbage. But when valve after valve breaks, sprinkler heads don't shoot as far as they should because of improper pipe sizing, sprinklers don't pop-up because the previous homeowner installed too many heads per zone and didn't bother to check the operating pressure and flow first, the controller they have quits working, pipes start breaking because the previous homeowner didn't think it was really necessary to apply primer to the pipe before gluing it, etc. - it all finally becomes obvious that they need to have a professional system installed. And now they find they are having to spend thousands of dollars for something they THOUGHT the house came with.
Don't get me wrong. I am all for homeowners doing some landscaping work on their own, if they are so inclined. I would support a homeowner installing sod, flagstone patio, paver patio, planting, drainage and all sorts of other landscaping work - if they did the proper research first. And I would support those things because I've seen homeowners who were capable of doing those kinds of jobs and having them turn out fairly well. But I can just about guarantee you that if I look at a homeowner installed sprinkler system in my area for 30 minutes, I could point out at least 5 serious problems with the system - just about every time.
By the way, don't worry too much about the deck. Go ahead and install the irrigation system first if you want. Just make sure whoever installs it doesn't run any main line underneath where the deck will be in the future, and if possible, they should only use funny pipe under the deck area and keep the lateral lines away from that area if possible too. Then when you go to build the deck later, it will be easy to just remove those heads in that area.
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