IRRIGATION


“You may need 23 zones on an irrigation controller with a 24-zone capacity, but for an extra $50 or $100 when you’re installing, you can add a few wires and upsize the controller so it will have the capabilities to expand,” he says. “You don’t want to increase too much, because you’re add- ing significant cost, but it doesn’t cost that much to increase the capacity of the system at design or installation com- pared to upsizing the capacity down the road.” Because building a plan with the capacity for expansion


Installing an


irrigation system that fills the current need is


good, but installing a system that can accommodate the needs of tomorrow is excellent.


might come with a heftier price tag than a competitor’s proposal, Slack says providing some client education is a key piece of the process. “Educating the customer on the reality of what will


happen down the road if they want to expand is import- ant,” Slack says. “Tey can spend an extra 10% on instal- lation and they will have plenty of capability down the road.”


Dig in


Te calculations are complete, the plans are drawn and the supplies are on-site, but there is one key step standing in the way of the trencher hitting the dirt. “Before you start any job, you want to call for a line


locate,” says John Watson, operations manager at All About Irrigation in Flowery Branch, Georgia. “Don’t do any digging before you call for a line locate to mark all your utilities.” With the all-clear to begin digging, Watson says that patience is a virtue and a key piece in installing a system that stands the test of time. Whether trenching, plowing or hand digging, allowing enough time to do the job cor- rectly is crucial. “Depending on the size of the job and the size of the


equipment, that will determine what kind of equipment you’ll use,” Watson says. “A job that is established already with mature landscaping, whenever possible, you’d want to dig in the beds where it will be undetectable, or you


can use a vibrator plow and pull the pipe in the ground. Whatever method you choose, you want to make sure you have enough time so you don’t have to rush.” Jobs that are pulled too quickly will be too shallow.


Finding the proper speed and depth to plow often comes with experience, Watson says. “If a system is installed too shallow, when the weather


changes, that movement that goes on in the ground with the pipe can cause damage,” Watson says. “Or, when peo- ple aerate, it gets damaged from the aerator or from sur- face erosion. We have also seen that if there has been a power surge into the ground from lightning or lightning that struck nearby, shallow jobs with multistrand wire are more prone to lightning damage.” While proper depth is determined by regional require-


ments, Watson says that a depth of 10 to 12 inches is com- mon for residential jobs, while a couple feet deep is more common for commercial installations. In addition to digging deep enough, Watson says that


contractors should also make sure they dig big enough so they have room to work. He equates installing an irriga- tion system to fitting together a puzzle. “Everything we do is fittings, and you have to dig the hole big enough so you can put your puzzle together,” he says. “You need room to work, whether it is an installation or a repair.”


Take pride in the details


Each step of the installation process comes with a specif- ic set of best practices, and that includes the final steps of installation. While the process of securing the fittings may seem


straightforward, Watson says there is a specific technique to ensure the best long-term outcome. “Make sure to bottom your fittings out, then clean,


prime and use the proper amount of glue, quarter turn the fittings, and wipe excess glue off the fitting,” he says.


Develop an irrigation system design that covers the client’s current need and also takes into account future growth. Installing a controller that is one step up from the planned capacity can save a customer money and effort later at a low additional cost now. Photos: All About Irrigation


26 Irrigation & Lighting Spring 2022 irrigationandlighting.org


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52