All Sprinkler Systems are Not the Same

When you install sprinklers to water your lawn and shrub plantings, you expect everything to be evenly watered and for the system itself to be durable. A sprinkler system designed and installed by us will perform as expected.

However, a poorly designed and installed watering system can be a nightmare. What you get depends on the installation and the equipment used. Cost cutting measures employed by contractors to keep the price down compromise quality for cheapness of price, bad performance, and lack of durability. Here are some of the things that can go wrong.

→ Uneven watering and its consequences

• Brown areas in the lawn
• Dead plants from lack of water

→ If your sprinkler system waters unevenly, you have to run the sprinklers longer

• Then some places get way too much water so others will stay green
• Plants can die from too much water
• Lawn gets soggy from too much water
• Excessive water bill—can more than offset any savings at time of installation

Solution: Proper spacing of sprinklers and drip line by following manufacturer’s specifications

→ Sprinklers aimed the wrong direction

• Caused by poor installation, sprinklers move out of adjustment
• Even after being readjusted, the sprinkler slowly moves back out of adjustment

Solution: Use swing joints for complete adjustability

→ Major water leak

• Broken mainline from inferior pipe
• Not buried deep enough

Solution: Use pipe rated for domestic use

We use schedule 40 pipe for pipe under constant pressure, also rated for domestic water service. The more commonly used class 200 pipe has a much thinner wall and is thus more prone to breakage.

→ Cost cutting measures commonly used to keep the price down

• Inferior equipment, such as the sprinkler clock and sprinklers
• Too few sprinklers or drip line spacing
• Too few valves
• Too small of pipe
• Shallow pipe installation, subject to freeze damage and easily broken by common gardening chores

Note: These problems cannot be easily resolved. Usually the owner simply has to live with the problems or almost start over.

We have learned these things from years of experience. After seeing so many things that can go wrong, we understand what it takes to install a sprinkler system correctly.

The really good news is this: When properly installed, a modern sprinkler system will provide decades of reliable service with only minimal maintenance.

If you are in the process of installing a new sprinkler system or even extending an existing system, we strongly urge you to be certain that the installer knows what he is doing and that he does it correctly.

We have only highlighted common problems. This is not an extensive list.