Irrigation Installation Time Savers, ProGardenBiz Magazine V1 Issue 3

Article by Jack Stone

In Irrigation Installation & Maintenance Time Savers, Part I we discussed many different products that make irrigation maintenance and installation easier and more efficient. As usual there is never enough space to discuss everything. Even both parts of this article will only touch on a small portion of the products available to increase your productivity and profits, but here are several more innovative ideas that you will definitely be interested in knowing more about.

Drip Irrigation

The photo above is of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Maintaining the landscaping in the hot, dry heat of Nevada is no easy task. To accomplish the task of keeping a green landscape and not waste water, Caesars Palace had installed in the bedding areas over 400 Saturn IV drip irrigation bubblers by Disco. The Saturn IV bubbler is one of many products created by Disco, a Las Vegas drip irrigation manufacturer.

The Saturn IV bubbler is designed for low maintenance installations where a low to moderate water flow rate is required. Landscaping in industrial parks, along freeways and interchanges, highway center dividers and parkway strips, office grounds, commercial complexes, and residential and municipal locations are some of the areas that can use the Saturn IV.

In a system installation, each Saturn IV bubbler has a built-in flow control device that allows custom regulation of the flow rate to work with any existing water pressure. The bubblers will function with any pressure from 10 to 100 psi, at flow rates that range from 1.5 gallons per hour to 15 gallons per hour.

Each bubbler has a built-in cleanable safety screen to trap large particles and prevent clogging of the flow control device. The take-apart design is engineered for easy maintenance after irrigation installation.

There have been other products like this on the market before, but the Saturn IV has a unique idea. Utilizing the exclusive Disco compression fitting cap that requires no clamps or snap rings to hold the drip (Standard P220) tubing in place you will never have a problem with lateral lines disconnecting from the bubbler.

Since the bubbler base accepts standard 1/2" male IPS thread (also available as male thread) it is perfect for quick retrofit of damaged or inadequate sprinkler systems.

Disco products can be found at most irrigation suppliers.

Irrigation Repair and Maintenance

Any landscape contractor who has maintained or worked on an irrigation system at a large complex (apartments, condos, office, industrial, etc.) has experienced the problem of the time involved (not to mention the legwork) in getting from where the automatic controller or valve is located and seeing the result where the sprinklers are actually situated. You spend more time running back and forth than you do working on the problem you came to solve. Or, some contractors use radios to communicate back and forth, but then someone is standing by the controller wasting time and money.

Irrigation Installation lawn pop-up TRC Systems of Seattle, Washington has the solution to that headache. It is a variation on the idea of using radios, except that the man at the controller is replaced with a remote controlled receiver. One man can do the work of two! The Portable Radio Irrigation Control (RIC) unit allows you to turn on/off any solenoid valve at random from elsewhere in the field. You can stand right where you need to observe the sprinklers in operation and control any solid state or electro-mechanical sprinkler controller.

The operation of the RIC is simple. A shoe is installed on the Irrigation Installation RIC controller itself. This allows quick and easy installation of the receiver any time you need to work with that controller. You simply slide the receiver into the shoe and it is now attached and in contact with the controller. Then you use the hand-held transmitter to activate the controller from any location in the field! You will spend more time working and less time walking when you use the RIC. More information may be obtained at www.remotecontroltech.com.

Water Conservation

Water conservation is a big issue all over the West. Low water systems are even required in many states or counties. It makes sense to be sure that your irrigation system is only providing the necessary water. Not too much, not too little. One method of doing this is to have the controller controlled by a moisture sensor. A moisture sensor is simply a device that detects the level of moisture in the ground and then acts on that information to either turn the sprinkler system on or off.

Irrigation Installation rainbird One such system is the Rain Bird MS-100 Moisture Sensor. It is able to detect moisture levels in turf, such as that on golf courses, commercial building sites, homes and parks. The Rain Bird MS-100 system can save up to 50% or more in water costs by preventing run-off and water waste below root level.

The Rain Bird MS-100 Moisture Sensor conserves water by disabling a 24 VAC sprinkler system from operating when the soil moisture content is high. The MS-100 Moisture Sensor uses two highly sensitive and corrosion-resistant carbon rod probes to measure true soil hydration directly at the soil level. When the soil probes detect soil saturation, the MS-100 will automatically bypass watering cycles to ensure that landscaping is never over-watered due to rain or excessive irrigation cycles. Once the moisture level drops below the user adjustable setting, the watering cycles will automatically resume. It eliminates constant adjustment of water schedules due to weather conditions.

There are many other products on the market to make irrigation work more efficient, cost effective, and profitable. The best place for information is your dealer or distributer. If you have a particular problem or question, though, email us and we will find the answer for you.

Irrigation Installation & Maintenance Time Savers, Part II