servicing Two Rocks to Trigg – call Andrew 0400044236
Last week we did a complete revamp of a front and back yard in Quinns Rocks.
Here are some images of the retic and turf going in. It was Sir Walter Buffalo.
Solenoids
Trenching the easy way
laying pvc
Sir Walter Turf
Compacting to complete the job
This is the Brighton Reticulation Blog and our main site can be found here For service or advice with the issues in this post call Andrew on 0400044236, or email us here
So what’s the deal when your retic box if switched to off and a solenoid is still receiving an electrical signal and is stuck open?
Honestly I have no idea…
But its happened to me 3 times now and today I was able to resolve it.
The first two times were with Hunter EC 2 station control boxes and I couldn’t find a solution and ended up changing the box over. It was a faulty box, but this time I had another 3 terminals to test before doing a swap. On terminals 4 & 5 the solenoid stuck open (there was negilible voltage coming from the terminals (4V) but when I switched the wires to terminal 6 the problem went away.
I have no idea what was going on but on each occasion it has been a Hunter control box that has been the problem. Today was a brand new X Core.
So if you find a solenoid stuck open despite there being no voltage going to it maybe you’re not crazy. Maybe its the control box doing some crazy stuff
This is the Brighton Reticulation Blog and our main site can be found here For service or advice with the issues in this post call Andrew on 0400044236, or email us here
This is not a question with a simple answer, because the response depends on the type of sprinklers you are using and how they apply water.
The goal is to get 10ml of water to your lawn/garden each time they operate so different nozzles will require different run times. For example regular pop-ups can be run for around 12 minutes to apply 10mls.
Toro precision nozzles need to be left on for around 25 mins to get the same result. Then there are the MP Rotators which need 45-50 mins to deliver 10mls.
There are specs for each type of sprinkler available from the manufacturers or your retic guy can help you make sense of it. Here’s an example of how to find the answer. The chart shows that PGP needs to be on for 60 mins to apply 10ml.
The important thing is to remember that not all sprinklers deliver water at the same rate.
This is the Brighton Reticulation Blog and our main site can be found here For service or advice with the issues in this post call Andrew on 0400044236, or email us here
I don’t know how many people have checked their water pressure in the Capricorn estate in Yanchep, but after working on a job today I was shocked at how poor the water pressure is.
In a backyard of 5m x 11m we would normally use one station of MP Rotators evenly spaced and have heaps of water pressure to spare, but today we needed 3 separate stations of Toro precision nozzles for that one small area. That’s the only option when the pressure is lousy and the flow rate is 10l/min. We tried putting 3 MP 2000′s on a line but there wasn’t enough grunt to make then get up.
The bigger drama was that the solenoids refused to seal because of the ultra-low pressure. We tried about 15 different Richdels and none of them would seal and ended up having to head down to the shop and grab some Hunters. Solenoids need a certain amount of water pressure to create the seal and this was so low that we couldn’t get that seal. It was almost a give up and call it a day scenario.
Persistence and a very gracious client made a hot, windy, difficult day a much better experience than it could have been. So if you live in Capricorn I’d be interested to hear if you have also had water pressure problems. I was due to do another backyard install in Capricorn tomorrow, but I have postponed it until we can find a way around these nasty water pressure issues.
This is the Brighton Reticulation Blog and our main site can be found here For service or advice with the issues in this post call Andrew on 0400044236, or email us here
When we bought the house we were aware that some of the retaining walls were around 20 years ago and had either completely fallen over or were in need of repair.
We were faced with the choice of doing it all again in limestone blocks or rebuilding the sleeper walls. In a perfect world with endless $$ we would have chosen limestone, simply because of its permanence. But limestone was going to cost around $20K installed and sleepers around $1500 (if I did the work). To DIY with limestone it was going to be around $4K but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do it alone with the size blocks required. The rest of the house is also timber and we liked the look of the sleeper walls so we thought we’d give it a shot and assume we would get at least 10 years out of the sleepers if not 20-30.
So began the process of building..
I had never built a retaining wall before so it was a new learning curve and as usual google made it easier. I researched the how tos of sleeper walls and then set a line and started digging holes. It is’t rocket science – just a bit of hard work.
The key with the holes is to make sure the post is at least the same depth in the ground as the height of the wall. My wall was going to be 900ml at its highest point so I made sure my holes were 1m deep. I used a long handle spade to get the sand out and while it was a little tricky towards the bottom I managed to get all the holes quite deep by scraping the sand and then levering it up.
Digging was the easy bit. Then came moving the sleepers…
They are 50kgs so not that heavy, but when you need to get them in a specific place and you are working alone it is a little tricky. I slid them onto the top of my wheelbarrow and moved them as far as I could by that means before lifting them into place. Once in place I used one bag of rapid-set around the base and then once set packed the holes with bricks to add strength. I only used one bag of concrete in case the posts need to be removed in the future. It was hard to get some of the original posts out minus concrete so I figured using 4 bags / hole might mean they never move, but it would also require some serious machinery to get them out once they rot.
Some of my reading suggested leaning the posts in towards the wall 2-5 degrees and allowing the wall to adjust the posts as it settled. However I had seen a neighbour’s wall where this methodology had been applied and his hadn’t settled (after 20 years) so I figured I would gamble on a perfectly pependicular wall and resolve the lean problem at a later date if it happened.
I placed the posts in, did the checks with the spirit level and allowed the posts to set in place. I used a piece of 2.1m pipe as a guide to mark the centres of the posts as a set of sleepers would be resting on either side of the posts. I actually managed to drop one post in the wrong place and pour in the concrete before realising and then needed to get it out of the hole. Not recommended… It was a real struggle getting that sleeper back out.
However once the posts are set in place the rest is just grunt work and some levelling. I dropped the first horizontal into place, got it level and then dropped another 3 on top. The wall stepped down towards the rear of the property so I made those adjustments as I went.
Once all the horizontals were in place I began to fill the area behind the wall with the bricks and rubble that had been left lying around the yard. I figured it would help drainage and also clean the place up – double win.
The finished product looks really good. Its got a great rustic feel and it ties in with the rest of the house. Even better it took me a whole 2 days of time working alone from go to whoa. I think limestone would have taken a lot longer.
We bought the sleepers from Mountain Movers in Burswood and got the 7ft ‘A Grade’ variety at $23.00/sleeper plus $80.00 delivery. As far as building materials go they aren’t cheap and it would have been almost as economical to build the wall out of concrete sleepers – except without the rustic look.
So we’re guessing they will be good for 20-30 years which is how long the originals lasted, but of course white ants could change that fairly quickly.
This weekend should see the completion of the retaining and then its on to getting the levels sorted, before reticulation goes in.
This is the Brighton Reticulation Blog and our main site can be found here For service or advice with the issues in this post call Andrew on 0400044236, or email us here
If you’re moving into Alkimos then be sure to give us a call and get a quote for your retic and turf.
We live locally and always do a top quality job of retic and turf. Chances are we won’t be the cheapest price you’ll obtain, (our prices are mid range) but we can guarantee you won’t be disappointed with our service and workmanship.
We have many satisfied customers who are our best advertisements and we’d love to add you to the list.
If you do get a very cheap price be sure to check:
a) Are the parts being used top quality? Toro sprinklers will last much longer than the ‘Bunnings’ varieties.
b) Can you see some prior work? Being able to see some turf laid will give you confidence that yours will get done well. (I watched someone lay turf this week and the sprinkers were protuding 20ml above the grass level – not what you want!)
c) Is there any after sales service / warranty? If not then you are on your own and will have to sort out any problems yourself. We promise to attend to any warranty issues promptly and usually within 48 hrs.
d) Who will do the work? I do all my own retic and turf work with an occasional labourer to lend a hand. So I know what’s going on and that corners aren’t being cut.
Look forward to hearing from you!
This is the Brighton Reticulation Blog and our main site can be found here For service or advice with the issues in this post call Andrew on 0400044236, or email us here
If you are moving house then at your pre-settlement inspection everything should be in working order.
The sprinklers should all be spraying properly and retracting and there shouldnt be any leaks or blocked nozzles.
If you arent happy with the condition of the retic then get your agent to call us and we can arrange to get it all sorted at the current owners expense. If yiu dont sort it now then it will become your problem very soon and it shouldnt be.
So which type of pipe should you use for your retic?
When we install we use PVC in lawn areas and poly in garden beds. You can use PVC in garden beds too, but I like go have more flexible pipe in the garden both in form and in function
With poly you can use shrub sprays, microsprays or drippers, but when you use PVC you are limited to shrub sprays
In the lawn where you are less likely to make any modifications it is wise to use PVC. It is durable and harder to chop thru with a spade.
Not every reticulation system in Perth has a master valve and that’s not such a good thing.
Here’s why it matters:
The master valve exists essentially to prevent you from losing water if any of your station solenoids leak. It is screwed directly onto the dual check valve / cut in tap.
Each time you run your reticulation you are actually opening 2 solenoid valves – the master AND the station valve. Should you develop a leak in your solenoid at station 1 (for example) then it will not leak continually so long as your MV is functioning.
Occasionally people ring me and tell me that their retic is leaking continually and they can’t locate the cause. The first thing I check is whether there is a master valve installed. The easiest way to check this is to go to the control box and see whether there is a wire in MV/Pump terminal. If there is then you do have a master valve. If not then you don’t.
A lot of older houses bypassed this part and while its not critical it does protect you against unnecessary water loss. It is possible to retrofit a master valve and might even be quite easy depending on the location of your ball valve for isolating your retic (usually by your water meter)
Essentially what would need to be done is
a) locate the cut in tap
b) install the MV onto it
c) wire it back to the control box
This is the Brighton Reticulation Blog and our main site can be found here For service or advice with the issues in this post call Andrew on 0400044236, or email us here
Reticulation wiring that leaves the control box is not dangerous.
As a general rule if you feel anything when you touch the wires it will be a light buzzing in your finger tips. That’s because its low voltage – around 24v and it isn’t enough to hurt you.
The Control box has an inbuilt transformer that reduces the current from 240v so that any wires beyond the controller are safe.
NOTE: DO NOT TOUCH THE 240V WIRES INSIDE THE CONTROL BOX!
That’s also why wires usually aren’t laid in conduit. Most installers will tape the wire to the underside of the main reticulation pipe to protect it, but apart from that it sits free in the ground.
If you happen to chop thru some wires then you can simply rejoin them with insulation tape and all should work again. For some people wiring just isn’t their thing at all and its easier to call someone. If that’s the case then we’d be happy to hear from you.
This is the Brighton Reticulation Blog and our main site can be found here For service or advice with the issues in this post call Andrew on 0400044236, or email us here