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How to do your own Sprinkler Check

How to do your own sprinkler check

dca — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:03:26 +0000

How to do your own sprinkler check

By Gino Bargellini

Licensed Irrigator, Backflow Inspector, Certified auditor

The key to successfully irrigating your lawn or landscape is to make sprinkler checks routine. If you do not have the time you can hire a professional to come or you can simple turn on your sprinklers periodically to make sure they are function properly and pointed in the right place. Doing so can save you both time and money. You are going to set your sprinkler controller to manually run for about 2 minutes at each zone. This will allow you time to evaluate the zone for any damage or leaks. Buy markers or flags to mark heads that need to be repaired.

Common sprinkler repairs

Mis-directed or misaligned heads–Children and pets running across lawns and moving mowers may cause damage to your heads that you will not be aware of until it’s too late. Something as minor as hitting the nozzle and changing the direction can have quite an impact on your lawn or landscape. If your nozzle is pointing towards the sidewalk and not your grass you won’t realize you have a problem until the lawn turns brown. Leaks go often undetected as well. Heads that come out of the ground on an angle will not have the same distribution pattern and may lead to browning in the missed areas.

Broken heads

This is the worst offense. A broken head can waste as much as 4,000 gallons of water every time it goes on. So if your sprinkler goes off at 3am you will not have a clue that you are not only loosing 4,000 gallons of water but that the rest of the zones is not being properly watered.

Not all sprinkler parts are created equal–meaning that they are not usually interchangeable. If you need to replace things like nozzles, heads, and valves you are better off going to a irrigation supply that will have parts from multiple manufactures. Doing so will also ensure that you get quality commercial grade products. If you would like to schedule a sprinkler check or any other irrigation work please feel free to calls at 214-257-8155 or email us at Sales@dallascurbappeal.com.

Gino Bargellini is the Vice President of Dallas Curb Appeal, a full service landscape contractor and DFW Christmas Lights, installing holiday lighting across the Metroplex.

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dca — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:07:26 +0000

How to do your own water audit

By Gino Bargellini

Licensed Irrigator, BackFlow Inspector, and Certified Water Auditor

The landscape water audit is an effective tool for maximizing water use efficiency for both homes and commercial landscapes and lawns. Some municipalities require water audits before a certificates of occupancy can be issued on commercial properties. You can also conduct an in home water audit. Visit your local water departments website for tips, tools, and information on how to save water. The water dept. sites are dedicated to helping homeowners reduce their water consumption.

The purpose of the water audit is to make full use of every drop of water and avoid making assumptions and generalizations as to when to water and how much. With a water audit you can customize an irrigation schedules based upon on catch can results, site-specific soil conditions and plant water requirements, instead of using the longtime standard recommendation of 15 minutes– 3 times a week. Now you will be able to adjust run times for individual zones based on measured precipitation rates.

Click here for a PDF of The Aggie-Hort Water Audit Data Sheet. There you will find the sheet and the steps required to do a full residential water audit. Please Note: This is not a professional sheet and cannot be used to submit audits to municipalities. The following is some general information on water audits.

Irrigation audits consist of three main activities:

Site inspection: This is essentially a sprinkler check. For more on sprinkler checks click here. Sprinkler parts are not made to last indefinitely. Common problems are clogged or broken heads, clogged or misdirected nozzles, heads that won’t pop up, etc. You should set up a regular maintenance program for your home to be performed by you or an irrigation professional. In the state of Texas only licensed irrigators or certified irrigation technicians are allowed to repair or install sprinklers. Click here to go to the TCEQ (Texas Center for Environmental Quality) to verify licensing. Once you have repaired any issues proceed to the performance testing.

Performance testing: This is where you are going to evaluate your systems operation to ensure that you have adequate water coverage, by setting out your catch cans (or tuna fish cans). The sprinkler components such as the heads and valves are designed to operate under certain water pressure. Too little or too much can lead to operating problems that will be apparent once you evaluate the area. A system with low pressure will not have overlapping water and may have brown sections in the lawn, where the sprays cannot reach. This may also be due to heads that were installed too far apart.

Irrigation scheduling: Now here comes a little math. See the PDF file for the formulas and how to use the information you have gathered. Determining when to schedule your sprinklers will be based primarily on the information (percipation rates) found in the audit, however there are other factors to consider, such as the following:

- Water requirements of the plants or grass
- zones in which the plant material has mixed water requirements
- Size of the root ball when planted-and after. If you install annuals with a 2″ root system and a shrub with a 12″ root ball they will not have the same watering requirements.
- Areas that are covered by eaves or other obstructions that will not receive rain water.

Performing your own water audit is the only way to get the answer as to exactly how much to water and how often to water for your home. If you would like to have a water audit professionally done or require assistance with your sprinkler repairs you can contact us at 214-257-8155.

Gino Bargellini is the Vice President of Dallas Curb Appeal, a full service landscape contractor and DFW Christmas Lights, installing holiday lighting across the Metroplex.

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how much to water your lawn(specific DIY)

How to do your own sprinkler check

How much should I water My Lawn? – Specific Info.

dca — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:01:07 +0000

How much should I water My Lawn? Specific Info.

By Gino Bargellini

Licensed Irrigator, Backflow inspector, certified water auditor

These 4- steps are designed to help you figure out whats best for your particular lawn. Everyone has different conditions. By using these simple steps you will be able to determine how efficient your system is, how often to water and how much to water to use.

1st step: Take stock of your landscape and the irrigation system

The main thing you need figure out in this step is whether you have drip or sprinkler zones that have different sun/shade conditions. If you do, it makes things a bit more difficult because you will more than likely under or over water one section on a shared zone with mixed sun/shade. You either have to find a balance where one section is not going to be too dry or too wet, amend you system to separate the zones or simply hand water the sunnier side when it needs it.

2nd Step: Perform or schedule a Sprinkler Check

Doing this will ensure that you have the proper water coverage and functioning heads and nozzles. For directions on how to do a simple sprinkler check, click here.

3rd step: Perform or Schedule a Water Audit

You can do this with the old tuna fish cans, or if you don’t fancy the idea of eating tuna for a few weeks you can always buy catch cans/rain gauges from us or make an appointment to have a certified water auditor perform an audit for you, call us at 214-257-8155 for more details. To do a true water audit takes some math and a lot of catch cans, for directions on how to do a simple water audit click here.

4th Step: Start Experimenting

Once you have finished the steps and gathered all your information you can start the scheduling. Once you have adjusted or amended your sprinklers and performed the audit you should have learn what you need to set your sprinklers. For example, you have learned that after 5 minutes your water begins to run off and that it takes 20 minutes to fill the catch can to 1″-which is all most lawns need. You will then set your controller to water your lawn for 5 minutes 2x in the morning and 2x at night or any variation of that- that will allow you to avoid run off and over watering.

Keep notes of your progress. Remember to account for rain in the scheduling process. If you buy a rain gauge and locate it near but not on your lawn you will be able to adjust your sprinklers to account for the “free water”. If you need help with this process please feel free to leave a comment below and we will do our best to help you out.

Gino Bargellini is the Vice President of Dallas Curb Appeal, a full service landscape contractor in Dallas and DFW Christmas lights, installing holiday lighting across the metroplex. LI 16405, BF 11273

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How much should I water my Lawn? -General Info

dca — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:00:36 +0000

How much should I water my Lawn? General Info.

By Gino Bargellini

Licensed Irrigator, Backflow inspector and certified auditor

The simple answer is as much as it needs to be watered. Here’s why. Every-one’s landscape is unique to them. You home is the only one on those specific coordinates, with your unique conditions, such as the angle in which the sun hits your lawn, or the fact that you even though you get west sun you have a house or a fence that blocks the sun. The best person to answer the question of “how much should I water my lawn“– is you. Of course I wont leave y friends high and dry –I do have some general rules and tips for you but the reality is that it’s going to take a little effort-and a little trial and error on your part to figure out exactly what’s best for your lawn. Click on the links below for specific tips to help you figure out how much to water your lawn. The main information you need is how much to water and how often to water. Smart Controllers help significantly but if your system isn’t properly designed or installed you will still need to make adjustments to the scheduling. Purchase a moisture meter-it is the best tool to help you figure out your water needs for both your lawn and landscape. Naturally the best way to water is manually and only when you see that your plants need it. For most of us we just don’t have the time to dedicate to the surveillance of our lawns.

General Guide Lines for watering your Lawn in the Summer.

Please note: If you have a lot of shade you do not have to water as often. Shade does not allow the water to evaporate as fast and luckily for you this means you don’t have to water as often or as much.

85-90 degrees Water every 7-10 days

90-95 degrees Water every 5-7 days

95-100 degrees Water every 4-5 days

100+ degrees Water every 3-4 days

If you would like specific information on how to figure out how much to water your specific lawn click here. Keep in mind that these are just generalizations. Here are some exceptions to consider: If you have 6 hours of sun and your house faces west you will need to water more. If you your house faces north and you only have 2 hours of sun you will be watering less. If you have new plantings this summer you will really need to be vigilant. They will be thirstier that your other plants. In 100 degree weather annuals will more than likely need to be watered daily. Make sure you check your sprinklers periodically. One misaligned or broken head can lead to quick death in hot dry weather.

Gino Bargellini is the Vice President of Dallas Curb Appeal, a full service landscape contractor in Dallas and DFW Christmas Lights, installing holiday lighting throughout the metroplex.

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Sprinklers Dallas: Drip Vs. Spray

dca — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:51:42 +0000

Sprinklers Dallas: Drip VS. Spray

By Maria Bargellini

Dallas Landscape and Irrigation Contractor

So you want to get a sprinkler system but you can’t decide what to have installed, drip or spray. In some cases you actually might not have a say in the matter. New state regulations call for drip zones to be used for foundations, flower beds and parkways that are less than 4-5 feet wide. These new rules have been changing and evolving over the last to years in an effort to conserve water and educate the public on proper irrigation practices. Below are the advantages and disadvantages for both systems.

Drip Cons

Drip systems in Dallas are more expensive per zone because of the additional cost of materials needed.
Maintenance is a bit more intensive. The system has to been “flushed” 1-2 times a year
Because it’s sub-surface you cannot see whether the drip system is working until plants start wilting
When installing new plantings extra care must be taken that you do not cut the lines

Drip Pros

Water conservation–save time, money and water with this system
Even distribution of water
A drip system is silent-no more waking up at 3am when your neighbors sprinklers go off
Drip is better for your foundation watering
Even distribution of water
Plants benefit from the water going directly to the roots and not on the leaves
Easier install for DIYers

Spray Cons

These systems can be really good at wasting water due to wind, sun and disrepair
They can be noisy especially if there’s a leak which will make the pipes rattle
Over-spraying on sidewalks and roadways can lead to icy conditions resulting in pedestrian or vehicle incident
Sprinkler heads are often broken by foot traffic and mower damage. Un-repaired heads can lead to 1000′s of gallons of water waste and nozzles are usually in need of unclogging and re-adjusting
Spray systems are buried deeper than drip systems so repairs are more labor intensive

Spray Pros

Less expensive than drip systems
Easier for a homeowner to check, adjust and repair
Replacement parts are easily available and inexpensive

If you are installing a new system you do not have much choice. New regulations require the use of drip in most cases such as in watering foundations, parkways, and flower beds. If you are amending a system you are more than likely not obligated to follow the new rules, however you can benefit greatly from upgrading your system. In the near future expect to see more municipalities giving incentives for using water conserving methods. In some cases it can be in the form of rebates, fines, credits, etc.

If you would like an estimate on a sprinkler system or a Drip system please feel free to call at 214-257-8155 or you may leave a comment bellow and someone will get to you shortly. (License LI16405)

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