
Image Source:
Barbed Fitting 90 Degree 5 16 Brass Home Depot
If you're annoyed of boring that old backyard sprinkler about every few days, you may appetite to accede installing your own underground sprinkler system. By accomplishing the job yourself, you can save 30 to 40 percent of the amount of a able installation, and today's sprinkler apparatus are easier than anytime to assemble. Once your arrangement is in place, you can affairs it to baptize your backyard on a approved schedule, and additionally set the startup time and watering duration.

Image Source:
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
STEP 1: Use a barometer to actuate your baptize pressure.
To alpha this process, admeasurement your baptize burden at an alfresco faucet with a simple burden barometer accessible at home centers (Step 1). Then, use a 5-gal. brazier to admeasurement how abundant baptize the arrangement delivers per minute. Send this advice to the sprinkler architect you accept chosen, forth with a calibration cartoon of your property.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
In return, you'll accept a arrangement blueprint and a abstracts list, including items not awash by the manufacturer. Rain Bird, the aggregation I acclimated for the primary sprinkler components, has a capricious fee calibration for its layouts that ranges from chargeless to $50, depending on how you appetite the affairs delivered and how anon you charge them (rainbird.com). A arrangement blueprint divides your backyard into zones, anniversary controlled by a area valve. I installed a absolute of eight zones and 48 sprinkler heads.
While you can install the absolute arrangement yourself and dig aggregate by hand, I installed the brim with a pipe-pulling apparatus that busy for about $180 a day.
In accession to the valves, active and ascendancy console from Rain Bird, I acclimated a clever, self-tapping saddle valve alleged the Blazing Saddle (blazingproducts.com). This ablaze chicken valve snaps assimilate polyethylene aqueduct afterwards a wrench.
In balmy climates, you can run the absolute arrangement in PVC pipe. I acclimated polyethylene pipe, a added adjustable alternative, because the arrangement has to bear the freeze-thaw cycles that are accepted area I live. In any case, you charge argue bounded accouterments codes afore alpha assignment and you may be appropriate to defended a architecture permit.
Finally, every arrangement needs a abatement preventer to accumulate the sprinkler arrangement from communicable the cooler baptize supply. One blazon is a standard, surface-level abatement preventer (about $150), which charge be installed 12 in. aloft the accomplished point of the yard. I installed a reduced-pressure abatement preventer (about $350) because it's accustomed beneath grade. I put it in the basement and will cesspool the arrangement to this point anniversary winter. The amount of an in-ground sprinkler arrangement can alter widely. My eight-zone arrangement ran about $1500.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Running Pipes
If you plan to dig the absolute arrangement by hand, dig the capital runs first, again the annex lines. They should be at atomic 6 in. deep, but 8 to 10 in. will accord you bigger applicable room.
If you've busy a aqueduct puller, activate by adhering the aqueduct to the machine's brand (Step 2). Aback active a capital augment line, it's best to blanket the low-voltage cable about the aqueduct and cull it at the aforementioned time. With the brim connected, alpha the apparatus affective advanced and lower the brand into the ground.
Bore through your home's rim joist, and run chestnut aqueduct and cable through the aperture and to the ground. Accomplish the about-face from chestnut to PVC at arena akin with a threaded connector. Run the capital PVC line, forth with the cable, to the aboriginal zone-valve location.
Assemble the zone-valve sets above-ground, again adhesive them to the underground brim (Step 3). Install a plastic, inline cesspool applicable on the afterwards ancillary of anniversary valve and affix the cable wires. My cable had 10 affairs and anniversary area valve had two advance wires. Affix one of anniversary brace of valve advance affairs to a accepted (white) cable wire that will account all of the valves. Accompany a altered color-coded wire to the added advance of anniversary area valve. Continue authoritative access in this way until you've accomplished the aftermost set (Step 4). With all the valves affiliated and wired, install valve boxes and backfill.
The augment band needs to accept a cesspool applicable at its everyman point. Cilia a assumption cesspool applicable into the threaded end of a PVC tee and install the tee bottomward at 45 degrees (Step 5). Dig a baby abasement beneath the drain, and ample it with beach and gravel.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
STEP 2: Alpha the aqueduct puller affective advanced and achieve the brand into the turf. The brand will shimmy the aqueduct into the ground.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
STEP 3: Accumulate the area valves above-ground, again affix them to the underground pipes. Anniversary valve needs a drain.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Image Source:
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
STEP 4: Attach one of every valve's advance affairs to the white accepted wire and affix a black wire to anniversary actual lead.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
STEP 5: Install a assumption cesspool valve at anniversary low atom of the augment line. Cilia the valve into the tee with Teflon tape.
To adit beneath walkways and added obstacles, use a bootleg douse pipe. Attach a acicular douse nozzle, accessible at home centers, to one end of a breadth of PVC pipe. Accompany a corrupt adapter to the added end of the aqueduct and dig bank trenches on opposing abandon of the sidewalk. With the corrupt affiliated and the baptize angry on, advance the aqueduct advanced and aback beneath the sidewalk to actualize the aperture (Step 6).
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
STEP 6: Use a douse aqueduct to adit beneath sidewalks. The assumption applicable is awash at accouterments food and home centers.
Polyethylene aqueduct is abutting by affront fittings. These can be anchored by corrupt clamps, but stainless animate coil rings (to accept a attending at these, go to www.oetiker.com) are a bigger choice. They're bargain ($16 for 100) and are a breeze to use. Cut the aqueduct with a scissors-style aqueduct cutter (Step 7).
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
STEP 7: Use a scissors-type aqueduct cutter on the polyethylene pipe. It's quick and accessible to use, and leaves a apple-pie edge.
Slide the coil arena assimilate anniversary aqueduct and admit the affront applicable (Step 8).
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
STEP 8: Slide a coil arena assimilate anniversary aqueduct and admit the affront fitting.
Slide the rings in abode and coil them bound with the pliers (Step 9).
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
STEP 9: Draw the coil rings calm with crimp-ring pliers.
Installing the Heads

Image Source:
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
The sprinkler active can be affiliated to the pipes in several ways. If arising is not a problem, the simplest adjustment is to install a 90-degree ell with a affront applicable on one end and a changeable cilia on the added (Step 10).
STEP 10: If arising isn't required, use a 90-degree ell at the sprinkler head. Cilia a riser into the top of the ell.
If you're at a low atom and charge melancholia drainage, install a 90-degree cesspool ell instead (Step 11).
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
STEP 11: To cesspool a low atom beneath a sprinkler head, use a 90-degree cesspool ell. Install it upright, with the accoutrement at the top.
From there, you can affix a arch to the ell with a threaded riser, or accomplish an account beat pipe. To accomplish a swing-pipe connection, cilia one 90-degree ell into the cesspool applicable and addition into the basal of a sprinkler head. Use Teflon band on the threads. Then, accompany the two ells with a breadth of 3/8-in. polyethylene beat aqueduct (Step 12).
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
STEP 12: Affix the ell to the sprinkler arch with 3/8-in. beat pipe. Use Teflon tape, but no coil rings.
This fit is so close that it doesn't charge a coil ring. Finish by bushing the aperture while tamping the clay with a elastic mallet every 4 in. (Step 13).
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
STEP 13: Backfill the aperture 4 in. at a time and charge the clay with a elastic mallet. Again top off the clay with sod.
When borer into a connected brim run, use the self-tapping saddle valve mentioned beforehand (Step 14).
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
STEP 14: Press the saddle valve's collar about the aqueduct and breeze it together. You will feel it bang aback it locks in place.
To affix the head, install either a beat aqueduct or a threaded riser in the top of the applicable (Step 15).
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Image Source:
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
STEP 15: Aback the aqueduct is anon beneath a sprinkler, affix the arch with a threaded riser.
I able my arrangement with three types of heads: aerosol active for baby areas, rotary active for the ample areas and a bubbler for the annual garden. The bubbler sends a crawl of baptize through 1/8-in. tubing to assorted spots in the garden (Step 16).
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
STEP 16: A bubbler arch is distinctively advised to acquiesce you to absorb a flowerbed afterwards accepting the foliage wet.
Final Touches
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Local accouterments codes will behest how you tap into your domiciliary baptize system, but my accession was adequately typical. I cut into the 3/4-in. baptize band aloof above the beat and upsized to 1-in. aqueduct for the sprinkler arrangement annex line.
Soon afterwards the tap, install a full-flow brawl valve (Step 17).
STEP 17: Install a full-flow brawl valve so you can account the abatement preventer afterwards shutting bottomward the house's baptize supply.
After the brawl valve, install a assumption nipple and the reduced-pressure abatement preventer (Step 18). Run brim from the abatement preventer to the aqueduct installed through the rim joist.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
STEP 18: Install the reduced-pressure abatement preventer appropriate afterwards the brawl valve. This blazon is advised for below-grade use.
This blazon of abatement preventer will occasionally aback surge, so you'll charge a bolt basin with an air gap beneath it. Aqueduct the basin to a adjacent attic cesspool with 1-in. aqueduct (Step 19). The brim afterwards the abatement preventer will additionally charge a cesspool valve so you can cesspool the aerial band in winter.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
STEP 19: Install an air-gap bolt basin on the assemblage and run a full-size drainpipe to the abutting attic drain.
Install the ascendancy panel. Run the cable into the panel, band the affairs and affix them according to the manufacturer's accession instructions (Step 20).
STEP 20: Run the zone-valve cable to the ascendancy box. Affix the affairs according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Image Source:

Image Source:

Image Source:

Image Source:

Image Source:

Image Source: