How to Install Sprinklers by The Kerb

Posted on 13th May 2012 in Installations, Installing, Products, sprinklers

 

The first time I did some DIY retic I tried to install my kerbside sprinklers by digging along the line of the kerb.

Big mistake!

After 10 minutes I had all but given up. You see the soil along the kerb is actually roadbase. It is hard and rocky and not easy digging. If you want to install sprinklers along the kerb then dig a trench one metre away from the kerb and parallel to it and then ‘t’ off to the point where you need sprinklers. You will still need to do some hard digging but it will save you a lot of effort and you will do the job right.

The other tip with kerbside sprinklers is to make sure they are well below kerb height – because they will get driven over. If you’re lucky they won’t get damaged, but if they are even sticking up a little bit then expect to replace them regularly.

I get calls from one client a few times each summer to replace the same sprinkler. Personally I reckon it would be easier just to sink the sprinkler a bit lower…

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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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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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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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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How to Cut PVC Pipe (Easily)

Posted on 1st June 2011 in Ideas, Products, Tools

You can use the good ole hacksaw, but there is a better way.

The hacksaw leaves burred edges and can be unwieldy, but a good set of PVC cutters will slice thru PVC and black poly easily and give a clean cut every time.

They last for ages and you can pick up a pair at any retic shop. Most cutters suit up to 25ml pipe, but you can get some that will do up to 40ml pipe also.

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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Low Voltage Reticulation Wiring

Posted on 27th May 2011 in Repairs, What's Going on There?, wiring

 

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
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Which One is the Common Wire to My Reticulation Solenoids?

Posted on 27th May 2011 in Local Knowledge, Never Seen That One Before, What's Going on There?

 

Sometimes you find yourself working on a job where the original installer decided to save money by simply using the same colour wire all around. Its ‘black’ wire to the master, the stations and the common rather than the multi-core version pictured above.

What happens though if your dog rips up all the rear solenoids and you are simply left with 4 black wires poking out of the ground? How do you work out which one is common and which ones are power?

Option A is trial and error and with just 4 wires the permutations aren’t too bad to have a chance of getting it right. But a smarter option is this:

a) Get a mate to help.

b) Run a new strand of wire directly from the contoller common terminal to the rear where the broken wires are. It might mean you need 30 m of wire.

c) Connect the new common wire to the common probe on your multimeter which you have turned on to <200V.

d) Have your friend stand at the control box and turn on each station in turn. Connect the positive probe from your multimeter to the other wires in turn. When you get 25 V or thereabouts then you know it is a power wire.

e) The one wire that produces no response is then the common.

Simple hey?…

 

 

 

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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Sprinkler Height – DIY Installations

Posted on 24th May 2011 in Installations, Installing, sprinklers

 

How deep do you need to dig sprinklers when installing them?

 

Its a common question and the simple answer is that they need to sit approx 10ml under the finished level of the turf. If you are using 2 inch sprinklers then its really important to get this right as there isn’t as much rise on the shaft. With 3 inch sprinklers they can sit a little lower and it not be a problem.

 

What you don’t want is a sprinkler that sits above the level of the turf as it then becomes a liability every time the lawn gets mowed.

 

As a general rule I dig to a depth of 150mm or the top of my work boot. Its also really important to make sure kerbside sprinklers sit well under the kerb level so that cars don’t break them when they drive on the verge.

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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Cleaning a Microspray Jet

Posted on 24th May 2011 in Garden beds, Ideas, What's Going on There?

If you use microsprays in your garden beds then they will get blocked.

Its inevitable as they have very small openings and it only takes a little grit or dirt to clog them up.

 

 

The fix is easy. Just unscrew the nozzle, get a needleor piece of wire and use the needle to clean the jet out. If you push it through the hole then you will remove the blockage and can then keep using the nozzle.

Alternatively you can just buy a new nozzle for around $1.00!

 

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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Garden Reticulation – Which Method is Best?

Posted on 20th May 2011 in Drip Irrigation, Garden beds, Ideas, Installations, Installing

When it comes to watering your garden you have several choices:

 

 

a) Microsprays – these are the most commonly used product as they generate a lot of water can be targeted at individual plants and are also cheap. Their negative is that they tend to mist and a lot of their spray gets lost. They also get blocked easily.

 

b) Shrub Sprays – these are larger rigid risers that have a similar spray pattern to regular pop-ups so they can cover areas 3-4 metres with no problem. They are good for garden beds over 1.2m in width where microsprays would not give adequate coverage. Their negatives are that they are a little more expensive and because they are also spaced further apart if a shrub happens to grow up and block the spray then they become ineffective. (The picture is only of the head as the risers can any length)

 

c) Subsurface Irrigation / Miniscape – If installed correctly and run for the correct length of time approx (60 mins)  this is a highly efficient method of watering. The slow release dripline is spaced at either 15ml or 30ml intervals and waters the base of the plant. There is no wastage due to wind. The negatives of this system is that it is more costly and it is also a bit more difficult to work around if you plan on digging in the garden. I have installed this several times and can see the benefits, but personally I like to see the water being distributed.

 

 

d) Adjustable Staked Drippers – This is a good middle ground between the water efficient miniscape and the less waterwise microsprays/risers. With this system individual drippers are placed either next to a plant or between plants and they then drip/spray to a very localised area. The drippers can be adjusted to spray a radius of up to 800ml or they can be turned right down to a mere trickle.  They are more expensive than the microsprays but I’d suggest they are an excellent compromise between water volume, visibility and expense.

 

At the end of the day you need to be satisfied that what you choose is going to do the job for you, but these are some of the most common options.

 

 

 

 

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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