Quenching Lawns' Thirst

(CBS)  As the weather warms in some parts of the country and stays warm or hot in others, your lawn will get or stay thirsty. Instead of tugging a garden hose around this year, why not water the grass in a more productive way?

Danny Lipford, host of "Today's Homeowner," suggests two sprinkler options for the do-it-yourself set on The Early Show Tuesday: sprinkler and drip irrigation systems.

Lipford says you should check your local codes and needed permits before starting a do-it-yourself home irrigation installation.

SPRINKLER SYSTEMS

Sprinkler systems consist of a network of buried pipes interspersed with sprinkler heads that spray water aboveground over lawns, plants, tree, and shrubs. There are a number of different sprinkler heads that enable you to spray water over the desired area. Some examples are impact, surface, pop-up head, bubbler head, and many more that can be selected, depending on the situation.

Components of Sprinkler System

PVC or "poly" pipe lays out the main lines of your sprinkler system and connects to the water supply line. Backflow preventers and anti-siphon valves prevent sprinkler water from flowing back into the drinking water. Connectors and fittings are also used. Valves control water flow to the sprinklers. A timer turns the sprinkler system on and off at pre-set times.

Preparing For Your Sprinkler System

Many companies now offer do-it-yourself home irrigation kits that contain all the appropriate materials for creating an irrigation system for your lawn or garden.

First, you should create a drawing of your property from a bird's-eye view. This should be drawn to scale, which can be done easily with graph paper. Many irrigation companies supply it for you. The drawing should contain the location of your water meter and main line. Also, identity any slopes, trees, shrub, sidewalks, driveways, your home, or any other objects in the yard. Provide as much information as possible in your drawing, such as sun exposure and ground cover material, including grass and shrubs.

Next, measure your water pressure, using a water pressure gauge. It's important to have an accurate reading to prevent water hammer and costly damage to your piping system.

Now you should plan where your sprinkler heads should be placed. They should be spaced head-to-head with their water spray overlapping to make sure there are no dry spots. In windy areas, the spray head should be closer together, to account for blow-off. Use a compass to aid in drawing your sprinkler placement, to ensure that every area of your lawn is covered. Then, divide your sprinkler plan into zones. A zone is a group of sprinklers that operate together using a common valve. Dividing your lawn into zones will determine how many valves you'll need for your do-it-yourself sprinkler system.

The best place to install your timer is inside your garage, to shield it from the elements.

Installing your system

Make sure you've checked your local codes and under ground utilities before you dig.

Using flags and paint, outline where your sprinkler heads and pipes will be installed. Then, tap into your service line to connect your sprinkler system to the water supply, without soldering, by slipping on a compression tee. At that point, you can install a shutoff valve to enable you to completely turn off your irrigation system in case you need to make repairs.

Then, either trench your lawn by hand or with a trencher. Trenching with the trencher is much faster. Trenchers can be rented from a local supplier. To trench by hand, you must soften the soil and dig 8-12 inches, placing sod on one side and dirt on the other.

After trenching, cut your PVP pipe with pipe-cutters, following your drawing. Slip the pipes into their appropriate fitting, and install the valves and sprinkler heads zone-by-zone where they were preciously marked.

After all the valves and sprinkler heads are in place, flush water through the system to make sure it's free of debris. Then, program and connect your timer.

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