servicing Two Rocks to Trigg – call Andrew 0400044236
Some jobs are more fun than others!
The location of this one made it a very enjoyable one, as well as some very generous people who brought us chocolate, drinks and ice cream throughout the day.
It turned out to be a much longer, trickier job than we first imagined, but the result was a good one. Some fresh Sir Walter Buffalo laid and the sprinklers working well.
I went to a job today where the client told me that they were on a shared bore and that only one of their stations would come on. The pump would come on when the rear lawn was running but not on the other 3 stations… strange…
What was going on?
When I got there I also discovered that he had installed a new control box and wired it up himself. I assumed all this was done correctly, but after half an hour of testing various things it dawned on me that what he had done was wire the master/pump wire incorrectly.
He had mistakenly put the pump wire in station 4 and station 4 wire in the pump terminal thus meaning only one station would work. Once we reversed the wires everything worked as it should have.
The learning here is:
- always get the wires back in the right place
- if in doubt make sure you get the pump/MV and common correct. The rest is easy.
And if you ever re-wire your own control box and have just one station come on then consider that you have got the MV/pump wire in the wrong terminal.
Its easy to do!
This is a before and after post so you can see the massive difference new turf can make to a property. We levelled the ground, fixed up the retic and laid the turf.
Its been over 5 years of running this business and only yesterday I laid kikuyu turf for the first time. Kikuyu is a cooch variety and is typically used in parks or for commercial applications.
It is hard wearing and sturdy. It has a broader leaf than wintergreen and yesterday’s batch felt quite spongy, although I don’t know if that is typical.
We can supply and lay kikuyu at the same price as Wintergreen if it is your preference.
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…
Last week we did a complete revamp of a front and back yard in Quinns Rocks.
Here are some images of the retic and turf going in. It was Sir Walter Buffalo.
Solenoids
Trenching the easy way
laying pvc
Sir Walter Turf
Compacting to complete the job
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.
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
I got a call to look at this retic system where the control box was displaying the ‘off power’ water droplet symbol. (see the left side of the display)
I wasn’t sure what it meant or how it got there and the manual didn’t mention it. A brief google search suggested it may be the box blowing a fuse and protecting itself against a faulty solenoid coil.
I called Scott at Total Eden and then he put me on to the tech heads at HR who weren’t totally sure either.
So I began to test it and discovered there was no voltage coming from any of the terminals. The fuse was intact and the battery was ok but the box just would not operate.
I attached a new control box as a test and it worked first time. The problem was in the box and whatever the source of the problem was, it had fried the whole box.
When the new one was installed I ran it thru the stations and it worked well on 1 & 2 but blew the fuse on station 3. Obviously this was the source of the previous problems and the coil needed replacing. As it turned out the whole solenoid was cactus and had to be replaced.
I repowered the Orbit box to see if the symbol might disappear but it was definitely a throwaway. So if you happen to see that symbol and your retic won’t work then chances are you will be looking for a new control box
Sometimes your lawn gets to a point where it simply isn’t viable to revive it. It needs replacing and the question is ‘how’?
Firstly let’s hope you have bobcat access, because if you don’t you’re in for a lot of hard grunt work digging it out. I still remember digging out 50sqm of buffalo on a hot summer day. It took 2 of us 5 hours and we were going hard.
So – yes – you can dig it out, but if you weigh up your time then it makes much better sense to use machinery to get it done.
So first step is to get the old one out.
Your bobcat will need to dig down around 80-100ml and in the process will likely damage your retic. So if you’re replacing a lawn then be sure to budget for retic repairs and it may even be that its better just to re-lay the pipes. I’d allow between $200-500 for the retic.
When removing a lawn you need to allow for bobcat operator’s time, tipping costs and any associated travel costs. For 50sqm $700.00 is fairly normal but it may vary depending on the site. The bobcat then will bring in some good soil and bring the levels up to whatever is suitable for laying turf on. I always suggest leaving it 10ml below the finished level to allow it to grow and ‘boof up’ a bit.
Once the soil is in, the retic can be repaired and the final stage is the turf laying.
Our turf rates are on our main site here.