How to Install a Home Lawn Sprinkler System?

Which is better – DIY or Professional Installation?

According to landscaping experts at Eden, hiring a professional to build a home lawn sprinkler system ensures that it is covered by a warranty. You need to weigh a lot of important factors to determine if you should DIY or hire professionals to install the sprinkler system in your home lawn. 

You can be carefree with a professionally installed sprinkler system. This might also be the best choice if your state or local laws are strict about this. On the other hand, you feel immensely proud after completing a DIY project successfully. However, its maintenance and upkeep can be double the work for homeowners. 

Benefits of choosing Professionally-Installed Sprinkler System

The top benefits of choosing to DIY a home lawn sprinkler system include:

• Sprinkler system is covered by warranty 
• Professionals can give visits to maintain or repair the sprinkler system 

Drawbacks of choosing Professionally-Installed Sprinkler System

A major drawback of choosing to get professionally-installed sprinkler system for your home lawn is:

• High upfront costs, as professionals charge between USD 2,539 to USD 4,773 (depending on the materials used, size of the yard and the company you select) 

Benefits of choosing to DIY Sprinkler System

Some major advantages of choosing to DIY the home lawn sprinkler system are:

• Saving money 
• No labor charges
• Parts can cost around USD 1,500 or less

Drawbacks of choosing to DIY Sprinkler System 

Some of the common drawbacks you may experience after a DIY home lawn sprinkler system installation are:

• It is labor intensive 
• You will need to pay for repairs
• You will need to find and fix any malfunctions 
• You may need to rent certain equipment 

How to Plan a Home Lawn Sprinkler System?

The first step to installing a home lawn sprinkler system is to do some planning, even before you decide to simply start digging holes and laying the pipes of your sprinkler system. 

Here are the important steps you should follow to ensure a well-planned and efficient home lawn sprinkler system:

• Research your local laws – You should find details of rules and laws that regulate lawn water usage in your area as these vary from region to region. 
• Check with local county offices – You should visit your local council office to check if you need a permission to install a home lawn sprinkler system. You should also ask of any state and local regulations that allow you to DIY a sprinkler system or whether you will need to hire professionals. 
• Contact utility company – Before embarking on this project, it is highly important to contact your local utility company to mark the underground lines. This should be done at least a few days before starting the construction of the sprinkler system. 

How to Draw the Irrigation Plan for Home Lawn Sprinkler System?

The next step to building a home lawn sprinkler system is to make a sketch of the area where you plan to install it. Mark the areas according to the water requirements, depending on the type of vegetation that grows in individual areas. 

You need to remember that turf has significantly different water requirements as compared to shrubs and large trees. You can use a simple sprinkler head for grassy areas but it is advised to use lower spray heads for areas that have shrubs and trees. Drip irrigation is recommended to be used in areas like a vegetable garden. 

Here’s a simple stepwise way to plan your home lawn sprinkler system:

1. Draw the lawn’s layout. In this, note the location of trees and other types of vegetation. Mark turf grass areas distinctly and hardscapes, such as retaining walls, pathways, etc. clearly. 
2. Mark the lines on the plan where you plan to lay the PVC pipes and the control box. 
3. Consider the slopes and proposed placement of sprinkler head. Proper irrigation requires installing sprinkler heads in such a way that each head overlaps its neighbor by 50 percent. The spray should overlap all areas in the yard to ensure proper irrigation. 

How to Determine Water Pressure and Flow Rate for Home Lawn Sprinkler System?

Before you rush to buy any equipment or DIY supplies, you will need to find out the ideal flow rate and the resultant water pressure level required for your lawn. Once you figure this out, you can go ahead and purchase the required equipment and supplies. 

To determine water pressure, you need to attach a pressure gauge to an outside tap and turn on the water. Make sure that all over water valves are closed, inside and outside the home. This gauge will show you the average water pressure of your plumbing in psi (per square inch). 

To decide the well size or meter size for the sprinkler system, you can check the water meter box, if you receive water from the municipal system. If you get your water from a well, then you can check the size of the water pump on the outside of the pump, or in the owner’s manual. 

To determine the size of service line, you should check the measurements of the existing water service line and buy PVC pipes that match. 

To find out the ideal flow rate, you should measure the number of gallons of water per minute (GPM). You can do this by taking a five-gallon contained to an outdoor tap, turning on the water and use your phone or stopwatch to record the time it takes for the container to get completely filled with water. Divide the size of the container by the number of seconds it took to fill. Take this result and multiply it by 60, to get the flow rate in GPM. You can also multiple this result with 60 once again, to get the water flow rate in gallons per hour (GPH). 

Sprinkler System Kit or DIY System – Which is the best?

A sprinkler system kit is an easy-to-install sprinkler system that you can buy at your local gardening supply or hardware store. These work excellently for small to medium-sized lawns, such as those lawns that measure between 1,000 and 3,000 per square feet. You can find all the basic installing and set-up instructions on the kit and can install the entire system over a weekend. These pre-built kits may not be suitable for larger-sized lawns. 

You may not be able to expand a pre-built sprinkler system without affecting the quality of the service. You will need to consider the yard’s elevation and make sure it is not more than 6 feet from the sprinkler head to the hose bib. 

On the other hand, a DIY sprinkler system may be more expensive, as you will need to buy several essential parts. If you want to build your own sprinkler system you will need to buy:

• PVC pipes
• PVC fittings
• Controllers and timers
• Sprinkler heads 
• Tubing 
• Valves
• Valve box
• Wiring 
• Drains 
• Backflow lock 

Besides these, you will also need basic tools, like PVC glue, shovels, pipe cutter, landscape flags and stakes or string. You may even have to rent a power trencher or pipe-puller, which usually cost around USD 200 at the local machine rental store. 

Conclusion

A DIY home lawn sprinkler system is suitable for small and medium sized lawns whereas a professional landscaper, like Eden, can help you to build sprinkler systems for any lawn, regardless of its size. It is highly recommended to consult with expert landscapers when you decide to install a home lawn sprinkler system.