Get Digging. New Sprinkler System Takes Work

Q: Weve finally saved enough money to landscape our backyard. We have a lawn and sprinkler system in mind, but weve never installed such a system. Any suggestions?

A: You can save several hundred dollars installing a sprinkler system yourself; but be prepared, youll ache for a week. Youll spend at least $200 for material, depending upon the size of your yard, just for the sprinkler system. By the way, as long as youre doing this, you might as well make it an automatic system (sprinkler clock and electric valves).

You need to take a preliminary trip to the hardware store to gather some information. Most hardware stores have free layout guides that help you determine the number of valves youll need, the amount of PVC pipe to buy, the number of heads youll need, etc.

You also must locate where your sprinkler system is stubbed out. Typically, the builder installs the front yards sprinkler system and will run the pressurized pipe to somewhere near the side of the house.

If youre lucky, youll see the white PVC sticking out of the ground with a cap on it. If youre not, youll have to dig from the front sprinkler valve box and follow the pipe until it ends.

The bad news is that this job requires digging. You can use either a shovel and a pick (or a digging bar for about $20), or you can take the easy way out and rent a walk-behind trencher for about $65 for a half-day.

The trencher is fast, but since its the size of an average desk and heavy, youll have to muscle it around a bit. Since the trencher comes on a trailer, youll need a hitch on your vehicle to tow it home. What would have taken all day to dig by hand, will take only an hour or two with a trencher.

Plan on digging a minimum of 6 inches, and then cleaning out the trench with a trenching shovel (about $15). This shovel is about 5-inches wide, which is perfect for narrow spots.

After the digging, run the water from the stub-out to your new valve manifold area. Youll need to extend the pressurized pipe to wherever you have decided to locate the valves.

The pipes are typically of an inch. From this pipe, youll add -inch tees. However many valves youll have is the number of tees youll use to build the manifold.

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Get Digging. New Sprinkler System Takes Work