SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers

Hi All!

I ran across this site doing research for irrigation systems, and there seemed to be some excellent opinions here, so I thought I would join.

My wife and I have lived in our house (which we built new) since 1993. Our yard has always been a neglected piece of #*$^, and we both want this to change.

So, we are going to work on keeping the weeds under control and kill the lawn off this fall and start from scratch. We both think that having an in-ground sprinkler system combined with scheduled lawn service will help us finally get a yard we can both be proud of.

So, knowing nothing about brands, equipment, etc. we are in the process of getting quotes from several different companies in the Kansas City area for our yard which is somewhere between 7,100-7,500 sq ft.

We will probably live here another 4-5 years before moving.

So...

Would it be wrong to post some quotes on here WITHOUT the name of the companies who have bid on our project? What I am looking for is opinions on the parts/costs so that I can make the best decision.

I really have NO experience with this stuff. I want a system that will not require a lot of maintenance and that is dependable. That said, I don't necessarily need the best that there is, but who knows, maybe one of the quotes will really stand out based on items/costs.

Your thoughts?

Anyone willing to help me out here?

By the way, I know A LOT about audio/stereo equipment. So if anyone needs some help getting steered in the right direction in that area, I would be happy to lend a hand! []

Brad

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Wet_Boots</i>
<br />So, should I buy that Marantz 10B tuner at the thrift shop, with its $35 price tag? []<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Ummm...if you don't, I will! [:p]

OK...take a look at these two quotes...

Vendor 1

Rotors Rainbird 5000 14@ $18.00 = $252.00
Sprayers Rainbird 21@ $6.00 = $126.00
Valves Rainbird 7@ $32.95 = $230.65
Wire 14 Guage 700@ $0.12 = $84.00
Controller Rainbird ESP 8 1@ $160.00 = $160.00
Backflow Watts PVB 1@ $169.00 = $169.00
Main Line PVC Class 2000 80@ $0.33 = $26.40
Laterials PVC Class 2000 850@ $0.33 = $280.50
Miscellaneous Fittings & Glue 1@ $140.00 = $140.00
Labor 52@ $32.00 = $1,664.00

Total $3,132.55

Vendor 2 (no price per items)

Rotors Hunter I-20 (25)
Sprayers Hunter Mist (16)
Valves Zone Valves (8-9)
Wire Unknown (Unknown)
Controller Hunter Pro-C (1)
Backflow 1" FEBCO PVB (1)
Main Line PVC (Unknown)
Laterials PVC (Unknown)
Miscellaneous Fittings & Glue (Unknown)
Labor (Unknown)

Total $3,500.00

The second vendor did not break out the costs per item as the first, but I don't know if that is really important.

Quite a difference between the number of rotors/sprayers in each quote. The second vendor mentioned that their design would prevent any (I believe he said "blanching" of the yard). Does this mean head-to-head coverage?

One thing that concerns me is that both bids use PVC piping - not poly. I am in the midwest (Kansas City), should I be concerned about this. When I asked the second vendor about this, he said as long as the system was winterized, there would not be any problems.

One thing I liked about the second vendor (aside from his suggestion of Hunter products) is he said they would show me how to activate the system every spring - thus saving me a service call to get the system ready for use. I think they charge $55.00 to winterize it, which seemed very reasonable. He also said if I had an air compressor, they would show me how to blow out the system each year so I would not have to pay for any maintenance.

Any thoughts, opinions?