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We make it easy to plan your residential irrigation system. Take a few measurements and share some details about your yard to receive a customized plan prepared just for you, by one of our team experts. You are three easy steps away from your dream yard.
You May Need:
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Water Pressure Gauge
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Tape Measure
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String
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Pencil & Paper
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Timer
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Five Gallon Bucket
Determine your home’s water pressure
- Screw a pressure gauge onto an unregulated outside faucet. Make sure no water is running anywhere inside or outside your house. Turn on the faucet with the gauge attached. The gauge shows your water pressure in pounds per square inch (psi).
- Record: Pounds per square inch (psi) on the worksheet.
Find your water meter size
- The water meter size is usually stamped on the outside of the meter. If you can’t find the size, just call the water utility company and ask for that information; standard sizes are 5/8", 3/4" or 1". If you are on a well, check your pump owner’s manual to determine its pressure and flow capacity, or consult a well pump dealer/installer.
- Record: Write the meter size on the worksheet.
Measure your service line diameter
- Locate the pipe that runs from the water meter to your house. Wrap a piece of string around the pipe, mark it, then measure to determine its size.. Check your string length on the table below to find your service line size. For example, if your string measures 4" and you have galvanized pipe, your service line is 1”.
- Record ¾”, 1” or 1 ¼” on the worksheet.
Length of String | 2 ¾” | 3 ¼” | 3 ½” | 4” | 4 ⅜” | 5” |
Size of Copper | ¾” | - | 1” | - | 1 ¼” | - |
Size of Galvanized | - | ¾” | - | 1” | - | 1 ¼” |
Size of Sch. 40 PVC | - | ¾” | - | 1” | - | 1 ¼” |
Calculate your home’s water flow
Sketch your yard
- Divide your lot into sections such as front lawn, side lawn, flower beds, slopes, etc., and label the areas you want watered. Be sure to include the house, driveway and sidewalks in proper scale. Also, if your irrigation areas include planting beds indicate that on your drawing, indicate as well if you have a preference for drip emitter tubing, bubblers or spray nozzles on these areas. If you have big differences in the amount of sun specific areas get, you may want to group those for watering efficiency and indicate “separate valve” on your drawing. Note: It may be helpful to use scratch paper first, then transfer your final drawing to the enclosed graph paper. Use bold, black lines only with no shading.
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