# Ware's Irrigation | Spring 2017



## Ware

I have been putting this project off for a few years. I have been able to limp along without a formal irrigation system, but I do get tired of dragging hoses. Let me back up - it's not really the hose dragging that annoys me, it's the amount of time it takes to water the lawn via hose end sprinklers… it's really a flow (GPM) issue.

I have also made some significant changes to my landscape over the last several years - like reshaping/adding beds, pouring a sidewalk on the north side of my house, and doubling the size of my patio. So in a way I'm glad I put this project off until the shape of my lawn/landscape settled down a little.

I designed the system myself, with the help of the fantastic information available over at Irrigation Tutorials; however, (spoiler alert) I will not be doing the install myself. I've done all the research and I'm confident I could do it, but the decision really came down to the value of my time. I have a busy job, a wife and young daughter, and some civic duties, etc. I just don't want to sacrifice the free time right now - not to mention I'm sure I'll have my work cut out for me in getting everything level again. I have a competent installer lined up that has done a couple landscaping projects for me at work, so we sort of understand each other. He was willing to basically install my design, so that was a big plus.

Anyway, before I get into the details of the design/install, my first step was getting a new water tap and meter. Water and sewer rate structures vary depending on where you live. Our sewer rates here are tied directly to our volumetric water consumption - meaning there is no cap or winter averaging mechanism to account for the water I use for irrigation purposes. I am charged a sewer fee for every gallon of water that goes through my meter, so for my situation a second "garden meter" made the most sense. I will not be billed for sewer on this second meter. The new tap/meter wasn't cheap, but I expect a payback on this within just a few seasons.

Having great water pressure available pretty much eliminated the need for multiple design iterations to get the pressure losses to work out. This service is on an 8" main, and I was told to expect a minimum of about 120psi. This is a good problem to have.


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## Mightyquinn

Looking forward to the pictures and the final outcome of this. I'm sure you will have to start a new thread on fixing all the damage that will be done.


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## GrassDaddy

You will love it! The first few times you might even wake up to see them go off at 3am. At least I assume everyone else did that too...


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## J_nick

GrassDaddy said:


> You will love it! The first few times you might even wake up to see them go off at 3am. At least I assume everyone else did that too...


+1


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## Mightyquinn

J_nick said:


> GrassDaddy said:
> 
> 
> 
> You will love it! The first few times you might even wake up to see them go off at 3am. At least I assume everyone else did that too...
> 
> 
> 
> +1
Click to expand...

+2 :thumbup:


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## Redtenchu

Congrats!!


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## Ware

I currently have two hose connection points on my house - one on the north side and one on the south side. They are "centrally located", but it's kind of annoying because they are not really close to where I usually need/use water.

So in an effort to get some hose connections a little closer to where I actually use water, I'm going to have a few Rain Bird Quick Coupling Valves strategically located along the mainline - below grade in small round valve boxes.








To use them, you lift the hinged yellow lid and insert a Quick Coupling Key. Gripping the t-handle and turning it 180-degrees locks the key in place while simultaneously opening the valve. On top of the key is a swivel elbow with 3/4" MHT. Here I will use an Eley Quick Connect System to hook up an Eley Hose Reel Cart. If you haven't heard about Eley products, be sure to check out this thread.


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## Ware

So this is my design. I'll be using a Rachio Gen 2 controller. All the heads are Hunter MP Rotator in PRS40 pressure-regulated bodies. All the shrubs (Zone 6) will be drip line with 2GPH point source emitters. Zone 3 (lower left side of drawing) will be MP Rotator 5x15ft corner strips and 5x30ft side strips. This is a narrow area between my fence and a future sidewalk. The sidewalk is part of a larger sidewalk project the city is working on. It is currently in the engineering phase, but I don't want to put my project on hold. I am moving forward as if it were there, and will set that row of heads just inside my property line. The heads will be connected to the laterals with funny pipe, so I will be able to make minor adjustments once the sidewalk is constructed. In the meantime, I will probably replace those nozzles with 360° nozzles to throw some water on the area where the sidewalk will be.

Design-wise, the MP Rotators were a dream to work with. Most of the models offer a matched precipitation rate of 0.4 in/hr regardless of the arc or radius setting - meaning you can mix/match models within a zone as well as adjust each one anywhere within its setting range and not worry about precipitation rates. The exceptions are the SR Series (6-12ft short radius models) and the Side Strip models. The SR Series has a precipitation rate of ~0.8 in/hr and the Side Strips have a rate of about 0.56 in/hr.

The only thing I'm still not 100% on is the number of drip zones. I had originally planned on 3 zones, but point source drip is so dang efficient that I wasn't going to see much flow at all through each of those 3 valves. I am currently planning on consolidating all of the drip into one zone, with a PVC header looping around to deliver water to each bed.


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## AdamC

Looks awesome! You've certainly put a lot of time into planning this properly.

I can't wait to see the outcome


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## Ware

Lawn Nut said:


> Looks awesome! You've certainly put a lot of time into planning this properly.
> 
> I can't wait to see the outcome


Thanks! I've been massaging that AutoCAD drawing off and on for a few years, and I think my landscape is finally to a point where it isn't going to change much. I was also delaying the project because we were unsure how long we were going to live here, but last year we refinanced to a 15-year mortgage at 2.75%. That low rate makes moving much less attractive.  I was a little bummed about the upcoming sidewalk project at first, but everything can be fixed, right? :nod:

One thing that hasn't changed over the course of all this is my interest in the MP Rotator nozzles. I'm not sure why, but I'm kind of looking forward to something a little different than traditional rotors and sprays.


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## gijoe4500

Is there any concern with over watering parts of your lawn? Looks like some spots are double covered, while some are quadruple covered. Or is that not a big deal?


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## dfw_pilot

I _love_ the garden hose couplers.

My connection is very low tech but the "installers" connected it to a metal stake in the ground to keep pressure off the plastic pvc pipe in the ground if the hose was pulled too hard. With your cart and my secured reel, it isn't much of a concern, but if someone were to connect a long hose to the coupler, is there a need to stabilize it? Would a good pull of the hose might break the pipe in the ground?


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## Ware

dfw_pilot said:


> I _love_ the garden hose couplers.
> 
> My connection is very low tech but the "installers" connected it to a metal stake in the ground to keep pressure off the plastic pvc pipe in the ground if the hose was pulled too hard. With your cart and my secured reel, it isn't much of a concern, but if someone were to connect a long hose to the coupler, is there a need to stabilize it? Would a good pull of the hose might break the pipe in the ground?


Yeah, I plan to use some sort of stake to secure the couplers. Here is a detail drawing from Rain Bird showing one connected via swing joint. A tee on the mainline will be more secure, but you get the idea...


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## Ware

gijoe4500 said:


> Is there any concern with over watering parts of your lawn? Looks like some spots are double covered, while some are quadruple covered. Or is that not a big deal?


The short answer is no - it is actually highly desirable. Jess Stryker (irrigationtutorials.com) covers sprinkler coverage in his design tutorials here. To summarize what he has to say about this subject:

_"The area watered by each sprinkler must overlap substantially the area watered by the adjacent sprinkler. This overlap may seem like a waste at first, but it is a very important necessity. Without this overlap it would be impossible to design sprinkler systems that provided uniform water coverage."

"Sprinklers are intentionally designed to require 100% overlap of watered areas. That means each sprinkler throws water ALL the way to the next sprinkler in each direction... That's right, 100% overlap of watered areas is REQUIRED or you will get dry spots!"

"One more time: The water from any single sprinkler should actually get the sprinklers on each side of it wet!"_​
Here is a graphic Stryker uses to illustrate how a sprinkler head's precipitation rate is not uniform across its entire radius (from 0 ft to __ ft), and why it is important to design a system with head-to-head spacing/coverage:

​
To back this up with a real-world example, here is a profile chart for an MP2000 published in Hunter's MP Rotator Design Guide. Note how the precipitation rate decreases across its radius:

​
The precipitation rates published in Hunter nozzle performance charts assume head-to-head spacing, and are provided for both square and equilateral triangular layouts:

​
If you really want to get into the weeds, this graphic explains why the precipitation rates are different for square and triangular layouts:

​
Sorry for the long-winded response, but this is something many people get wrong when designing a system - even some professional contractors and some of the "free design services". Their goal is to get you to select them to do your install or buy their components, and they know most people are more likely to choose a contractor or design that requires less money/fewer heads. I've had a few irrigation contractors look at my project over the years, and you would be surprised how many of them are complacent with a design that ensures nothing more than getting all of the grass wet. :?

The downside to that approach is the homeowner ends up with a system that must be run longer to avoid dry spots, which ends up overwatering in other areas. My design may look like it has a bunch of heads, but it will actually be very efficient. :thumbup:


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## AdamC

Ware said:


> Lawn Nut said:
> 
> 
> 
> Looks awesome! You've certainly put a lot of time into planning this properly.
> 
> I can't wait to see the outcome
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks! I've been massaging that AutoCAD drawing off and on for a few years, and I think my landscape is finally to a point where it isn't going to change much. I was also delaying the project because we were unsure how long we were going to live here, but last year we refinanced to a 15-year mortgage at 2.75%. That low rate makes moving much less attractive.  I was a little bummed about the upcoming sidewalk project at first, but everything can be fixed, right? :nod:
> 
> One thing that hasn't changed over the course of all this is my interest in the *MP Rotator nozzles*. I'm not sure why, but I'm kind of looking forward to something a little different than traditional rotors and sprays.
Click to expand...

I have MP Rotators. I love them and wouldn't go with anything else. I have gone with the "1000" model everywhere as I didn't want to have each sprinkler covering a too large area. I even installed them at my sisters place aqnd my best friends place


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## Ware

Lawn Nut said:


> I have MP Rotators. I love them and wouldn't go with anything else. I have gone with the "1000" model everywhere as I didn't want to have each sprinkler covering a too large area. I even installed them at my sisters place aqnd my best friends place.


That's great to hear! :thumbup:

J_nick reminded me the other day that they were originally known as "Walla Walla Rotators". Evidently Hunter bought the rights to them somewhere along the way, but they are still manufactured by Nelson Irrigation in Walla Walla, Washington (USA).


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## Ware

So here are a few shots from this morning. Everything is off to a good start, with the exception of my cable internet. They broke a line that wasn't marked with the trencher. 

Another small surprise is we're using Rain Bird valves. I planned on using Hunter, but the supply house was out of the model with flow control. This is one of those things that wouldn't have happened if I was ordering parts online and doing the job myself, but it is what it is. At the end of the day it shouldn't make a difference.


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## Topcat

You will love the convenience. I recently changed my controller to the Rachio after reading reviews here. Have you seen the trenching technology that allows flexible tube to be pulled thru he soil without leaving a trench? https://youtu.be/64dMZDM20pM


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## gijoe4500

How were you watering? Single sprinkler on the end of a hose?


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## Ware

gijoe4500 said:


> How were you watering? Single sprinkler on the end of a hose?


I was mostly using a couple of these sprinklers on these sprinkler bases. I don't have a large yard, and we're pretty fortunate to get some rain here throughout the summer, so I never really got in a bind, but this system will make life much easier. :thumbup:


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## Ware

Here is an interesting way to build a grouping of valves without the maintenance nightmare of a manifold. The mainline is at the bottom of the stack. Note that if you had to replace a valve you could just cut out and replace a portion of the "U" shape for that zone.


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## Ware

Topcat said:


> You will love the convenience. I recently changed my controller to the Rachio after reading reviews here. Have you seen the trenching technology that allows flexible tube to be pulled thru he soil without leaving a trench?


I have seen that method - it is pretty cool.


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## gijoe4500

Ware said:


> gijoe4500 said:
> 
> 
> 
> How were you watering? Single sprinkler on the end of a hose?
> 
> 
> 
> I was mostly using a couple of these sprinklers on these sprinkler bases. I don't have a large yard, and we're pretty fortunate to get some rain here throughout the summer, so I never really got in a bind, but this system will make life much easier. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Nice. I might have to rig something up similar to that. I get tired of dragging my 1 hose end sprinkler around to different parts of the yard all evening.


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## touchofgrass

Mightyquinn said:


> J_nick said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> GrassDaddy said:
> 
> 
> 
> You will love it! The first few times you might even wake up to see them go off at 3am. At least I assume everyone else did that too...
> 
> 
> 
> +1
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> +2 :thumbup:
Click to expand...

haha... MQ used to talk about wanting to do that all the time. He said it's just so peaceful to be awake before the rest of us listening to / watching the sprinklers.


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## Ware

Before I forget, the city flushed the water mains in my neighborhood on Saturday night and the regulator on my house line was a casualty. :shock:

​
Good news is we were digging up the yard today anyway! 

​
I think I mentioned I have 120psi+ on the 8" water main that feeds my water meters, so the irrigation line got a regulator too. I think it comes preset at 50psi, and can be adjusted up to 75psi.


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## Ware

They got about half the pipe in the ground today...


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## AdamC

Short term pain for long term gain.

You're going to have to dedicate a little bit of time to levelling the yard out again, but the benefit of the irrigation will be worth it! Looking great so far. :thumbup:


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## Topcat

Man! I am having an anxiety attack - your beautiful lawn! - Yikes - but as stated, short term, and the irrigation system will make it much easier to bring it back to its glory


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## Ware

Topcat said:


> Man! I am having an anxiety attack - your beautiful lawn! - Yikes - but as stated, short term, and the irrigation system will make it much easier to bring it back to its glory


Ha, you and my wife! She beat me home yesterday afternoon and immediately called to ask how I was handling it. :lol:

They resumed clean-up on the front first thing this morning, and got it looking a lot better. The leftover spoil makes it look worse than it is. The actual trenches are only about 4" wide.


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## Ware

Here are some shots from the back and side yard this morning... there was a lot of hand digging to do in the utility easement along my back fence...


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## dfw_pilot

Any neighbors jealous yet?


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## Ware

Most of the back yard was cleaned up by the end of the day today... the exception being where the drip lines will stub up to serve each bed.


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## Ware

dfw_pilot said:


> Any neighbors jealous yet?


Yes, getting lots of visitors.


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## wardconnor

Looks good. Now plan for leveling projects in the years to come as the trenches settle and you end up with long low spots kind of in the form of old trenches. Believe me I know from experience.


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## Ware

I mounted the Rachio Controller in my garage this afternoon. To keep everything tidy, I installed some Legrand Cord Cover from Home Depot. The outlet/lower vertical run will be behind the gray garage shelving that is pulled away from the wall. I use the shelf just below the outlet as a charging zone for cordless tool batteries, etc.










We had discussed digging on a full moon vs a new moon in this thread, and it appears to have held true on this job. The contractor plans to come back after everything has had a chance to settle, but after lots of tamping this is the dirt they left with today.


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## J_nick

Looks good Ware :thumbup: Can't wait to see some water flying!


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## atc4usmc

Man, its tough seeing a nice lawn dug up like that...I went through the same thing last July and it crushed my soul! Unfortunately my grass didn't fill in last year completely, so I scalped and re-leveled this year. Hoping it fills in and is unnoticeable in a couple of months. Speaking of neighbors, they come out of the wood work to stop by and comment about how you "destroyed such a great looking lawn"....I just cant wait until I can get to it with the new JD greens mower!


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## Ware

Here it is mostly cleaned up. I got my drag mat out this morning and did my best to smooth things out and walk the trenches down with the tires on my Grasshopper. In doing so, I was able to identify some low spots and fill those in. The drag mat pulled up a bunch of stolons, so after I combed the lawn for rocks, pebbles and other things the reel wouldn't like, I went ahead and mowed. It went surprisingly well. I was worried a major leveling project was going to be in my immediate future, but I think I will be able to hold off until the trenches have had a chance to settle.

Everything is pretty much done now and I am relieved. I'm going to go outside after the sun goes down a little and adjust the heads. Hopefully with an ice cold beverage nearby. :thumbup:


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## Ware

Here is the Rachio all wired and covered up - very clean. :thumbup:


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## southernguy311

Looks great. Plenty of sprinkler watching in your future.


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## Ware

Here is an interesting angle on the irrigation job taken from one of my security cameras. You can really see the turf stress from running the drag mat over it.

Also, check out that glyphosate job my neighbor put on his lawn. :shock:


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## wardconnor

Why did he spray round up?

How to post a picture this large? One that fills up screen rather than small dinky picture "formatted for message boards."


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## Ware

wardconnor said:


> Why did he spray round up?
> 
> How to post a picture this large? One that fills up screen rather than small dinky picture "formatted for message boards."


An answer to this question was buried in an unrelated thread, but I just split it out into a new topic here.

Basically, I set up an account at postimage and upload the photos I want to appear full size in a folder there. They provide a "direct link" to the photo, which I place within the "img" bbcode in the post editor.


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## Ware

wardconnor said:


> Why did he spray round up?


Probably because I told him it was too late to attempt that. :roll:


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## Iriasj2009

Wow looks like they did an amazing job. Hope you post a video of them in action soon haha.


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## Ware

So it has been about a week and half since they finished the job and I've had 3.32" of rain :shock: . Most of the trenches have settled some, and a few sections have collapsed. I see some sand in my near future, but I'm not sure how long I should hold out for additional settling. I also can't decide if I should just get enough sand to level up the trenches, or go ahead and topdress the whole yard again.


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## gijoe4500

How level is the rest of the yard? I'd think level the trenches and maybe a light topdress. 1/4" max.


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## GrassDaddy

I would wait on the whole yard. The grass once it grows in the trenches will change that height so I'd wait for the whole lawn until after it's filled in.


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## wardconnor

Ware said:


> I also can't decide if I should just get enough sand to level up the trenches, or go ahead and topdress the whole yard again.


You are questioning this?

When in doubt top dress. It's the golden rule of supreme lawn care and general awesomeness. You knew that already though.

A flat lawn rules the neighborhood. 😉


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## Ware

wardconnor said:


> Ware said:
> 
> 
> 
> I also can't decide if I should just get enough sand to level up the trenches, or go ahead and topdress the whole yard again.
> 
> 
> 
> You are questioning this?
> 
> When in doubt top dress. It's the golden rule of supreme lawn care and general awesomeness. You knew that already though.
> 
> A flat lawn rules the neighborhood. 😉
Click to expand...

Ha, this is true.


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## Ware

I had an opportunity to pick up some free masonry :lol: sand today, so I did a mini leveling job. I generously topped off all the trenches, then ran the drag mat to smooth everything out. I'm tired.


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## J_nick

Looking good Ware


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## Redtenchu

Are you using the 220E over all that sand?

I'm impressed with the small amount of damage from the install!


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## Ware

Redtenchu said:


> Are you using the 220E over all that sand?
> 
> I'm impressed with the small amount of damage from the install!


I'm keeping the 220E in the garage until things are healed, I think. I had a bunch of ditches open back up today after 2" of rain today... and there is another several inches in the forecast for this weekend. :shock:

I think I'm going to have trouble keeping them filled until the bermuda grows across and there is something to "hold" the sand in - if that makes sense.


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## Redtenchu

Ware said:


> I think I'm going to have trouble keeping them filled until the bermuda grows across and there is something to "hold" the sand in - if that makes sense.


100%


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## J_nick

Redtenchu said:


> Ware said:
> 
> 
> 
> I think I'm going to have trouble keeping them filled until the bermuda grows across and there is something to "hold" the sand in - if that makes sense.
> 
> 
> 
> 100%
Click to expand...

I think Red fully understands what your saying maybe even 110%


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## Ware

J_nick said:


> Redtenchu said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ware said:
> 
> 
> 
> I think I'm going to have trouble keeping them filled until the bermuda grows across and there is something to "hold" the sand in - if that makes sense.
> 
> 
> 
> 100%
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I think Red fully understands what your saying maybe even 110%
Click to expand...

True story.


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## J_nick

Did you put any preM down on the trenches? My yard was relatively weed free last year except for where the trenches were from my install.


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## Ware

J_nick said:


> Did you put any preM down on the trenches? My yard was relatively weed free last year except for where the trenches were from my install.


No, I didn't. Probably not a bad idea, but not too worried about a few weeds. I have this friend - the Bermuda Triangle.


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## Shuffinator

Ware, if I remember you had a crappy road that butted up to your yard?


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## Ware

Shuffinator said:


> Ware, if I remember you had a crappy road that butted up to your yard?


Yes, you can see it on the right side of this photo:

​
The city is now planning to install a sidewalk between my property line and the earthen ditch. It will basically be just outside of the long trench you see in that photo. I will not be irrigating between the sidewalk and the road.


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## MrMeaner

Sweet, that will frame your yard better and give a nice clean place to edge against!!


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## Ware

Agree. I wasn't at all excited about it at first, but it won't be too bad. That area of my lawn really starts to slope off, so the area I reel mow will be much flatter.


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## Ware

I really like the MP Rotators...


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## kds

Those are the rotators I'm using in my above-ground temporary system. I'm glad I chose those. They are super easy to adjust and they do really well.


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## Iriasj2009

Ware, what spacing are those rotors set at?


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## Ware

Iriasj2009 said:


> Ware, what spacing are those rotors set at?


It varies, but my longest distance is like 19'8". I'm using a mix of MP1000's and MP2000's.


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## Iriasj2009

Thanks for the info, I'm thinking about changing mine out.


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## Ware

I didn't need any, but the MP3000's are rated for like 22-30ft at 40psi. I probably wouldn't try to push them more than ~28ft though.


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## Iriasj2009

I will definitely look them up! 
I know you haven't used them much, but how do they stand to breezy days? I have hunter pgp gear drive rotors spaced at 20'- 22'.


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## Ware

Iriasj2009 said:


> I will definitely look them up!
> I know you haven't used them much, but how do they stand to breezy days? I have hunter pgp gear drive rotors spaced at 20'- 22'.


I think they are preferred over sprays on breezy days, but not sure how they compare to rotors. I would say buy one and try it, but that's a little harder to do when you have rotors. If what you have is working, I would probably just stick with it.


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## Iriasj2009

Mine work but I had to use the radius reduction screw quite a bit and thought I could have better results with a smaller rotor. I just need to test my output throughout the yard first and then decided if I want to make a switch.


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## J_nick

Iriasj2009 said:


> Mine work but I had to use the radius reduction screw quite a bit and thought I could have better results with a smaller rotor. I just need to test my output throughout the yard first and then decided if I want to make a switch.


You could go down on nozzle size to reduce distance but the downside would be longer run times.


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## Iriasj2009

J_nick said:


> Iriasj2009 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Mine work but I had to use the radius reduction screw quite a bit and thought I could have better results with a smaller rotor. I just need to test my output throughout the yard first and then decided if I want to make a switch.
> 
> 
> 
> You could go down on nozzle size to reduce distance but the downside would be longer run times.
Click to expand...

I have it calibrated using different nozzle sizes. I'm already using the smaller setup available. I think they will have to do. This will be my first full year using my sprinkler system. I need those rain measuring gauges


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## Ware

That is one nice feature of the MP Rotators - in a square pattern they provide a matched precipitation rate of 0.4 inches per hour, regardless of arc or radius adjustment across the MP1000, MP2000 and MP3000 product lines (8-30ft). All you really have to worry about is maintaining head-to-head spacing. In my backyard I actually have a mix of MP1000's and MP2000's.


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## Iriasj2009

Ware said:


> That is one nice feature of the MP Rotators - in a square pattern they provide a matched precipitation rate of 0.4 inches per hour, regardless of arc or radius adjustment across the MP1000, MP2000 and MP3000 product lines (8-30ft). All you really have to worry about is maintaining head-to-head spacing. In my backyard I actually have a mix of MP1000's and MP2000's.


Yes that's what I noticed, I'm definitely putting those in my backyard next year when I renovate.


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## Ware

In hindsight, I wish I would have bought some sod and cut it into strips to lay in the ditches. The cost and effort would have been minimal (compared to the total project) and I would be back at 100% by now.


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## SGrabs33

Ware said:


> In hindsight, I wish I would have bought some sod and cut it into strips to lay in the ditches. The cost and effort would have been minimal (compared to the total project) and I would be back at 100% by now.


I agree, its not worth the wait. I didn't do it until this year when I sodded the area where my tree was taken out in the front yard. I did my trenches with the leftovers and they are looking good already. The sod pieces I got were 2x5 ft and only cost 7 bucks. It wouldn't cost too much to do all of your trenches. Live and learn for next time I guess.


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