# New home, want to set up irrigation system



## Ncfire11 (Jul 4, 2020)

We recently moved into a new construction home and the yard was left in a mess by the contractor. Large rocks, tree debris(from clearing), uneven, etc. I have smoothed out the landscape and removed the tree debris and most rocks.

I was about to start seeding but while the yard is bare I decided to finish projects that require digging first. I'm putting in drainage lines for the gutters and a catch basin for a low spot in the yard as well.

I've done some research but honestly there's so many types of irrigation equipment I'm not sure what the best setup for my situation is.

I'm on well water, 9gpm at 45psi. I know I'll need multiple zones, but I'd rather them be manually activated instead of on a timer. Here in NC rainfall is inconsistent to say the least, so I don't need the system all the time.

I'm basically just looking where to start. Can these zones be set up simply using a 1/4 turn valve? Is a back flow preventer necessary on well water?

Thanks for any info on this. I'm drawing up a map of my property to organize the zones, etc.


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## Wiley (Dec 2, 2019)

Here are few things to consider.

How large is the area you are going to try and irrigate? This will determine how many zones you need based upon the numbers you supplied. Your gpm assessment needs to be accurate and married properly to your sprinkler output so you don't overwork your well pump.

Why no timer? If you are going to do all of this work adding a timer and proper valves would be best in the long run. Trying to run multiple zones off of 1/4 turn valves seems like a lot of unnecessary work.

A blackflow preventer is not necessary but may be nice depending on where you tie into your water supply.

Here is a great resource for irrigation as well.
https://www.irrigationtutorials.com/


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## TSGarp007 (May 22, 2018)

I think some jurisdictions require a backflow preventer for wells. I think all probably should.


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## davegravy (Jul 25, 2019)

Wiley said:


> Here are few things to consider.
> 
> Why no timer? If you are going to do all of this work adding a timer and proper valves would be best in the long run. Trying to run multiple zones off of a 1/4 turn valves seems like a lot of unnecessary work.


+1

There's something to be said for the ability to go away for 2 weeks and not come home to sand dunes where you once had a lawn.

Look into the Hunter MP Rotator system - low output nozzles that are good for systems with limited gpm supply. You have to run them for a while but that's a bonus if you have soil which is slow to absorb water (clay). Once you have your heads and zones laid out you just have to size tubing and decide things like PVC vs poly tubing.


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## Ncfire11 (Jul 4, 2020)

Thanks for the replies.

I just had in my mind that I would only be using the system irregularly so I didn't think timers were necessary, but I do see the point of running it when I'm away if necessary. If I'm doing this much work I might as well.

I do think I will need the low flow nozzles. I think my GPM is around 10 maybe even more in reality. I did the test on a spigot that passes through two filters, so I don't think the 9GPM I measured is really at it's full potential. Plus the clay and slope of my landscape makes runoff an issue anyway.

Map of my landscape is attached with measurements.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

I would recommend reading the page on how to determine pump gpm and pressure for an irrigation system with a well pump at irrigationtutorials. There are a couple things that need to be done correctly to prevent damaging or shortening the life of your well pump.

https://www.irrigationtutorials.com/gpm-psi-pumps-and-or-wells/


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## TSGarp007 (May 22, 2018)

Pretty good sized yard, are you looking to irrigate all of it? Any non-turf areas in there? Do you have a separate well for the irrigation? It could take well over 12 hours to water the whole lawn in one cycle at 9 GPM (a guess, would need to do the math to figure it out).


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## Ncfire11 (Jul 4, 2020)

Maybe it's just not feasible with what I have. I surely don't want to tear my well pump up.

I'll have grass in most of the areas shown.

Like I said I shouldn't have to water it every day. But the rainfall here in NC is very unpredictable.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

You don't need to tear up your well pump, but you do need to know what the GPM and pressure are before designing a system.


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## Ncfire11 (Jul 4, 2020)

Pressure is 45PSI. Measured GPM is 9 using 5 gal bucket method.


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## Utk03analyst (Jun 8, 2019)

9 gpm is still a decent number I started running my system off of my hose bib which was 5 gpm. I have a span of yard not quite as big as yours which is 40 x 131 which I water with 10 rotors. You could potentially run 4 rotors on a zone with 2 gpm nozzles which would be just under your max 9 gpm. irrigation tutorials has a lot of great information. I also used https://www.design.orbitonline.com/ to get some ideals.

Because distance was a big factor for me even though my gpm's are higher around 12, I still put a max of 3 heads on a zone on that side of the yard because I wanted to make sure I had head to head coverage and I needed the rotors to throw 40 feet which they do.

+1 on the timer as it gives you a lot of flexibility. I bought a 16 zone gen1 Rachio off ebay for $45. It has wind skip, rain skip and a ton of features which make it really easy to work with along with I put my 180's and 90's on different zones. Not necessary but it allows me to let my timer run my 90's half as long as my 180's because they have the same size nozzles.


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