How to Build a Lawn Sprinkler and Drip System (No Excavation)
It is truly luxurious to have a garden that already has sprinklers and drip irrigation, but this is not the case for most people who have gardens. This means people waste a lot of time and water on stacked systems consisting of hoses, timers, and those awful vibrating sprinklers. These overhead sprinklers are inaccurate, so water is wasted and rain pours down water that is hard enough to spread viruses and fungi in the garden as the water bounces off the soil and back onto the plants. path, with hoses snaking across the lawn. Soaker hoses that come off a hose bib aren’t much better, they break down within a few years and leak endlessly. The best solution is to water through a true drip line at the root and install sprinklers only where you need them, paying special attention to the small areas you need them to water. While it’s certainly better to have a true drip or sprinkler system, there are many ways you can create a semi-professional watering system yourself using the same tools to achieve a cleaner look for your yard.
Divide the space into zones
The first thing you need to do is divide your yard into zones. Draw your entire garden, all the boxes and lawns – everything that needs watering. The grass is one area, and maybe all your garden boxes are another. Instead, zones can be based on area, so you simply divide your yard into four smaller areas. The entire area will be watered at the same time, so you’re really taking into account which areas need the same amount of water. You don’t want to overload any one area since your hose bib has less pressure than the main water line (you can test the hose bib to see what pressure it has). Since you won’t be cutting directly into the waterline, but will instead be using hose bibs, the zones should match the location of the bib. Label all the bibs on your sketch and then look at how each area relates to that hose bib. If you were to draw a line to this area from the bib, where would it go? It’s okay if it just runs along the ground next to the house, but stretch it out, trying to achieve the shortest distances possible, since unlike professionally installed lines, you will see them above the ground. Minimize the amount of line used, the number of turns and line crossings. Now go outside to start measuring these lines and visualizing each turn so you can transfer this to the fittings.
Attach timers and run a blank line for each zone.
Although most people don’t know it, in most places even the drip lines or overhead oscillating sprinklers you use are required to have a backflow preventer according to the area code. This prevents water from exiting the hose attachment from flowing back into the city water. These small devices are easy to install in line; you simply attach it to the hose bib in front of the timers. You will want to control each zone independently. Since we are not using a professional watering timer, you will be using hose timers. There are several smart hose timers out there, and having tested a few of them, I prefer the Racchio , which still has occasional leaking issues, but is better than other brands like Bhyve. I also continue to use non-smart timers like the Orbit , which have the advantage of having multiple outlets so you can control many zones from one timer. Otherwise, you’ll need a splitter extending from the hose attachment and then a smart timer on each outlet.
Now we are going to lay a tube through which the water from the hose will be supplied to the area, and for this we will use an empty tube . This means there are no holes in it, so it won’t drip. This tube is usually golden brown in color, so it will disappear into the landscape. It accepts 17mm diameter fittings , so whether you need an elbow, tee or straight connection, they’re easy to find. Route this tube from the hose to the start of your zone, making all necessary connections. The final fitting at the beginning of the tube will allow you to connect the tube to the timer. Repeat this for each zone. The goal is to move the pipe out of the way by going around the yard. While it’s not as good as an underground line like a professional installation, the tubing you use is much more durable than a hose and less noticeable.
Attach microemitters, sprinklers and drip line.
Now that the line is connected to your area, you can begin attaching the sprinkler lines. For a drip line, you connect a tube with holes from which water slowly flows out. You want to run it in a circle to ensure constant pressure, but the tubing is the same diameter and style as the empty line, so just use extra fittings to connect it. This is an ideal way to water a large area, such as planting beds around a lawn or raised beds.
You can also connect microemitters for special watering, such as pots or a specific plant that needs its own emitter. To connect these emitters to your main irrigation line, you will need a smaller diameter line and fittings . Using a hole punch made specifically for this purpose, punch a hole in the main line, and then use a straight fitting on the ¼ end of the line to secure it into the hole. Place any type of emitter on the end and use a stake provided for this purpose to hold the emitter in place. The advantage of emitters is that you can configure each of them individually. So if one pot needs more or less water, you can make changes or turn it off completely. The smaller ¼ line allows for easy transition from the main line to the pots.
You can use the same ¼ line for micro sprays , which will act as sprinklers here. There are even retractable micro-sprinklers, which means that when not in use, they disappear into the lawn. You just need to dig a hole about three inches in diameter, the same depth as the sprayer stand. Place the sprayer stake and then backfill the hole. I like this app because you can easily change the spray angle to 90, 180 or 360 degrees and then position it as needed. The spray is really good, but it works well for small areas.
How to save it
At the end of each season, you need to blow out the tubes (with an air compressor) since they are above ground and not below the frost line: this will ensure that there is no water left in any of the tubes. In the spring, you will need to test each line and make sure each of the pop-up nozzles is lifting and the emitters are in the correct position. Walk around and listen to each zone; you will know if there is a leak or break in one of the lines and can fix it by cutting the tube at that location and repairing it with a coupling.