Irrigation System Installations

Upon receiving your request for an estimate, we’ll work with you to set up a time when you will be home for a site visit. If you are not able to meet us, our office staff will ask you a series of questions in order to give you a rough estimate, but we strongly request your presence during the site visit in order to give you a more thorough estimate and answer any questions you may have.

We’ll come to your residence to meet with you to go over details that affect the system design (water service size, water pressure and access to the main water line). After inspection of the water service, we will walk throughout your yard with you to discuss the different areas you may or may not want watered. It is important to discuss future plans to your yard as that will change the way we install the system. Landscaping, pools and additions are examples of changes that can greatly alter the way a system is installed. Once we have obtained the information we will give you an on-site estimate and answer any questions you may have.

Once a deposit and signed contract are received, we’ll proceed to call in a markout of your property, as required by law. All underground public utilities in the area to be worked in (service lines for phone, cable, electric, gas and fios) are what will be marked. Gas lines that run to pools and grills, or electric lines that run to light posts and sheds will not be marked by the utility companies. This process can take up to a week to complete. The day we do the installation, we will locate all other private lines the homeowner discloses to us.

All sprinkler systems must be inspected by local officials for proper backflow prevention and a rain sensor. Therefore, a permit must be submitted to your local construction office along with a fee. Most towns require us to submit a drawing of the system on a survey/plot plan. We will fill out the permit and drop it off at your municipality’s construction office. Once it is approved, we’ll ask the homeowner to go to the municipal building and pay for it. The cost of the permit will be somewhere between $65 and $175 depending on the town you live in. They will give you the permit paperwork including the number you will need to call for an inspection.

We’ll arrive at your residence early in the morning and go over last minute details with you. This includes the timer location, any possible changes to the system or yard, location of auxiliary hose spigots, availability for a demonstration at the end of the day, etc. All known underground lines will be located and the property lines will be verified. We will then use flags to mark where we want the sprinkler heads located. The job foreman will be informed of all the details for your installation and the work will begin.

We will need access to your house to make the connection for the sprinkler system. The water will need to be turned off for up to 4 hours. A shut-off valve will be installed so that the system can be shut down for maintenance, or for the winter. This valve will be marked with a tag to help prevent someone from opening the valve during the winter. A pipe will be run to the outside of the house where the backflow prevention device (PVB) will be installed. This device is required by law and is necessary to prevent water from coming back into the house.

Once your system design is determined, our technicians will begin to install the piping. We use a vibratory plow to install the pipe which helps minimize the damage done to your lawn. This machine slits the pipe into the ground without opening a trench. An average yard needs approximately 1,200 feet of piping.

After the pipe has been installed, small holes are dug so the connections can be made. The grass is carefully removed and the soil is excavated. The technicians then make the connections for each valve and sprinkler head in the yard. When completed, the soil is returned to the hole and the grass is placed back over the hole. The spot is tamped to compact the soil to its original density.

The timer is placed in an accessible spot in the garage whenever possible. This allows you to see the system operate more easily when you have activated it. If it were in the house, you would have to run back and forth constantly. The rain sensor is installed in a gutter or on the house near the roof line.

After all connections have been made, the entire yard is backfilled and tamped. The grass is raked free of debris, any trash is picked up and the concrete surfaces are swept off.

At this point, the system is ready to be tested and adjusted. The water is turned on and the piping is tested for leaks. Once we know there are no leaks, the heads are adjusted for the proper coverage.

After completion of the system, we will give you a complete demonstration of how it works. First we’ll give you instruction on how to program your timer. Next, we will show you the operation of each zone and each head. For the hands on homeowner, we will explain how to adjust the rotor heads. A key that is used to adjust the heads is left with the timer. Don’t worry about trying to remember everything. There are video demonstrations for head adjustments and timer instructions on our website.