Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design Re: Irrigation questions answered 9Dec 18, 2007 10:55 pm Here's how West Aussies can make sand into soil Checkout The Forever Project Before starting your landscape attend a FREE Great Gardens workshop Re: Irrigation questions answered 14Jan 30, 2008 11:27 pm dynamictiger I have installed most of my reticulation in the back garden. I have: - A grey water recovery system installed in accordance with WAHD requirements and council requirements. - A series of 12 inch Pop ups - A spare station with pipe protruding My issue is I need to make the reticulation SWMBO proof. She seems to delight in digging it up, putting a spade through it or any other combination of damage you can think of - hence my use of 12 inch pop ups. With my spare station I would like to use sub-mulch method. I have enough 'purple' dripper left over to use this as the sub - mulch dripper. I have two questions first can I make this SWMBO proof somehow or am I destined to spend every weekend fixing it up? Is there any reason I can't use my pretty 'purple' dripper on mains water? Thanks in advance. never done a grey water set up yet. the purple colour is mostly to indicate that it is a grey water system in use when repairing if the water source is unknown. green is for rain water. brown is mains. i wouldn't imagine that the drippers inside are different at all. also the good old urban dictionary came in great to find out that SWAMBO is what some may call the minister for finace and war. stopping her digging through the retic is very easy. just modify the shovel or spade concerned by cutting the blade part off and handing her the handle. throw the blade part away. (this method is equally useful for the ladies who's husbands are doing the same thing ) Re: Irrigation questions answered 15Jan 31, 2008 8:36 am Fu Manchu your advice is fantastic and much appreciated. I noticed you recommending Empire Zoysia in another thread. Our landscaper laid ST91 and I feel it is crap. Initially it was beautiful but eventually dead patches appeared around the lawn. There are lots of weeds which I do try and manage. It has actually put me off lawn as it has been very very high maintenance just trying to keep it looking nice. I told the landscaper I wanted low maintenance. I am seriously thinking of ripping up our ugly grass which has only been down for around two years and trying the Empire Zoysia to see how it goes. But then again if I cant even manage ST91 will I have any luck with Empire Zoysia. Re: Irrigation questions answered 17Jan 31, 2008 10:09 am the turf thread mentioned...
https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=1472 Re: How To- Installing a rain sensor (or rain and freeze sensor) 18Apr 14, 2009 2:02 pm Hey Fu, Just wondering, since you posted this, are their any other recommendations you'd make for irrigation systems or are you still a fan of the brands above? At our new home we are building we are planning to have an irrigation system for the front and backyard (total of 3 taps) to water our grass and garden. We were going to go all out and go for rain sensors, computer controller, etc. Any recommendations for brands/units? Nav Re: How To- Installing a rain sensor (or rain and freeze sensor) 19Apr 14, 2009 10:21 pm absolutely. I haven't got round to posting the installation of a controller . I have the photos but not the write up. I do recommend certain brands by way of a heap of experience and irrigation knowledge. If I recommend you only by from an irrigation shop then in that too there is a very bloody good reason I can't stress how important that is. For poly pipe and some fittings then the big hardware chains are the best prices. For sprinklers, drip irrigation pipe and controllers the only place to buy is an irrigation shop. anyway, controllers. I do suggest getting a controller for external use even if it goes inside the garage. Why? They are much neater and professional looking. They have tidy internal transformers that are very reliable. The irritrol raindial would be pick of the bunch. This is the most reliable and easiest to not only install but use as well. Any Muppet can work them. The Hunter XC controllers are fantastic. They are also extremely easy to use and very reliable. Easy to install as well. Then the Irritrol kwik dial This starts to get harder to use but is comparatively easy compared to the cheap junk sold in non irrigation shops. The water budget is harder to use on these. it is seen as special functions on the control dial. That is the single most versatile function on any controller. The water budget. It allows you to change your watering times very quick and easy according to the conditions without having to physically change the programme. It is done as a percentage of time the programmes are set for. Like now mine is set to 30% once a week. When it is really hot in summer, I set it to 150% of the set programme. It is done in seconds and makes better use of your water. Valves or solonoids as some wrongfully call them are another point worth looking at. Always buy the "jar top" ones. They have the top part that screws on like a jar. Most lesser types have screws holding the top on and they can be a pain. There are two main types of jartops. Irritrol/Richdel and orbit. They have internal and external parts that can be swapped between making future repairs or maintenance easy as. The solonoids mounted on the valves are also interchangeable with other brands. Valves that have screws, well each brand seems to be unique and repairs are costly and difficult. The parts mostly only fit that valve and if you can't find that designed valve in 5 or 10years to repair it, well it is a PITA. Jar Top valve... Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Place your valves in one place. Not some out the back and some out the front. It does cost slighty more for pipe but repairs in the future are very easy and risk of damaging a mains pressure line are minimal. You also need to ensure a mains pressure rated master valve is used at the head of the system. It would go right after the manual shut off valve that a plumber will install. It will cost around $150 for the plumber to connect to the mains with a non return valve and manual valve. The non return valve stops water going into the house water. I might also add that PVC pipe going under driveways will need to be what is called class 12 or higher. This means it won't be likely to break. Under paths I also use class 12 but you can get away with thinner class 9. Don't use black poly pipe under a drive. You will need 25mm pipe from the mains to the manifold for the valves then after the valves use 20mm if you don't have far to get the water. If you have a longway or big block then 25mm will be needed then down to 200mm PVC or 19mm poly. Here is a manifold and canister filter I did. The filter come above the ground so it can be cleaned. In the bottom right is a brass non return valve and a manual shut off valve with the blue handle. You will also see plenty of rolled up wire spare at the end to connect the to the valves. The outlets were going to travel forward but only one was connected so far in the shot. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I installed my manifold above the ground down the side on a treated timber frame. This makes future repairs or modifications clean and easy. I screwed on some left over laserlight to hide all the workings and it looks fine. I have also done this in nurseries for the same reasons of reducing maintenance costs. Re: How To- Installing a rain sensor (or rain and freeze sensor) 20Apr 15, 2009 12:23 pm Thanks for that Fu, lots of great information. I will check out the local irrigation shops in western sydney when I'm mobile again. Just curious, would you recommend piping underneath the driveway? We were going to take the approach for the frontyard to just have an 2 recycled water taps installed on the sides (one for each) and have each separately connected to the irrigation system. We're trying to keep it simple in terms of setup and we thought that would be the best method as our driveway is being done by our builder in advance (stenciled concrete) and it would be hard to get piping, etc, done during the time the builder has the house. Any drawbacks you can see to this? Being the technology nerd I am, any suggestions on anything that can be controlled by a pc over the network (preferably wireless?). Thanks again Fu. Nav Edit: instead of posting another post. Just was re-reading your post, from the way the photo of your hoses look, it looks like that's a rear tap that's basically split and sent around the whole house, I am assuming you'd have trenching and a pipe going to the opposite side front yard? i.e. if the outlet was at the rear left of the house, and you wanted to setup irrigation for the front right of the house, you would need to trench from rear left to rear, around the back of the house, down right side of house, to the front of your house? Do you recommend this approach over trenching under the driveway? I was looking online and saw many suggestions of getting driveway builders to create a 'sleeve' for future irrigation piping under the driveway, which was the other option we were thinking of however not sure how easy it would be to fix if their was a leak/problem with the piping. Hi all I am looking to run a water line under my concrete footpath which is directly next to my home, was seeing if this is possible without cutting the entire section… 0 20164 Hi Brainstrust, I had a go at creating my own irrigation plan, keen to get some feedback. It will be run from one 750-800W pump, off 2* 5000L rain tanks. Each zone… 0 21908 Personally, considering your layout (study/work desks in bedrooms), I don't think you have any other option but to leave NW windows and make them as big as possible e.g.… 7 10453 |