Reticulation & Turf in Perth

Posted on 30th March 2012 in General, Installations

I regularly get calls from all over the city – often south of the river.

As a rule we will not work south of the river as it gets too difficult to honour our warranties when a job is too far away. Recently I have returned to several jobs where the problem was apparently my worksmanship, but in reality it has been user error or another issue altogether. When its a local job I’m happy to come back and make sure all is well, but that becomes problematic and costly with greater distance.

At Brighton Retic and Turf we take our warranties seriously and know that service once the job is completed is as important as doing a good job the first time round. For that reason we prefer to work in the far northern suburbs of Perth, but we will work as far south as Trigg/Scarborough.

 

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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Quoting on Reticulation and Turf Without being There

Posted on 28th March 2012 in Installations, Installing, Local Knowledge

Sometimes its possible for us to give you a very accurate quote on your retic and turf needs without viewing the site.

Ideally we would come and check it out with you and discuss your needs, but in the first instance we can look at your home on www.nearmap.com and talk with you on the phone about what is required.

If you are happy with the ball park figures then we can meet you and discuss things more fully.

Most nearmap images are up to date to within around a month and can be used to give a good guide to what work is required. We work anywhere from Two Rocks down to Scarborough and would be happy to quote on your 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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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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How Many Sprinklers Can I Get on One Station?

Posted on 31st December 2011 in Installations, nozzles, Products

Yeah… that’s one of those questions that you can’t answer quite so easily…

The things to consider are:

- what is your water flow rate?

- what type of nozzle are you using?

- what type of sprinkler?

In most suburbs I work on around 30l/min flow rate but in places like Yanchep it can be as low as 18l/m or The Green in Butler it is around 22L/M.

From there you work out how many regular pop-ups you can fit on a line. For example a 12ft Toro pop-up nozzle with a 180 degree spray uses 4l/m, a 90 degree spray 2l/m and a whole spray 8l/m. However a 15 ft nozzle with increase water usage and a 10ft will decrease.

Then if you use MP Rotators you decrease water usage again but increase your spray distance…

So if you want to get it right then talk to someone who understands these variables or get a specification chart that can guide you in your planning. I have been to plenty of homes where the sprinklers are functioning poorly because the wrong kinds of sprinklers have been used.

 

 

 

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 Long Do I Put My Reticulation on For?

Posted on 16th December 2011 in Ideas, Products, sprinklers, What's Going on There?

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
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Problems With a Shared Bore

Posted on 30th October 2011 in bore, Never Seen That One Before, solenoids

Shared bores are a great idea in that only one whole gets drilled and can serve two or three properties. But shared bores can also raise some interesting challenges – and can be similar to the dreaded ‘neighbourhood fence’.

The question of who is responsible when it breaks down can be tricky. The question of what happens if my neighbour can’t afford his share of the repairs is also a grey area.

This week I have encountered two problems with shared bores and the solutions are interesting and worth knowing.

On Friday a friend rang and told me that his sprinklers kept coming on even though it wasn’t his watering days. He is on a shared bore and the obvious solution is that he has a solenoid stuck open. So everyone on the 3 properties is then inconvenienced until he fixes his solenoid. That sounded like the solution but then it got weird…

He went home to replace the solenoid yesterday but after turning the pump on to test the system he couldn’t stop the water flow. He unplugged his control box and still the water kept flowing. Eventually he had to go next door to his neighbour’s place and turn the pump off at the mains to stop the water. When he turned it back on the same problem occurred. A chat with an electrician suggests this is a faulty relay switch on his line and that when activated it is unable to shut down.

Thankfully he was able to access the main switch otherwise it would have been a lot of water down the drain.

He is getting the relay switch looked at this week so we will see what develops

 

 

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 Does My Solenoid Stay Open?

Posted on 22nd October 2011 in solenoids

If you have a solenoid that stays on with all of the other stations then 9 times out of 10 it is your diaphragm that is playing up. First check that you haven’t accidentally placed it in the ‘on’ position, then check that the small screw for flushing is done up tight. If these are all ok and there are no visible leaks then its usually the diaphragm.

This is the rubber piece in the middle of the solenoid and allows water to flow or blocks its flow. For some solenoids eg Richdel you can probably head down to your local retic shop, grab a new diaphragm and change it over. Other solenoids aren’t quite so easy and you may need to replace the whole unit.

If you are buying a solenoid then I recommend the jar top variety which you can screw on and off rather than the solenoids where stainless screws are used to join the two halves together. In my experience the solenoids that are screwed together are harder to separate and rejoin. Bits of dirt can get in between the surfaces, the gasket can break and it can just be  messier getting it all to line up again.

 

 

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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Locating Solenoids in Reticulation Systems

Posted on 21st October 2011 in Installations, solenoids

This can be one of the most time consuming and frustrating parts of the retic work.

But, assuming the person installing has been thinking logically you should be able to track them down.

Master Solenoid – this is invariably next to the water meter and usually within a meter of it. If is isn’t there then look near the control box as sometimes plumbers cut into the mains further up the line, especially if the driveway has been concreted and space is at a premium.

 

 

Station Valves Front – usually these will be near the master solenoid. Poke around with a screwdriver or sharp object to try and find them. Older properties had them dotted all around the place but in the last 10 years or so most retic blokes make a ‘manifold’ of 3 or 4 valves and locate them together for ease of location and repair. Above you can see the dual check valve going into the master valve and then the two station valves.

 

Station Valves Rear – The big tip here is that these should be on the same side of the house as the water meter on most properties. Simply go to the end of the paving down the side of the house and look in the garden bed or lawn. This is the most likely location. Hopefully they haven’t been paved over.

It may take some hunting around, but most valves can be found fairly easily. If that fails then call us and we can bring out the valve locator and find them for 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
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Installing a Bore

Posted on 3rd October 2011 in bore, In My Own Backyard, Installing

We’re still working on landscaping at our own property and the latest project has been to get a bore put down. Once that is sorted we can retic the areas already developed and then get the bobcat in to help us prepare the new areas.

So today Luke from Aqua Attack arrived to drill the bore. It would have taken them a couple of hours but they hit a cave and some of the slotted pipe got lost meaning they had to take a bit longer.

They drilled down 25m or so and will be back on Friday to install the pump and do the electrics.

Here are a few pics of the truck backed up and drilling.

The tub for circulating water and sludge

 

Adding another piece of the drill

 

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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