Canada's Largest Lawn Sprinkler Site - Do It Yourself Kits
Your Irrigation Information Location!
Design
Services - Do-It-Yourself Kits - Parts - Service - Fall Closings
Irrigation
installation requires more than laying piping and
securing spray heads. Professional landscapers will
know how to avoid gas lines when laying your new pipes.
They will also be aware of any restrictions in using
city or well water, and be informed of your special
local codes, for example, a professional plumber may
be required to hook the irrigation system to the main
water lines, and an electrician may also be required
to review any electrical work done in connection with
the project (automatic timers)
Measuring
the property, calculating its slope, and properly adjusting
for water pressure are just some of the tasks involved in home
garden irrigation, and to do it right requires the expertise
of professionals. This doesn't mean that clients are left out
of the loop all together. The professional landscaper will rely on you as the client to provide details of your gardening plan (turf vs. shrubs) and your budget. To get the most out of your relationship with your landscaper, however, a basic understanding of irrigation systems is quite an advantage. |
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Thinking
of putting in a watering system yourself? If you have been considering a system, whether installed by someone else or put in yourself, let us know. We can help with design and instructions on installing an automatic underground sprinkler system. There is a lot of work to putting a system in, but if you are an avid do-it-yourselfer you may have the skills to put a system in yourself. The most important part is getting the particulars right. Such as gallons per minute available from your water source, be it a pump or city water supply. Size of the lawn as a whole, and divided up into sections. This will give us the information needed to determine the number and type of sprinkler heads required to water each area. Matched precipitation is important also, this will put the same amount of water on all parts of the lawn so you don't have dry spots and wet spots. If you are serious about tackling this project, but are unsure of where to start, we can (when given the required information) design a system for you and provide instructions on how to do each step of the installation process. If this interests you Contact us. |
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We offer complete lawn sprinkler system design & technical help We can design your lawn sprinkler system for you with the following help from you, e-mail a certificate of survey of your property, which is available from the city if you don't have one, Otherwise you will need to measure your yard following the simple steps below. Measuring Your Yard The first step to designing your sprinkler system is to measure your property.
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Water Pressure & Water Flow Once you have the yard measured, you will have to figure out your water pressure and your gallons per minute, To figure out your G.P.M or gallons per minute, you will need a 5 gallon pail and a watch, for the PSI, you will need a pressure gauge. Go to the faucet closest to where your main water line will be feeding your sprinkler system, Be sure you have a watch with a second hand, Closely time how long it takes to fill a five gallon pail. 30 seconds = 10 gallons per minute. 20 seconds = 15 gallons per minute, 15 seconds = 20 gallons per minute. Accuracy is very important. Our Design fee is $149.99, We will credit this fee to your sprinkler system purchase. This will include detailed sprinkler head and valve location so you will know exactly what you will need before you begin your project. |
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Installing Your Sprinkler System The first step is deciding what type of backflow device you will be using. Double Check and Reduced Pressure backflows can be installed in the house. Pressure vacuum breakers are normally installed outdoors. First, making sure the waterline is off, have a licensed plumber cut your mainline as close to the water meter as possible. You will install a tee at this location. Coming from the tee will be a shut off Ball valve. After the ball valve install the Double Check or RPZ back flow device, then a boiler drain for winterizing. Run your new sprinkler line outdoors.(we recommend 3/4 or 1" copper) For a PVB, this is where most are installed. Keep in mind, the PVB needs to be installed 12" or higher than the highest sprinkler head. Attach the pipe to the inlet side of the vacuum breaker and come out of the vacuum breaker with copper into the ground and go down at least 6", From there you can change it over to poly or PVC pipe or attached directly to the manifold. |
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Pipe The next step is to run the main water line to valves. You will also want to run your control wires with the main water line. Once the main water line is in, it is time to install all of the lateral lines. Pull the lateral lines from the valve box to the sprinkler heads. When you have installed all of the sprinkler pipe it is time to put in the valves. |
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Valves The first step to installing the valves is to build a manifold, you will need to decide Whether or not you want to use ready made manifolds or you want to make them yourself, Ready made manifolds are much easier to install and replace if a valve has to be changed out some point in time. It is also easiest to install the valve manifold and valves above ground and only have to make connections in the valve box hole. Once everything is assembled, It is now time to connect the valves to the main and lateral lines. When connecting to the pipe be sure all of the clamps are fastened down tight. Radiator clamps will work but are not recommended, Otiker Clamps (gear clamps) will work much better and will last 10 times as long. When connecting the wires to the valves, Use the white wire as the common ground wire, When you wire the controller in, It will be much easier to figure out what wire is what. |
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Connections After that you will want to make all of your connections through out the yard, Put in any elbows, tees or couplers. Tip: if the fittings are hard to push in the pipe, use a rubber mallet to tap them in. Again be sure that all of your clamps are tight and you didn't forget any. |
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Sprinkler Heads When you are putting your heads in you will want to make sure that there are no kinks at the end of the line and that the pipe lays flat in the ground. Once you attach the saddle you will then put the threaded by barb fitting in the saddle and also the head. You can use a torch to heat up the pipe, It will make it much easier to push over the barbs, Only heat it up until it is shiny. |
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This "Do - it - Yourself" section is courtesy of TORO™ An
automatic sprinkler system gives you the landscape you've always
wanted. |
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CHECK LOCAL CODES AND PERMITS Call your local water company or the proper municipal authority for information on building codes or permits required for the installation of underground sprinkler systems. They can also tell you about local codes for the backflow prevention required to protect your water supply from contamination, as well as advise on where to locate the backflow device in the system. In addition, check with your local utility companies before you dig to identify any buried cables or natural gas lines. |
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Warning When designing your system, we suggest you use the following planning tools:
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Each
small square on the graph should represent one square foot of
actual property or use the scales provided.
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MEASURE YOUR HOME'S WATER CAPACITY AND WORKING PRESSURE Water pressure can vary from home to home, even on the same street. So it's important that you take a measurement at your own home. If you push your system beyond its capacity, the danger is that it can create water hammer and costly damage to your piping system. Also, if you exceed the pressure or water flow (GPM) you have available, your system will not function or work efficiently. The following are two reliable ways of determining your home's water capacity. We recommend using the flow and pressure gauge method because it's fast and easy. |
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DETERMINE THE DIAMETER OF THE WATER SUPPLY LINE
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This is how much water is available with a working pressure of 40 PSI or the higher reading that you recorded. (Minimum operating pressure for most sprinklers is 35 PSI.)If you use a different size bucket, time how long it takes to fill it. Convert this to gallons per minute using the following formula: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
60 ÷ Seconds x Gallons For example: A two-gallon bucket that fills in 15 seconds means the available flow is 8 gallons per minute. 60 ÷ 15 x 2 = 8 GPM (gallons per minute) |
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Note: In freezing areas, poly pipe should be used downstream of zone valves. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sprinkler Placement Planning Place sprinklers within each area on your plan, one area at a time, using sprinklers with a greater radius for larger areas. Stay within the allowable spacing range (radius) of sprinkler selected, and remember to space them head-to-head. Spacing sprinklers too far apart will produce dry spots. Always place sprinklers in a way to avoid spraying the side of your house, walls, fences, etc. Also, minimize spraying onto sidewalks, driveways and streets. Place half-circle sprinklers on sides and borders; quarter-circle sprinklers in corners; and full-circle sprinklers in the middle. |
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HEAD-TO-HEAD SPACING For proper coverage, place sprinklers so that the spray from one sprinkler reaches the next. For windy areas (winds regularly stronger than 8 mph), place sprinklers closer -- at 90% of spray radius or more depending on local wind direction and speed |
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RULE OF THUMB Determine
spacing by sprinkler radius. For example, if you are using Toro
570(tm) Series sprinklers with a radius of 15', place your sprinklers
no more than 15' apart; or closer together if you are in a windy
area |
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Square Spacing This layout is best suited for well-defined, geometric spaces such as small, square or rectangle-shaped yards, or sites divided by sidewalks and other paved areas. Special-Pattern Spacing You can use Toro 570(tm) Series special-pattern sprinklers for end-strip and center-strip watering, as shown in the diagram below. Center-strip sprinklers spray in two directions, end-strip sprinklers spray in one direction only. Both are designed for precise watering of small, rectangular areas. NOTE: When special pattern nozzles are unavailable, use the Toro Adjustable Pattern Nozzle. Odd-Shaped Areas After placing your sprinklers in large, rectangular areas, you can now place sprinklers in small, non-rectangular areas. Although each site is different, following are some handy guidelines.
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1. SPRINKLERS No matter how simple or complex the landscape, Toro has the sprinkler family to cover every angle. Select sprinklers with a greater spray radius for large areas so you can use fewer sprinklers and valves, which means you also use less pipe with less trenching and fewer timer zones. |
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570 Series Fixed-Spray Sprinklers Toro 570(tm) Series fixed-spray sprinklers produce a tight, constant fan of water that's ideal for small lawn, shrub and ground cover areas. Pop-up models pop up above grasses and disappear when not in use. Shrub sprays are mounted above foliage to water ground cover and shrubs. True matched precipitation rates and color coding by radius are just a few of the exciting features of 570(tm) matched precipitation rate spray nozzles. Toro has more than 35 different interchangeable nozzles to choose from to give you maximum flexibility. |
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FLOOD BUBBLER Use the Toro Flood Bubbler for slow, deep watering around trees, shrubs, vegetable and flower gardens. Fully adjustable from off to 5 GPM. |
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MULTISTREAM SPRINKLER Toro's unique gear-driven, MultiStream sprinklers are recognized by their graceful "fingers of water" that slowly rotate to effectively penetrate medium-sized lawns, shrubs and ground cover -- especially on slopes |
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SINGLESTREAM SPRINKLER The Toro SingleStream Sprinkler is perfect for medium-to-large lawn areas. Its gear-driven design provides years of smooth, quiet operation. |
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SIMPLESET(tm) LAWN SPRINKLER Radius: 27'-47' The Toro SimpleSet Lawn Sprinkler offers full and part-circle operation in a single unit. This closed-case rotary sprinkler is ideal for large lawn areas and it's simple to set |
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Radius: 25'-45' Toro Universal Impact Sprinklers are perfect for medium-to-large lawn areas. These impacts are adjustable from 20°-340° for part circle operation or 360° for full circle operation. Toro Impact Sprinklers are heavy-duty and will offer years of reliable operation. |
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2.VALVES There are two types of valves: anti-siphon and in-line. Please check your local codes to determine which is appropriate in your area. |
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3.DRIP PRODUCTS Save time, save money and save water with Toro Blue Stripe irrigation products. |
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4. TIMERS When
selecting a timer, there are two things to consider--number of
zones (valves) and number of programs. It's important to choose
a timer that can adapt to your growing needs. The additional programs
allow you to water the different areas of your landscape (lawn,
shrubs, flower beds) separately. |
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5.FUNNY PIPE Funny
Pipe is a high-strength poly tubing that solves tough sprinkler
installation & replacement problems. Put simply, Funny Pipe
acts as a flexible extension cord between sprinkler line and sprinkler
head, allowing you to easily position sprinklers where you need
them, even in hard-to-reach areas |
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COUNT YOUR ZONES Determine the number of valves that you will need, based on the number of zones you have designed. Locate Your Valves On The Plan We recommend grouping the valves. For example, one valve location is needed to operate front yard zones, and one to operate the backyard and/or side-yard zones. Locate the first set of valves in a convenient spot near the main water connection. A good location is where the service line enters your house. Also, place valves next to walks or in planters for easier access. The number of zones used on your automatic timer should match or exceed the number of zones in your system (plan for potential expansion). |
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LAY
OUT YOUR PIPE
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DETERMINE WHERE TO INSTALL YOUR TIMER Install the timer inside your garage, or on an outside wall near a 120 VAC outlet. If you install the timer outside, be sure to mount it in a weather-resistant timer cabinet such as the one available from Toro. Toro also offers an expandable outdoor timer, specially designed to be installed outdoors. Check local electrical codes for connection to outside plugs. Place zone or valve wires in the same trenches as the pipe. Remember that valves will be wired to the timer, so place valve wires where they are easily accessible. Toro recommends 18-gauge solid, multi-strand, direct-burial wire to connect valves to sprinkler timers. You will need one wire per zone, plus the common wire. This eight-zone system requires nine wires. Be sure to waterproof all of your connections using grease caps |
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Check Local Codes And Permits Call
your water company or the proper municipal authority to find out
about any building codes or permits required for the installation
of underground sprinkler systems. They can tell you about local
codes for backflow prevention to protect your household water
supply from contamination. They can also advise you on where in
the system it should be located. In addition, check with your
local utility companies before digging to identify any buried
cables or natural gas lines. Use Toro flags to indicate sprinkler locations according to your design. Use line-marking spray paint to mark the lines along the area where you'll trench and install pipe. Check your worksheet to make sure you mark the lines accurately. You will be digging your trenches along these lines. |
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Alert Before digging any trenches, you must have all underground utilities marked to avoid any damage. Call your local underground locator service or the city for information. |
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MAIN AND LATERAL LINE TRENCHING The
main line is the line that runs from your service line to your
valve manifolds. Lateral lines run from the valve manifolds to
the sprinkler heads. To soften the soil, water the ground approximately two days before you dig. Dig trenches 8" to 12" deep or per local codes below the frost line in freezing climates. Put sod on one side of the trench and soil on the other. TRENCHING WITH A TRENCHER Trenching machines are an easier, faster alternative to digging with a shovel. They can be rented by the hour, day or week, usually from a lawn supply store or rental equipment dealer. The person you rent from can show you how to operate the machine properly and safely. Trenchers should not be used to dig through ground cover, flower beds, on steep slopes or near buildings. Be sure to verify all underground utilities before trenching. GOING UNDER OBSTACLES To
tunnel under brick and concrete walks, attach a piece of Schedule
40 PVC pipe to a hose with a hose-to-pipe adapter. Cap the end
with a PVC cap and drill a 1/8" hole in the end of the cap.
Point the end of the pipe to where you want to tunnel. Turn on
the water and push the pipe under the concrete. The force of water
will blast away the soil in front of it to form a tunnel. Tunneling
requires care to avoid damage to walks and driveways. |
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INSTALL THE SPRINKLER SYSTEM MAIN LINE Attach
your sprinkler system main line to the service line. Run it along
the bottom of the trench from the house to the first set of valves
and if required, to the second set. Place your valve wire under
the pipe whenever possible. PVC Pipe Cut
pipe with a PVC pipe cutter. POLY PIPE Cut
pipe with a PVC pipe cutter. Do not use poly pipe as the connecting pipe between the service line and the control valves. Surge pressure may rupture the poly pipe. Be sure to check local codes for correct type of pipe to use. |
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BUILD VALVE MANIFOLDS A
group of valves is called a manifold. We recommend grouping the
control valves -- for example, one control valve location to operate
front yard zones, and one to operate backyard and/or side yard
zones. Use flags to mark the location of the valves, as indicated
on your worksheet. Anti-siphon valves are always installed above ground. With an
anti-siphon valve, dig out an area large enough to accommodate
your inlet and outlet pipes.
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INSTALL LATERAL DOWNSTREAM PIPE Start from the valves and move outward, laying the connecting pipe along the bottom of the trench. At each flag, install an appropriate fitting for sprinkler attachment. We recommend that you use Toro Funny Pipe(R) for all your sprinkler head installations. |
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FLUSH THE SYSTEM TO CLEAR DEBRIS After the pipe has been connected and the glue has dried (PVC pipe only), turn on the water, open valves one zone at a time and flush until the water runs clear. NOTE: Don't backfill your trenches until your final system operation check is complete.
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INSTALL YOUR SPRINKLERS ZONE-BY-ZONE Install one sprinkler zone at a time, using Toro Funny Pipe(R). Remember to refer to your planning worksheet. 1.Placing a sprinkler in a trench as a guide, measure from the connecting pipe fitting to the bottom of the sprinkler and cut a length of Funny Pipe to fit. Place sprinklers at least 3" from sidewalks, curbs and 6" from fences and buildings. 2.Install the appropriate Funny Pipe elbow into the sprinkler and into the PVC or poly pipe fitting. 3.Connect one end of Funny Pipe to the sprinkler and the other end to the connecting pipe fitting. NOTE: Do not use more than 4' of Toro Funny Pipe with each sprinkler head. 4.Position the sprinkler in the trench so that the top of the sprinkler is flush with ground level. Stabilize the sprinkler with soil without filling the entire trench. 5.Verify that the sprinkler is straight for optimum performance |
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INSTALL
YOUR TIMER 2. Run wires along the trench, underneath the pipe and from the valves to the system timer. 3. Connect the valves to the timer. Take
one wire from each valve and connect them to a common wire (for
ease of identification, use the white wire as the common). NOTE: All outdoor connections and splices must be waterproofed. |
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CONNECTING A PUMP START RELAY FOR A WELL, TANK OR POND CAUTION: When installing with an electric timer: 1. The Automatic Pump Starter should be mounted at least 5 feet away from the timer. 2. The timer should be at least 12 feet away from the pump. 3. The pump should be on a separate power source than that of the timer (the pump is a high-power user). IF THESE STEPS ARE NOT TAKEN, TIMER MALFUNCTIONS MAY OCCUR! |
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CHECK YOUR SYSTEM OPERATION, ZONE-BY-ZONE 1. Slowly turn on the water and manually open the control valve. 2. Adjust the sprinklers to ensure proper coverage (see sprinkler installation instructions for details). 3. If your coverage is incomplete, follow the steps below:
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