Drip Irrigation
Water Is Our Most Valuable Resource. Unfortunately irrigation and drainage is often overlooked when installing your landscaping. On average, landscape water usage accounts for over 30% of your total usage. The Right Design and Equipment can Conserve Water and Save you Money. Call today and find out how we can help you save Up To 50% on your next water bill.
One of the easiest ways to conserve water and make your plants look their best is to add drip irrigation. Some of the reasons people shy away from drip is because they think that a soaker hose is the equivalent or that drip needs to be on top, or inside the mulch, making it difficult to hide. Those theories are both wrong. A soaker hose is not a substitute for a drip system nor is it efficient in it’s water delivery system.
We install drip line at 6″ in the ground. You want your water delivered at this height to encourage roots to grow deep into the sub surface. The emitters (holes) in the drip line are spaced according to the application, in 12″ -18″ increments. A soaker hose secretes water throughout it’s entire length making it’s water distribution uneven.
A correctly installed system requires the use of a filter and clean outs to insure that it does not get clogged, and that the water is not compromised by large particles. Drip systems have been used for years and are replacing traditional irrigation systems in the agriculture, greenhouses and nurseries sectors. Drip irrigation is not a system for the future, it’s for the here and now and will help to ensure that our children and their children will have the water that they need.
New legislature concerning irrigation is in effect 1/1/ 09. Some of the new standards include the mandatory use of evapotransporational controllers (smart Controllers), drip zones for sections of grass narrower then 4 feet and individual drip zones for flowers and foundations, to name a few.
Don’t trust your installation to just anyone. In Texas all irrigation repairs and installations are to be done by a Licensed professional. This is to protect the consumer from individuals who are not up to date on code compliance, water conservation methods and proper installation techniques.
I know a good deal can be hard to pass up but with fines staring at $500 in most cities, in the end that “Great Deal” can cost hundreds more when you factor in fines, water waste and repairs. Have your system installed by a licensed and reputable company.
Catch basins are devices that are designed to collect water from the down spouts or low lying areas and redirect it away from the house all while trapping the debris in a sump section of the basin in order to prevent the pipe or tube from becoming clogged. Leaves, twigs and other debris collect on your roof and enter the down spouts with the migration of the rain water into your gutter system. These items will travel through your down spouts often getting trapped in the gutter itself or at the connection of your tube or pipe and your gutter. Catch basins have the gutter entry one side and the tube/pipe entry on the opposite side. The outlets or holes are not at the same height so that when water and debris enter at the top of the basin, the water will pool at the bottom until it reaches the height of the drainage pipe where the water will flow through and the debris will left behind to sink to the bottom. See a diagram here. Catch basins come in a variety of sizes ranging from 6- to 24 inches, and the grates available in plastic, brass, steel, or cast iron.
