Irrigation and Sprinkler Systems

Step 1: Design

Design involves an assessment of water requirements, sprinkler selection, head layout as well as placement of electrical controller, backflow preventer, and manifold.

  • 'Fully Automatic' or 'Manual' Systems.
  • Landscape is divided into zones. Each zone has similar watering requirements.
  • Individual zones contain multiple heads. The goal is to group heads so that each area being watered by that zone receives adequate precipitation in a set time. Normally, uniform precipitation rate heads are grouped together.
  • Sloped terrain, sun & wind exposure, and soil conditions are considered during the layout phase. These factors may require non-uniform rate heads to be mixed in individual zones.
  • Zones are configured for adaptibility to changes and maturation of the landscape.
  • Gear driven heads are used in lawn areas and fixed nozzles for beds.
  • Specialized low spray and drip systems are available for special need gardens (ie. Roses and other plants prone to diseases or rot when the folliage is watered). 

Step 2: Excavation

Excavation is a combination of power equipment and hand digging of ditches.

  • Excavation is accomplished with a combination of power equipment and hand trenching. In the open grassy areas a power trencher is used to dig the ditches. Generally, hand trenching is utilized in the bed areas. Trench layout emphasizes the use of a few ditches, with minimal intrusion into the turfed areas. Trenches are cut 10"-12" deep, to minimize the possibility of future problems when areating the grass areas or weeding in the beds. Pipes buried in 6" of soil are normally safe from winter freezing conditions in western Washington.

Step 3: Installation

We assemble the shutoff valve, backflow preventer, manifold assemblies, pipe runout and gluing, sprinkler head connection

  • PVC piping is used in most installations. Connection to the domestic water supply is normally made between the water meter and the dwelling. A shutoff valve is installed on the irrigation line near the 'Tee' point. A Certified Backflow Device is then installed to ensure that no contaminants from the yard intrude into the domestic water supply. A series of valves are installed to control the individual watering zones.

 

  • Adaptability is a major factor in ensuring that the system continues to meet the watering needs as the landscape matures. The irrigation components and assembly techniques utilized in the construction of the system provide the flexibiltiy to upgrade the system in future years.

Step 4: Testing

We pressurize system checking for water leaks and validating sprinkler head coverage.

  • Each zone is tested prior to burying, so that any leaking or reconfiguration can be accomplished with minimal rework.
  • Certain water districts require annual inspections of the backflow device. The initial test of the backflow will be conducted at the completion of the irrigation system installation. 

Step 5: Cleanup

Before leaving, we tidy pipe runout in ditches, bury ditches, install irrigation boxes over shutoff/backflow preventer, and manifold assemblies, schedule backflow preventer certification test.