How To Install A Sprinkler Manifold

Thinking near installing your own sprinklers? You lot'll probably need to retrieve virtually a sprinkler system manifold! In this commodity we'll teach you how to install sprinkler valve manifold (and explain why yous may desire to make a DIY sprinkler valve box). We'll also cover the entire process of how to install sprinklers.

Concluding week we shared all about how to plan for installing your own sprinklers. We left off with mapping your sprinkler arrangement. Planning is a VERY of import step if y'all are going to be installing sprinklers, and so don't skip it. If y'all missed final week's post, go check it out first earlier finishing this one about how to install sprinklers, definitely go dorsum and check it out.

Last week we talked most:

why you should install an in-basis sprinkler system vs an to a higher place-ground one
what a zone is
how to figure out your dwelling house's PSI and GPM
how to map your irrigation system and zones.

Today, nosotros're moving on the 2nd part in this series and talking all well-nigh the actual installation of sprinklers and sharing more details on the sprinkler manifold. This is your guide on how to install sprinklers. Let'due south leap right in!

This How To Install Sprinklers post contains affiliate links, but nothing that I wouldn't wholeheartedly recommend anyway! Read my full disclosure here.

Close up view of green grass blades that are wet with drops of water from sprinklers with text overlay that says how to install your own sprinklers

How to install sprinklers

Step 1. Buy your supplies

Here'southward a bones list of the major items that you'll need to install sprinklers.

Timer & Sprinkler Wire – Sprinkler wire powers the command of the organization and the timer. Once you figure out the number of zones you lot need, yous will purchase a timer and the correct corporeality of sprinkler wire to meet those specific needs. Not sure how to figure out the number of zones you need?… head on back to Role one in this serial to effigy it out.
- Pro Tip – Don't a buy inexpensive timer, spend your money on a good timer. Be sure it has ability to apply a watering schedule, different zone settings, odd vs even days, rainy days, etc.
Sprinkler Valve – This turns the water on and off. You'll need one sprinkler valve per zone you lot have on your backyard.
Manifold – You can buy premade manifolds or make your own (we'll talk more than well-nigh that later).
Tubing – You tin can use either flexible tubing or PVC tubing. We opted for Schedule xl PVC.
Swing Pipe – This is to connect the sprinkler heads to your tubing.
Backflow Preventer – Remember last week when I said you demand to check with your city to check for rules and regulations? One thing that our city required was a blackflow preventer, which prevents irrigation h2o from flowing dorsum into your house's drinking water supply.
Sprinkler Heads – Refer back to Part i if yous demand help figuring out what kind & how many sprinkler heads you lot need.

Stride 2. Build A Sprinkler Valve Manifold

Beginning of all, let's go back the basics here.

What is a valve manifold for sprinkler system?

A valve manifold for a sprinkler arrangement is where the h2o supply is divided into the zones (each fastened to its own valve) that your sprinkler organisation will have, so each zone and run independently. The manifold box besides where you install valves to put on a sprinkler timer.

What does each function do?

The sprinkler valve turns the water on and off. Y'all'll demand i sprinkler valve per zone you have on your lawn. We had 4.
The manifold is where the water from the master supply line gets diverted to split up zones using the sprinkler valves.

A valve manifold will unremarkably take a water supply coming in and a few branches where valves are attached. Every bit yous'll see in the movie below we decided to add unions on both sides of the valve to make replacing the valves easier if they intermission.

Why should you lot brand a DIY own sprinkler manifold?

For some silly reason that we cannot begin to sympathize, the major manufacturers for the valves exercise not put unions (which is a twist off) on both sides of the valve manifolds.

This means that if your valves interruption subsequently downwardly the road, you will not be able to remove them easily to supervene upon. Permit'due south just assume Potato's law here…your valves will pause eventually sooner or subsequently. You will have to cut pipe afterwards and information technology is non going to exist piece of cake to replace your valves if you lot don't accept unions to easily replace the valves.

Hither'due south a moving picture of the manifold Logan congenital. This was right after nosotros put it in, and so after this you'd want to wash it all off and put a gravel bed there for drainage. I labeled where the unions are.

Valve manifold with unions | Why sprinkler valve manifolds need unions | Why you should build your own sprinkler valve manifold

step 3. Dig trenches for sprinkler lines.

Digging is, obviously, the most time consuming role of the whole sprinkler install. To make things a little easier for yourselves, you can besides rent a trencher (aka ditch witch). We unfortunately couldn't exercise this because we have a septic organization in our backyard and we were worried virtually ruining any septic pipes. We also have a lot of lava rocks in the soil of Central Oregon and our backyard had a lot of droppings in the soil, so nosotros didn't wan to ruin a car that was rented.

And so it was earthworks…

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…and digging…

How deep should yous bury sprinkler lines?

This is a very good question if yous are learning how to install sprinklers.

We chose to bury our sprinklers virtually eight inches down. We will demand to winterize our sprinkler system every winter.

Depending on where you live, you may exist able to avert having to winterize if your bury the lines below the freezing line in your area. The freezing line in Curve is over 2 feet, and then there's no way we were going to do all the digging 2 feet downwardly! Nosotros already had enough digging on our hands.

Step 4. Ready your irrigation wire

Refer back to your irrigation program (cheque out Part 1 if yous need aid planning) to see where your timer will be. You volition need to run sprinkler wire from the valve box to the timer.

If you tin plan your digging right, you may be lucky to run the wire for your timer in some of the same trenches equally the pipes. Exist sure that you are placing the wire underneath the sprinkler tubing though, then you don't ruin the wire.

Pro Tip: Put the wire its own PVC piping. This way it will be protected when you're excavation later. If anything does ever happen (like a cleaved wire), you will exist able to pull new wire through the PVC to the timer.

Step 5. Lay out & glue your pipes

Once your digging is washed, it's important to lay out all of your pipes nearly the trenches and starting time gluing! You lot definitely desire to apply the glue heavily. Purchase more than you call up you will need!

Here's a quick video that does a great job showing y'all how to mucilage PVC pipe & fittings.

Pace vi. Identify your sprinklers

While you are working on installing your sprinklers, it's great to use flags to map out where the sprinklers belong. You will then use swing pipe to connect the PVC pipe with the sprinkler caput.

Your PVC should be inside 2 feet of the sprinkler head. Once y'all're done laying in the pipe and the sprinklers heads, don't backfill all of the dirt in your trenches quite yet. Just put plenty to secure the sprinkler heads.

Step vii. Clean sprinklers & bank check for leaks

To clean your sprinklers, you need:

Pull the popup sprinkler up manually
Thread off sprinkler tips
Go to supply and turn on water (only not total nail)
Let it run a couple minutes while you check everything. Brand sure that every sprinkler head has water coming out. Bank check all tubing for any leaks. This also clears out whatever dirt or gum from your tubing and heads.

Before you offset backfilling the sprinkler trenches, set up and exam your timer every bit well.

Stride 8. Backfill trenches

If you don't take any leaks, you're good to become! Go ahead and put your sprinkler tips back on and backfill all of your trenches.

Can you install your own sprinklers?

Well, you're at the tail stop of my little series of how to install sprinklers and you may be asking yourself this question. Can nosotros really do this? The reply is aye. Aye, you can DIY your sprinklers. In that location are And so many resource out there for you to learn how to install sprinklers. You can brainwash yourself, put in the sweat equity (aka digging for DAYS), and come up away with a sprinkler system that you set and forget.

Here are the facts…If you lot install your own sprinklers:

You lot will save thousands of dollars.
You lot volition acquire something new.
Y'all will probably feel overwhelmed at some bespeak during the procedure (or the whole process, haha). Hopefully my guide on how to install sprinklers will help ease some of that feet.
You lot volition footstep away and be able to say "I did that".

But installing your ain sprinklers is not for anybody.This level of DIY may be way over your caput and that's ok. Your specific irrigation needs may be very complicated and phone call for a professional person. Maybe yous fifty-fifty call back we're crazy for doing something similar this ourselves, truth be told I thought nosotros were pretty crazy as well.

Whatever you decide, make an educated and informed decision that works for YOU.

Source: https://www.makingmanzanita.com/how-to-install-your-own-sprinkler-system/

Posted by: baileyhavereste.blogspot.com