Who Installs Retic and Turf in Two Rocks?

Posted on 17th March 2012 in Installations, Local Knowledge

 

 

When you live in the outermost suburb of the city it can be difficult to find good tradies. For Two Rocks residents we want you to know that Brighton Reticulation is based in Yanchep and is able to give prompt, reliable service at very short notice.

We are a local business and committed to the local area so give us a call and we will be able to give you an excellent price and top notch service on your retic and turf needs.

 

 

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
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What Does it Cost to Install Reticulation?

Posted on 16th March 2012 in Installations, Installing, sprinklers

We offer some general guidelines on our home page here, but the truth is it can vary considerably depending on the type of soil we need to dig in, the ease of accessibility and the simplicty or otherwise of the job. A new house is fairly easy to give an estimate for and we suggest that typical costs to expect are:

  • Retic cut in by licensed plumber $180.00 + GST
  • Hardwiring of controller $160.00 + GST
  • Wireless rain sensor (only compulsory if you wish to get a lawn watering exemption) $150.00 + GST
  • Electronic Controller $200.00-$400.00 + GST (depending on what is chosen)
  • Installation / pipes / sprinklers etc see below

To give you an idea of what to expect a very rough ball park figure for a 4 x 2 home on a 600m block with 5 or 6 stations is usually around $2600.00 + GST including plumber and sparkie. These prices do vary with the seasons so if you ‘need it done now’ over summer chances are that with any retic business you will pay a premium. If you can wait until winter then you will probably save 10-20%.

A front install on this kind of home would be around $1500.00 + GST and a rear install usually around $1100.00 + GST.

If your home is established and we need to dig through grass, tree roots and flower beds then we will charge extra for that, but a straightforward installation is usually in the ballpark of the prices above.

But the best way to go is to get in touch and we can then meet up onsite, walk thru the plans and get a clear picture from there.

 

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
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How To Lay Sir Walter Softleaf Buffalo Turf

Posted on 16th March 2012 in Installations, Installing, Turf

If you have been considering laying some turf then we can certainly recommend Sir Walter softleaf buffalo as a brilliant product that looks great when it goes down and that will continue to look good if maintained correctly.

Below is a job we did yesterday in Yanchep where we installed reticulation and then laid 200sqm of Sir Walter.

It came up looking stunning and the client was very pleased with the result.

The key to getting it right is preparation.

You will need to bring in at least 40ml of good soil, and then finish the level 40ml below your paving to ensure the turf sits neat and tidy.

Some good organic fertiliser spread before laying and then a good soak will get the ground ready for the turf to be laid.

From there we lay the largest slabs around the perimeter and try to minimise the use of smaller pieces of turf as these dry up easier.

Once laid and cut in to the sprinklers and shape of the land we run the compactor over it to ensure the roots make good contact with the soil.

Another drink and the retic set for the watering exemption and you’re pretty much done…

 

 

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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
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Why Can’t I Turn My Retic Off?

Posted on 14th March 2012 in General, solenoids

I went to a house today with this problem. Fortunately they were able to locate the ball valve to isolate the retic and didn’t have to keep turning their water meter on and off as some people have had to.

If your retic keeps running even when the control box is off then its as simple as a faulty solenoid. If you have a master solenoid and you still have this problem then its as simple as two faulty solenoids!

At the place I went to today station one was stuck on and there as a master valve to supposedly prevent this occurring. It turned out that the master valve had been left ‘on’ manually, so a simple turn of the coil solved that issue. Then I located the station valve and discovered a piece of gluey limestone stuck in it holding the diaprhagm open.

Once this was resolved everything was back to normal.

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
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Which Reticulation Control Box?

Posted on 9th March 2012 in Controllers

In one sense its fairly easy as they all do pretty much the same stuff these days. You can have multiple start times, various programs, and set it to do some very specific things.

There are 3 different boxes I’d recommend.

1. Rainbird – These are a top unit by a well known brand and do an excellent job. Easy to use and very reliable they also have a 24 mth warranty. $450-$500 supplied and fitted. These are probably the most expensive of the domestic range.

 

2. Hunter X Core – These come in a 4/6/8 station box and are very easy to use. There is a two year warranty on the X Core and they are a very reliable box. $320-360 supplied and fitted.

 

 

3. Rainmaster – made by Holman these boxes are easy to use and have a 5 year warranty which is very appealing. Lately I have had a few of these fail on me so I’m less keen to use them now. Holman do honour their warranties with no quibbles, but I’m just a little more cautious on using these now. $380-420 supplied and fitted

 

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
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My Bore Won’t Come on

Posted on 22nd February 2012 in bore, Controllers

Normally when your bore starts up you hear a ‘clunk’ sound as the bore starter kicks in. If you can’t hear this then chances are your relay to the starter is faulty or the problem is in your control box.

If the control box looks ok then you will need to call an electrician to have a look at the relay switch.

 

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
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Running Sprinklers off a Bore

Posted on 22nd February 2012 in bore, Products, sprinklers

Which sprinklers should you run from a bore?

You have a couple of things to consider:

a) Flow rate: often bores allow you to run much greater numbers of sprinklers than a standard mains pressure system. 80l/min is normal as opposed to 30 off the mains.

b) Pump run time: every minute your bore is running is costing you money in electricity and wear and tear on your pump.

That said you don’t want to simply be governed by the cheapest option. In my own backyard I have 3 different types of sprinklers running. We have 4 big heavy duty gear drives on the verge, regular pop ups in the garden beds and then MP rotators in the lawn areas. It means the pump runs for aprox 2 hours each time it comes on, but we have chosen sprinklers that will fit the areas and do the best 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
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What is the Best Type of Sprinkler?

Posted on 22nd February 2012 in Installations, sprinklers

A lot of people ask me what the best sprinklers are, and the answer is that it depends on the job it needs to do.

Here are some pros and cons of various types of sprinklers:

Standard Toro/Rainbird pop-ups:  are good sprinklers in that distribute a lot of water in a short space of time and they are cheap and easy to replace. If well maintained the sprinkler body and seals can easily last 5 years. Their negative is that their spray can mist and get easily blown by the wind.

Gear Drives – Gear drives are tough and are generally used over larger areas or where there may be traffic expected. You wouldn’t use gear drives in smaller lawn areas as they are really suited to areas 8m and larger. You can generally only get 3 gear drives/station off suburban pressure, but if you have a rectangular backyard then these could suit. They are more expensive than the standard pop-up, but you will use fewer of them.

MP Rotators – These are nozzles that slot inside regular sprinkler bodies. They distribute water slowly and allow better penetration. They can also span large areas and an entire front lawn can often be done on one station because of their low water requirements. Their negative is that they are expensive and if you have a bore they will result in your pump running for longer.

Impact Sprinklers – these are the classic old ‘machine gun’ types that pump out a heap of water over a very long distance and have an adjustable arc. These aren’t pretty because they need to sit above surface level but they can cover a huge area so if you are tight on $$ and want to do the job cheaply one of these in each corner might just get you by.

 

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
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Controller Manuals

Posted on 24th January 2012 in Controllers, Installations, Local Knowledge, Products

 

Not sure how to set your control box and lost the manual?

Then just check this page and you may well find your box listed and them manual that is required.

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
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The Sprinkler Police Will Get You

Posted on 24th January 2012 in Controllers, Local Knowledge

Seems the water authority have been sending out their inspectors pre dawn and in the evening so if you are watering when you shouldn’t be then you might want to think twice. Its a hefty fine…

If you aren’t sure how to set your control then just give me a call.

Here’s the story

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
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