Can I install Turf Without Retic?

Posted on 8th May 2012 in General, Installations, Sir Walter Turf

The short answer is ‘yes of course’.

The longer answer is ‘why would you?…’

Obviously budget is a consideration, but if you are going to spend a lot of money on earthworks and turf then it only makes sense that in a climate like ours you make watering your turf as easy as possible.

If you lay turf in Perth then you can ring 131039 to get a watering exemption and that will allow you water 3 times a day for around 30 days. In summer this is essential. Obviously its less of a consideration in the cooler months, but I often tell people that the only thing that will kill a new lawn is insufficient water. (Not strictly true – but let’s assume it is pest free)

I have laid a couple of lawns without retic only to be called back in a month or so and asked to install sprinklers. If the lawn hasn’t taken it is actually a much harder (and more expensive) job because it involves lifting the new rolls of turf, digging where they were and then trying to get the ground level again. Its much easier just to pull a trencher thru a fully established lawn, so if you have to go this route then wait around 3 months to be safe.

So if you are considering laying a new lawn then please please please… make sure you have reticulation!

There is no ‘warranty’ with new lawn as it is a living organism and will only respond to whatever nourishment it receives from the owner. We do guarantee to lay it correctly and provide it in excellent weed free condition, but after that it’s up to you to make sure it is kept healthy.

So if you’re considering just wacking down some lawn to make things look better then think again unless you have functional sprinklers…

 

 

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
comments: 0 » tags: , , , , , ,

How Does My Miniscape Reticulation Work?

Posted on 7th May 2012 in Drip Irrigation, Installations

 

If you are using miniscape / netafim sub-surface irrigation then you need to know the following:

a) The pipe (brown stuff) should be laid at correct spacing – for example some miniscape is rated at 30cm intervals and it needs to be laid accordingly.

b) It needs to run for around an hour to apply the correct amount of water.

c) The picture above is of the line flushing valve. When you turn the system on this will release water for around 30 seconds. It can look like your retic is ‘leaking’ but its not. Its normal.

d) You shouldn’t have more than an 8m run of brown pipe before it plugs back into the poly. You will lose too much pressure otherwise.

e) You should have a vacuum valve at the higest point of the system

f) You can also add filters to ensure the water is free from contaminants

 

 

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
comments: 0 » tags: , , , , ,

Can Water Quality Affect Solenoids?

Posted on 29th April 2012 in bore, solenoids

I have a friend who lives in Quinns Rocks and is on a shared bore. In the last year we have replaced 3 solenoid coils on the same valve because they have corroded and become stuck open.

I haven’t seen this happen before, but it seems that the minerals in the water (or perhaps the salt) may be corroding the solenoid piston and causing it to fail.

At the moment I don’t have a suitable solution, but it may be that we need to find a solenoid that does not have any metallic parts. You obviously can’t change coils every few months so there must be a better way to hit the problem.

If you have had any similar problems then I’d love to hear about it

 

 

 

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
comments: 0 » tags: , , , , , ,

Reticulation in Two Rocks

Posted on 20th April 2012 in General, Installations

 

If you live in Two Rocks then you’d know that it didn’t get its name for no good reason. There are plenty of rocks around up there and it makes digging trenches a hell of a challenge.

If you are planning on some DIY retic then I’d suggest you consider hiring a Groundhog Trench Digger like the one in the picture above to give you a hand in getting through the worst of it.

I’ve done a few jobs in the area and if it wasn’t for the trencher I’d probably still be digging today.

You can hire them for around $170/day. Alternatively call us and we can do the work for you and save you both time and physio bills!

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
comments: 0 » tags: , , , , , , ,

Should I Use Sub-surface Irrigation in Turf?

Posted on 17th March 2012 in Drip Irrigation, Installations

You can and it would be very effective but I’m not a fan personally.

The Advantages:

a) You will save around 40% in terms of water usage.

b) Your lawn will be easier to mow and will look great

The Disadvantages:

a) It can be impossible to really know if its not working. You can install signal flags in the line, but you can only use so many of them before it looks odd.

b) Locating problems can be difficult and requires digging up your lawn to make repairs.

c) Its more expensive

So – yes – you can do it – but I wouldn’t want to be maintaining it!

 

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
comments: 0 » tags: , , , ,

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
comments: 0 » tags: , , , , , ,

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
comments: 0 » tags: , , ,

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
comments: 0 » tags: , , , ,

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
comments: 0 » tags: , , , , ,

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
comments: 0 » tags: , , , , , , , ,
« Previous