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  1. #1
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    Lawn watering systems?

    Yeah, I know, I want to rape and pillage the earth by watering my lawn. But I'm tired of the dirt, and want a small patch of grass for my kiddo to play on.

    I can't afford an in-ground sprinkler system, but I know from experience that having sprinkler heads that you have to move from zone to zone is WAY too much of a PITA. So I'm looking for a semi-permanent system, don't care if it's something I have to set up every spring and take down every Fall, but on a weekly basis in the summer, I need to be able to water my yard by turning on the spigot and that's it.

    How much money do I need to spend? Advice on what to look for and what to avoid? What questions am I not asking?

    Thanks in advance.
    "fuck off you asshat gaper shit for brains fucktard wanker." - Jesus Christ
    "She was tossing her bean salad with the vigor of a Drunken Pop princess so I walked out of the corner and said.... "need a hand?"" - Odin
    "everybody's got their hooks into you, fuck em....forge on motherfuckers, drag all those bitches across the goal line with you." - (not so) ill-advised strategy

  2. #2
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    How big an area? Where are you? PRB= People's Republic of Bellingham?
    Quando paramucho mi amore de felice carathon.
    Mundo paparazzi mi amore cicce verdi parasol.
    Questo abrigado tantamucho que canite carousel.


  3. #3
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    Dec 2007
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    How big an area? You can get electronic hose timers (~$50) that'll screw into the spigot and then automatically turn on a hose for set periods of time. Stick a sprinkler on the end of the hose and you're good to go with minimal effort and cost. Get a series of 3-4 cheap impulse sprinklers on spikes and set them in a line that's fairly close to the house so they're not in the way all the time. You'll be able to adjust the heads to cover a decent sized area and you won't have to deal with moving them around too much. If you have crappy water pressure, this will be trickier. Depending on the size of lawn and the number of hoses and zones you need, you can probably swing this for $100-200.

  4. #4
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    PM Blurred.
    "One season per year, the gods open the skies, and releases a white, fluffy, pillow on top of the most forbidding mountain landscapes, allowing people to travel over them with ease and relative abandonment of concern for safety. It's incredible."

  5. #5
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    I'm no expert since I live where it actually rains, but if there's something between an in-ground system and sprinklers that you have to move around I've never heard of it. Seems like there's plenty of DIY in-ground stuff available though. If you planned it out and rented a ditchwitch for an afternoon I bet you could be done with it in two days. Or even simpler I guess you could rent the ditchwitch and just throw soaker hose in the trench, cover it back up and call it good. we have a setup like that for a bunch of bushes that don't get enough rain because they're under a big overhang, works perfect.

  6. #6
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    in Boulder. not a huge area, but not tiny. guesstimate would be 800sf, give or take? Long rectangle.
    "fuck off you asshat gaper shit for brains fucktard wanker." - Jesus Christ
    "She was tossing her bean salad with the vigor of a Drunken Pop princess so I walked out of the corner and said.... "need a hand?"" - Odin
    "everybody's got their hooks into you, fuck em....forge on motherfuckers, drag all those bitches across the goal line with you." - (not so) ill-advised strategy

  7. #7
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    The components that go into a sprinkler system are really pretty inexpensive. If you're just a little bit handy you could knock the job of installing a simple system yourself in a weekend pretty easily and with minimal out of pocket expense. The worst of the work is digging the trenches for the pipes. If you catch it after a decent rain or snow then that part won't be too bad either. If you don't want to be bothered with a timer and all that then you could just run the system off one of the existing faucets outside your house (er, I mean trailer). Ask one of the guys in the plumbing section of Home Depot or Lowes and they will be glad to help you get started.
    Brandine: Now Cletus, if I catch you with pig lipstick on your collar one more time you ain't gonna be allowed to sleep in the barn no more!
    Cletus: Duly noted.

  8. #8
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    Astroturf.
    Remind me. We'll send him a red cap and a Speedo.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by toast2266 View Post
    How big an area? You can get electronic hose timers (~$50) that'll screw into the spigot and then automatically turn on a hose for set periods of time. Stick a sprinkler on the end of the hose and you're good to go with minimal effort and cost. Get a series of 3-4 cheap impulse sprinklers on spikes and set them in a line that's fairly close to the house so they're not in the way all the time. You'll be able to adjust the heads to cover a decent sized area and you won't have to deal with moving them around too much. If you have crappy water pressure, this will be trickier. Depending on the size of lawn and the number of hoses and zones you need, you can probably swing this for $100-200.
    This. My 57 y.o. mom keeps probably 30x the amount of grass you are considering watered this way with minimal effort.

    edit: Cruiser and warthog are 100% correct that the materials for an in-ground system are cheap. The current systems are also pretty idiot-proof and easy to set up yourself. It's not an insignificant labor investment though, and IMO not worth it just to keep an 800sf patch of grass watered.
    Last edited by Dantheman; 03-29-2013 at 01:12 PM.

  10. #10
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    Mar 2004
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cruiser View Post
    The components that go into a sprinkler system are really pretty inexpensive. If you're just a little bit handy you could knock the job of installing a simple system yourself in a weekend pretty easily and with minimal out of pocket expense. The worst of the work is digging the trenches for the pipes. If you catch it after a decent rain or snow then that part won't be too bad either. If you don't want to be bothered with a timer and all that then you could just run the system off one of the existing faucets outside your house (er, I mean trailer). Ask one of the guys in the plumbing section of Home Depot or Lowes and they will be glad to help you get started.
    This- it is mostly labor. All you need is the timer and the valves. The rest is cheap. For an area that size, you might need 3 or 4 sprinklers tops.

  11. #11
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    These are good for rectangle lawns.


  12. #12
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    ^^^

    that's what we do. timer and two of those. fitting on the other end allows you to run two of these at once on a timer.

    done.
    looking for a good book? check out mine! as fast as it is gone

  13. #13
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    i have the same challenge, bigger lawn, prolly 3/4 of .4 acre is lawn. I've been toying with a ghetto idea using 3/4" PVC w/valves and a few bits of hose...

    the reason i don't just use spigots is that our sub has free irrigation water in the back corner of each lot. So it all has to come back to that single source, and it has semi-lame pressure, as in only one sprinkler at a time...
    Something about the wrinkle in your forehead tells me there's a fit about to get thrown
    And I never hear a single word you say when you tell me not to have my fun
    It's the same old shit that I ain't gonna take off anyone.
    and I never had a shortage of people tryin' to warn me about the dangers I pose to myself.

    Patterson Hood of the DBT's

  14. #14
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    In ground is not expensive and not difficult. For something that small you don't need to rent a ditch witch. The only trick for in ground is getting a spur off your main water line with a valve. Once that's done for 800 SF you could easily have it knocked out in a weekend and also have a few extra drip zones for planter bed, veggies, potted flowers, etc. A couple buddies, a couple shovels and a case of beer is all you need.

    And if you plan ahead and put some valves at the low end then you don't even need to dig that deep. Just make sure you turn off the master valve and drain the lines before real cold temps hit. Maybe $400 and you will be really glad you spent the money. You'll end up saving the cost in your water bill by avoiding those shitty hose timers that leak non-stop.

    Do yourself a favor though and skip HD or Lowes and head to a irrigation supply house. Most of the sell retail for less than the big box guys and you will actually get someone who knows what the fuk they're talking about!

  15. #15
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    Don't plant Kentucky Bluegrass....you could also take your kid to the park.
    "We had nice 3 days in your autonomous mountain realm last weekend." - Tom from Austria (the Rax ski guy)

  16. #16
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    For those suggesting I install an in-ground system, you clearly have never met me. It's not happening, no way no how. Not only am I developmentally disabled when it comes to anything "handy", but I also find home projects to be the most frustrating, infuriating and un-fun way to spend my weekend. And I know I don't have the scratch to pay a pro.
    "fuck off you asshat gaper shit for brains fucktard wanker." - Jesus Christ
    "She was tossing her bean salad with the vigor of a Drunken Pop princess so I walked out of the corner and said.... "need a hand?"" - Odin
    "everybody's got their hooks into you, fuck em....forge on motherfuckers, drag all those bitches across the goal line with you." - (not so) ill-advised strategy

  17. #17
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    In that case you should get a couple of those oscillating sprinklers, a couple of hoses, and a gang valve to hook them up. It'll be kinda ghetto but at least you can remove it all fairly easily if the spot next to your trailer gets rented and you lose your the space for your lawn.
    Brandine: Now Cletus, if I catch you with pig lipstick on your collar one more time you ain't gonna be allowed to sleep in the barn no more!
    Cletus: Duly noted.

  18. #18
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    I don't care that much about ghetto, I just want a lawn for my kid to play on. With the added bonus that less exposed dirt means less mud for the dogs to track in.
    "fuck off you asshat gaper shit for brains fucktard wanker." - Jesus Christ
    "She was tossing her bean salad with the vigor of a Drunken Pop princess so I walked out of the corner and said.... "need a hand?"" - Odin
    "everybody's got their hooks into you, fuck em....forge on motherfuckers, drag all those bitches across the goal line with you." - (not so) ill-advised strategy

  19. #19
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    I used the older generation of this timer pretty successfully to water a couple of different zones in our veggie garden. It might be an inexpensive way for you to automate a basic multi-zone sprinkler system using garden hose and oscillating sprinklers.
    Brandine: Now Cletus, if I catch you with pig lipstick on your collar one more time you ain't gonna be allowed to sleep in the barn no more!
    Cletus: Duly noted.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by mud View Post
    These are good for rectangle lawns.

    I used to do 800 sg ft with one of these. It covered the whole lawn

    But I tore that grass out last weekend. Built a 14x4 redwood raised garden. Bored under the sidewalk last night to the water main. Hand trenching tomorrow. Will install sprinklers and lay sod next weekend.

    Having a blast! How can you not like doing this shit Danno!

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zesty Not Spicy View Post

    And if you plan ahead and put some valves at the low end then you don't even need to dig that deep. Just make sure you turn off the master valve and drain the lines before real cold temps hit.
    don't you have to blow the lines with compressed air ? We always rented a 115cfm compressor for a day and did a bunch of systems for friends who would kick in enough money to cover rental so we could do ours for free
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  22. #22
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    what about just a two-way splitter/valve at the spigot, one hose feeding a sprinkler on each end [i like the ones that go chich chich chich chchchchchhcch] and you just turn on one or the other or both?
    Something about the wrinkle in your forehead tells me there's a fit about to get thrown
    And I never hear a single word you say when you tell me not to have my fun
    It's the same old shit that I ain't gonna take off anyone.
    and I never had a shortage of people tryin' to warn me about the dangers I pose to myself.

    Patterson Hood of the DBT's

  23. #23
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    I think this model is on sale at McGuckin's.


  24. #24
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    Jun 2009
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    hell, CA pop 4
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    Highly recomend you talk to Sharp Bros Seed in Greeley about grass seed.

    They know thier shit and have stuff better suited for the area, than just buying crap from a chain store.

  25. #25
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    Get a good book. talk to the people at home depot, and do this yourself. This should be an easy job. If you just have a "rectangular" area and want to do this the easy way get two of the sprinklers shown a couple posts above (without the lady) and get two timers. One timer that it has two outputs - one timed and one that isn't. Hook the second sprinkler up through a one output timer out of the all on side of the two output sprinkler. Right there you have two sprinlers that might work. You could always get a splitter and use two regular timers. Either way you can daisy chain timers, hoses, and sprinklers so you never have to move them or be a big boy and do a weekend of work. Just be careful not to put too many sprinklers on the same cylce if you do it right. Run everything above ground and test it out. If it works well, trenching it is fairly easy and you have a pro job. You can do this.

    It's rewarding and will help you save money if you learn to do things yourself. Work is hard and maybe your time is worth more? But you get in shape working hard. It's good for the body.

    Edit: Good sprinklers somewhat like the rectangular one above can be VERY adjustable as to the width and length they do. Word of advice though. those things break pretty easy if kids are playing with them. You can put A LOT of money into sprinklers in a summer but I used to water 5 times the area you are.

    Also have your soil tested in different areas to make sure the PH of your soil is good for grass. If it's not right you can easily change it before you plant. The right PH can be do or die for any plant (grass). As many have said, go to a good place that will set you up with the right seed if you go that way. We can only get Kentucky Bluegrass as sod around here which works pretty good if it gets plenty of sun and is watered well but it's not very good in the shade. They might sell some better sod that works for you out there. Chemlawn is your friend if you want a nice yard that isn't taken over by weeds (only need them for the first & second feeding and weedkiller -- you don't need the rest of the year if you take good care of your grass). Some weeds like thistle if you let it take over, you are screwed.

    If you want a nice yard, water it or else it will just get weeds and look like shit.
    Last edited by Crass3000; 03-30-2013 at 04:55 AM.

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