Poor man's irrigation system?

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Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by schreibdave » July 20th, 2019, 8:40 am

Has anybody buried standard garden hose as a semi permanent strategy for getting water from the hose bib to to a pop up sprinkler location?

The biggest downside i can see is the hose being crushed by the soil above. Particularly with the freeze thaw cycle.

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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by northeastlawn » July 20th, 2019, 7:21 pm

I have a poor mans irrigation for my small back yard. I started out with the Gardena sprinklers so use the gardena quick disconnects, but they are kind of universal now, no need to buy expensive Gardena connections, any quick disconnect can be used to make things easier. My system consist of....

1.) an Orbit 4 port timer, that is stored in the shed and connects to the faucet easily when i water
2.) four (4) impact sprinklers on spikes places along the edge of my mulch bead
4.) four (4) decent quality rubber hoses with quick disconnects buried in my mulch beds going to the impact sprinklers

Each sprinkler head is a zone, and when I water I have the orbit timer water each zone one at a time. Because i live on N.E. I do take the trouble of removing the hoses and draining them every fall and store them for the winter, I them re-lay them out every spring when i redo the mulch. It takes about an hour to do that twice a year, but I figure it extends the life of the hoses.

Youtube has a ton of DIY sprinkler system videos. I think phase two of my system is going to replace the gardena impact sprinklers with regular sprinkler heads. I discovered they will fit on the sprinkler spikes and will be quieter and probably be more efficient.

Phase 3 will probably be learning how to cut and lay the regular sprinkler piping in the mulch beds.

From youtube I am learning that you don't have to have a hardwired and piped connection into your house. Many people seem to do OK with just a hose end timer and back flow connection. I could have the irrigation pipe laid to the faucet and just connect it to the hose end timer when I water. All I will have to do is blow it every winter.

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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » July 21st, 2019, 8:19 am

Pex is much less expensive than a garden hose, and will last longer. A garden hose will be crushed and close off under soil.

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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by Smolenski7 » July 28th, 2019, 9:05 pm

I've had a poor man's system for about 10 years now. I started by purchasing a few sprinklers from Watering Made Easy, but soon realized that I could make a very similar sprinkler for about 1/2 the cost. I did write about it here (viewtopic.php?f=7&t=5077&hilit=sprinkler#top) a few years back. There are pictures and step by step directions. Basically, it consists of burying a few pop up heads around the yard connected to a quick connect adapter. In 10 years, I've only had one break, and that was my fault for not burying it deep enough.

Since then I've added a few more heads around the yard. I've got most of it covered pretty well. It saves me a ton of time when I water, and I know exactly which areas are covered and which are not. Recently, I even did a little math to figure out how much water is being put out so I know when I"ve put down 1"......it's waaaaay longer than I thought.

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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by schreibdave » July 28th, 2019, 10:19 pm

Thanks. I've been thinking about something like that. Since your quick connect is not covered do you get any crap in there? Also, do you find that you can use any rotator head or do some not work with your flow/pressure? Thanks


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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by northeastlawn » July 29th, 2019, 7:17 am

In my system the quick disconnects on the sprinkler side never really get disconnected. Once or twice I have had problems with the sprinkler and had to switch them out. In those cases the quick disconnects came in handy, as trying to turn the fitting is awkward when they are at ground level.

But as I said its a work in progress, my next step, probably next year is trying to use gear driven sprinkler heads used in sprinkler systems and maybe even laying plex, but Plex will facilitate me blowing out the system every winter.

I kind of like just pulling up the three hoses in november, I have to redo the mulch every year anyway, its not a huge deal to relay the hose every spring when I do that. I'd just like a more efficient sprinkler head.

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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by schreibdave » July 29th, 2019, 12:24 pm

I just came home with 100' of funny pipe, a Rainbird 5004 PC rotor and two elbows (male on one end funny pipe barb on the other). I'm going to construct mine out of those pieces and see how it goes. 100' was the shortest length they sell. I will report back later. Thanks

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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by turf_toes » July 29th, 2019, 1:41 pm

schreibdave wrote:
July 29th, 2019, 12:24 pm
I just came home with 100' of funny pipe, a Rainbird 5004 PC rotor and two elbows (male on one end funny pipe barb on the other). I'm going to construct mine out of those pieces and see how it goes. 100' was the shortest length they sell. I will report back later. Thanks
Funny pipe or poly pipe?

-1-inch polypipe is what you want. Funnypipe is usually used for short runs from the polypipe to the heads. You’ll be restricting the volume of water available to your heads, if you are truly using funny pipe.

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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by schreibdave » July 30th, 2019, 6:25 am

The receipt says 1/2 Hunter swing pipe. So yea it is probably intended to go from a 1" main to the sprinkler head.

I think my plan is to use a combo of this funny pipe and my garden hoses. Where I can keep the heads adjacent to mulched beds I will bury my hose and the funny pipe in the mulch. For the heads not adjacent to mulch beds I think I will just lay the hose on bare soil this year and let the new kbg grow over it. I am doing a renovation so if I lay the hoses down before germination I think the grass will grow up and over them. In most areas the heads will be below the elevation of the house so I think in the fall I can disconnect from the funny pipe, blow out the sprinkler and let the hose drain on its own. Maybe I can get a few seasons out of the hose just laying on the surface.

The reason I am not (as of right now) burying permanent main lines is that my home is new construction with vacant (for sale) lots on either side. I have expanded in both directions and am growing/maintaining lawn on property that isn't mine. There's no point burying main lines to cover those areas. Also, I want to experiment with my sprinkler placement before I commit to any particular lay out.

The attached picture is of a rainbird 5004 PC ($15), two 3/4 by 1/2 rainbird 90 degree fittings with a barb on one side and a garden hose sized male end on the other. Those fittings were $.28 each. I did have to spend $25 on 100 ft of the funny pipe though. Considering the trouble that I have had with some of my $10-$15 spike based impact sprinklers from HD, this seems like a pretty economical set up given that I should have less ugliness of sprinklers set up everywhere. These supplies came from my local Site One (formerly Lesco) where the guys were very helpful - if not a little amused at my DIY, cob job efforts.

Image

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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by turf_toes » July 30th, 2019, 8:12 am

Your sprinkler placement will be determined by the volume and pressure of water through your pipe.

Laying out the heads based on the flow through funny pipe is a huge mistake. The layout and number of heads needed will change completely when you finally use the correct tool for the job (polypipe).

You’re going to bury the funny pipe, aren’t you? So why not buy the right product for the job. 100 feet of 1-inch polypipe should run about $65, less than the cost of a hose. ( If you aren’t buying it, you’d be better off buying 3/4-inch garden hose.)

The volume of water carried through the pipe is hugely important. It’s also why I don’t buy 5/8-inch hose. 3/4 carries much more water.

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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by schreibdave » July 30th, 2019, 8:26 am

The only funny pipe that I am using is that 2ft length you see in the picture. In fact, that was too long so more like 12-15 inches is more likely.

If I had not already blown a bunch of money on impact sprinklers, hoses mending kits, timers, etc and had started off this way I would have been much better off. More economical, more attractive and more effective.

Each run consists of just one sprinkler. At least at this point. And I already own the hoses and timers to do it that way. I would need a couple hundred feet of the poly pipe to replace my hoses and I would probably end up burying the poly pipe because it likely wont want to lay flat.

Thanks for the feedback.

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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by turf_toes » July 30th, 2019, 8:39 am

You wrote you came home with100 feet of funny pipe. That gave me the impression you were using a single length of it to run your zones. So I’m guessing you have 50 2-foot sections?

As long as you don’t bury your hose you should be fine. Over time, the weight of the soil will compress the hose and restrict the volume of water flowing through the hose, especially so if you use inexpensive hose.

If you have high quality hose, it will probably last longer.

As someone who did years ago what you are trying to do now, I expect you’ll definitely want to bury it eventually. You’re going to find that the hose will leave lines in your lawn. It will be a pain to avoid while cutting the grass.

I’d highly suggest considering polypipe if you get to that point. (It lays flat if you lay it out in the sun for a few hours (with something temporary holding it in place)).

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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by schreibdave » July 30th, 2019, 11:16 am

What you are saying makes a lot of sense ... I just don't want to do it!

But obviously this would be the easiest time - while the lawn sits dead for 2 weeks while I wait for my seed down date.

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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by turf_toes » July 30th, 2019, 11:37 am

Yep. Obviously it is your call. I’m just relaying my own experience. The biggest regret I had with my first Reno was not putting the sprinkler in ground when it was dead grass.

Good luck with your project!

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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by schreibdave » August 2nd, 2019, 6:36 am

OK, I am so happy with my frankenstein/Rube Goldberg irrigation system that I want to extend it and kick it up a notch. Thanks to Turf Toes and Smolenski for the inspiration.

Here's what I have and what I want to get to:

What I have:
I am doing a Reno. Today is RU day and Aug 15th is seed down. So this is the time to dig trenches if there ever was one.

My "system" right now is a series of HD sourced Orbit 4 valve timers attached to hose bibs. From the timer I go to garden hose which goes to one Rainbird 5000 rotator. One sprinkler per zone. This "system" is working awesome. These heads throw more water further than my spike mounted impacts. They disappear into the ground, don't require constant readjustment and dont need to be moved when I mow. Of the four that I have installed now, 3 are adjacent to mulch beds so the garden hose is covered in mulch and invisible. The 4th runs across my lawn about 60-80 feet and the hose sits on the surface of the lawn.

What I want to do:
I want to bury the hose going to this 4th head and I want to expand my Rainbird/buried hose system to other parts of the yard (left and right side for now).

My question:
I wont bury the hose in the ground. I want to use a more permanent pipe to carry this water underground. Assuming that I use poly pipe what size should I use? My cheap 5/8 garden hose seems to run one rotor very well. But if I wouldnt mind trying to run 2 rotors or 2-3 smaller sprays off of each run of poly pipe. FWIW I have something like 45PSI at the hose bib and the bibs are fed by 3/4 pex from the 1" water main. I dont know what the GPM is but I think it's substantial for a residential hose bib.

I have no objection to experimenting. So maybe buy a big roll of 1" poly pipe, hook up two rotors and see how it works and then go from there. Perhaps keep adding rotors or sprays until the output becomes unacceptable? In the event that the larger poly pipe will only run one rotor is there likely to be any problem with a diameter that is TOO BIG for one rotor? I don't want to buy a bunch of 1" pipe and discover that it wont run 2 rotors well and that it's too big to run one rotor well.

Any input would be appreciated.

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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by turf_toes » August 2nd, 2019, 8:31 am

It’s all going to come down to the volume and pressure coming from your house.

You probably should check that first.

https://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/scho ... ressure-2/

But assuming you have a sufficient system, I always suggest 1-inch polypipe.

At my previous home, I found my hose system capable of supporting a single Hunter PGP head per zone.

Switching to polypipe allowed me to support 2-to-3 heads per zone. But again, it all comes down to your volume and pressure. The type heads you use can make a difference too.

I recently played around with a rain bird maxi-paw impact sprinkler as a replacement for an old Hunter head. The Maxi paw has great throw distance. It also seems to require a lot more pressure.

It tends to get stuck throwing to its extreme right if it has insufficient pressure. I found many folks online complaining of the issue. (It’s a fairly common complaint about above and in ground impact sprinklers.)

The zone had previously had four heads. Adding the impact sprinkler (even with the lowest volume nozzle) reduced the pressure enough to make the other heads not work well at all. So even though the throw distance of the impact sprinkler was greater, the area covered was reduced because the other heads were now basically useless.

I ended up going back to the Hunter rotary sprinkler.

But even with rotary heads, the answer to how many heads per zone may come down to which nozzle you select. Using the smallest volume nozzle will provide more pressure to possibly add more heads. So if I were you, I’d immediately switch the nozzles on your heads to use the lowest volume one (don’t use the ones that are pre-installed)

This may provide more coverage area. You’ll just have to run the sprinkler longer to output the weekly 1-inch of water.

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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by andy10917 » August 2nd, 2019, 8:49 am

I use 1" poly and have a 1.25" manifold to feed the zones. I can get 2 Hunter PGP heads to work in a zone with a 52' throw on one of them.

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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by schreibdave » August 2nd, 2019, 6:11 pm

Picked up the 1" poly pipe and fittings. Going from a hose to the poly required a hodge podge of fittings. 6
I think. Including a short length of pvc. Ill be looking for a better transition.

That sprinkler warehouse has great prices. At least on the rainbird 5000 rotor. Around $6 compared to $14 at site one. But the guys at site one have spent a ton of time with me and helped a lot so i gave them the business.

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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by schreibdave » August 3rd, 2019, 6:31 am

To those of you who DIY your irrigation system ... what's your strategy for draining it in the fall? Do you own a compressor and blow it out yourself? Do you have a fitting at the end of the run that you remove and let it drain by gravity? Or do you pay a pro to come blow it out?

I ask because I hadn't thought about this part until now. My runs will generally run down hill - the house will be higher than the single (maybe 2) sprinkler on each zone. My goals are to make it relatively easy to DIY drain the pipe in the fall and to minimize the depth at which I bury my poly pipe. I own a 4.5 gallon 150 psi Rigid compressor.

Options I can think of in order of my preference:
1. Rely on my compressor to blow the water out of the last sprinkler.
2. Add a fitting after the last head contained in a box. In the fall take the lid off the box, remove the fitting and let it drain by gravity - maybe with a blast of air from the compressor. My concern with this plan is that I may get mud flowing back into the poly pipe.
3. Pay a pro to blow it out.

What do people think? Does anybody use a compressor my size to do this?

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Re: Poor man's irrigation system?

Post by schreibdave » August 3rd, 2019, 7:08 am

Another option I think I like better than those above ... if my sprinkler head is downhill of my water source, I should be able to unscrew the sprinkler head from the body and use my shop vac to suck the collected water out. Maybe have the compressor (or another shop vac) blow from one end while I suck from the other. I think I will make that the plan and see how it works.

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