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

This question may seem silly, it did to me, but I was going to install my system before laying down the sod, naturally so I could water it. I've been told it's better to use a vibratory plow after the sod has "knitted" with the soil. This way less soil is disturbed then trenching and you don't have depressions in you lawn where you filled in the trench. Is this a consideration? It still would seem to be easier to do it before I install the sod.

Anyone use the blazing saddles? Are they ok to use on a bend in the poly pipe, or do they need to be on straight sections of poly only? For instance, when I get to a corner, I was just going to run the poly as close to the corner as possible, tap off it with a blazing saddle, run the funny pipe to the corner and attach the sprinkler head.

I've got a layout from the rainbird design service. It uses 1" poly pipe. It shows 1" poly (mains?) from the valves, but it also shows 1" poly from those mains to the sprinkler heads. The funny pipe is a smaller I.D., is it going to be problem going from 1" to a smaller diameter funny pipe to the sprinkler head?

Any help is appreciated. I have not installed a system before.

Thanks.

Thanks Wet Boots. Is there any maximum length for funny pipe? One that I should try not to exceed such a 12", 18", etc? Also, when running the wires for the valves (I'll have 13 valves), I know there is wire approved for burial in the ground, but do you recommend running it in some type of conduit?

Thanks again for the reply.

W.B. I agree with you and have no intention of cutting corners on anything here. I will use the black poly-coated irrigation wire that can be buried, but even with that, I thought maybe it would be still be recommended to run it in some type of conduit, such as poly pipe.

I take it you've never used blazing saddles? I've been trying to get some kind of read on whether they are effective or not. I've seen a couple members promote them, but don't see a lot of others commenting on how "good" they are. I know I can use tees where blazing saddles could be used and straight adapters for the last sprinkler head on that circuit, but if the B.S.'s were reliable, it would save me from cutting the pipe and clamping. Although if I end up clamping, I would like to use the Oetikers.

I'm going to have a valve box on each side of my house. The areas there are not very wide, so poly the line coming out of the valve that will service the circuit nearest to the valve box will have to make a pretty sharp turn right or left. Do you recommend just using an elbow to make the turn? I don't know how flexible poly is, and how sharp of a turn it can make.

W.B. that is exactly why I asked that question about putting a saddle tee on a poly pipe bend. My concern was that the outside of the poly (being in tension on a bend) would cause the hole to be stretched oblong into an ellipse, perhaps resulting in a leak. I figured they would be better suited for straight runs of poly. On a rainbird design all the lines may be straight and all turns at 90 degrees, but in reality (at least as far as how I was going to do things), I'm coming out of the valve and going to end up sweeping that main poly line in an arc and then teeing off of it to each head. There will be some straight runs, but a lot of bends.

Thanks for that info.