# Added a zone to my existing irrigation system



## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

A project that I assumed would take the better part of 6 hours turned into a 2 day marathon. I had a Sago Palm in the flower bed in front of the house. The snow storm we had last year damaged it severely, so I dug it out. The wife wanted a tiered flower bed in that spot, so I put one in. The only issue is that I do not water flowers, and I know she will not either. So I decided to add a zone to the sprinkler system.

I started by digging a trench from the flower bed to the backyard near the main manifold for the sprinkler system. and installing a drip irrigation manifold in the new zone.

Saturday I dug the old box for the front and back yard zones out, and exposed the manifold. I located the main line, cut it, and put a T-Fitting in for the new zone. 




Then I had to get power to the new valve... this is where I ran into issues. I will spare all the details, but will just state, that because of my oversight 5 years ago, one of the wires that was unused in the sprinkler wire harness had an open, the very wire that I needed for the new zone was dead, Dead, DEAD....which meant I had to replace the entire wire - all 150" of it... I had to trench under the sidewalk to get the new wire to the garage. Do'h!



After I got the power sorted out, I put a new box around zones 1 and 2. Then gave the new zone, Zone 4 it's own single box.



Cleaned up, and made it inside right before the rain started.

Yesterday as I was racing the sun my wife asked why didn't I just pay someone to do it. My response was something about gratification from doing it myself.

I do know this. If I ever want to add another zone that involves running new wires, I will pay someone. 
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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

But think of everything you learned about how to do it, and how you would feel if you paid someone to do it, and they did it incorrectly? You'd be in a quandary because you will be saying to yourself, "Hrmp, I could have done that for less."

Nice job, you know it's done right, and you will have water to an area that you don't have to worry about watering in the future.


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