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
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Preparing The Ground for Turf

Posted on 13th April 2012 in Sir Walter Turf, Soil, Turf

You can lay turf on ‘dirt’ but we don’t recommend it.

Usually it is best to get a bobcat in and excavate the dirt and replace it with decent soil.

At least 20-4ml will give your turf a good start and it is also a lot easier to screed than dirt and rubble. If you’re on a really tight budget then you can skip this, but having seen the difference in lawns with good soil v dirt… I’d recommend you don’t.

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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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
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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…

 

 

needs to

 

 

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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Everything is off But My Solenoid is On

Posted on 12th January 2012 in Controllers, General, Never Seen That One Before, What's Going on There?

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
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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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None of My Retic Works

Posted on 16th December 2011 in General, Repairs

If nothing comes on whatsoever then chances are you may have a broken common wire.

We were at a job today where the back came on, but the front didn’t. The fact that the back came on eliminated the possibility of it being the master solenoid.

It had to be a common wire (or all 3 solenoids had died at the same time).

As is often the case a brief search revealed a wire sticking out of the ground that shouldn’t have been there. A dig in the area revealed its other half and when they were re-joined ‘voila’ the whole system kicked into gear.

Sometimes its a simple solution, but you need to know where to look.

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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