How We Install Your Residential Sprinkler System
The Commercial Lawn Irrigation Installation Process
Installing a sprinkler system in your yard is not an ideal “DIY” project, mostly due to the threat of damaging the existing underground infrastructure as well as the lofty plumbing licensing requirements needed to tap into your main water line.
However, we think it’s still valuable for our customers to know the process of how to install a sprinkler system, as well as what makes the Commercial Lawn sprinkler installation process unique.
At Commercial Lawn Irrigation, we pride ourselves on taking the most professional, efficient route to guarantee you a greener lawn. That means we not only follow all state requirements to a tee, but we thoroughly inspect your property beforehand & adjust the system even after the installation process is complete.
That combination makes us the best residential sprinkler company in Southern Illinois.
If a professional sprinkler system is something you’re considering, contact us today for a free estimate and guidance on your envisioned project. A greener lawn is just a button click away!
First step: Assessing Your Property
When you schedule an estimate with us, our crew evaluates the unique needs of your property in order to give you an accurate figure.
There are many factors that affect the cost of a sprinkler system. For one, the availability and type of water main your property possesses can lead to a wide variety of hookup difficulties. In general, the total cost of your home sprinkler system will be dependent upon how large your property is, as well as the types of sprinkler zones it will require in order to achieve complete water coverage.
Naturally, there are upgrades where sprinkler timers are concerned as well as wifi capabilities and wireless rain sensors that can all affect the estimated total you receive.
After you receive your estimate and give us the go ahead, the Commercial Lawn Irrigation crew will perform all of the utility locates. This is actually a frequently asked question from our customers. When you work with us you don’t have to worry about who to call to locate all of the existing piping and wiring underneath your yard. Our crew has extensive experience performing these locates, and on the off chance something is severed during the install process, we take care of the repairs as well.
Second Step: Designing a Lawn Sprinkler System
When we design your sprinkler system, we do so using design principles centered around zones and head types, based on how wide and deep your property is.
With a wide-open area, we use adjustable rotor heads, while on the sides of houses the yard typically narrows, so we drop down to pop up spray heads that spray a nice mist. Certain yards may also necessitate the use of mist heads.
Drip irrigation zones are one of our other specialties. We find that areas of landscaping with more fragile plant life, or even full-blown gardens or greenhouses, benefit most from these slow-drip irrigation zones.
No matter what, we also take into consideration plant types and water needs when envisioning your future spray zones.
In most cases, we use square or triangular spacing with head-to-head coverage, which simply means that one head pops up and sprays up to the next head. This is the most surefire way of guaranteeing 100% coverage.
This distribution uniformity is very important, we don’t want over or underwatering!
Third Step: In-Ground Sprinkler Installation
It’s finally time to install your in-ground sprinkler system! Our crew will typically be pulling into your property around 8 or 9 in the morning to flag the head locations. We’ll have also scheduled a licensed plumber to arrive in order to turn off your water supply (maybe for an hour). After locations are made, our crew pulls pipe and makes additional locates for pool lines, dog fences, and any other number of underground infrastructure that public locators don’t mark.
The typical turnaround time for a normal-sized yard (up to an acre) is one day. When our crew first begins the install process, it will look like a mole ran through your yard, but the most important thing our crew keeps in mind during installation is the aesthetic of your property.
We use a vibratory plow that knifes through your yard and doesn’t trench anything open. At the end of the day, our irrigation company lives by the motto “we leave your yard looking better than how we found it.”
We refuse to tear up your property, and any and all holes or trenches that are dug are filled in properly and excess soil is disposed of.
We use polyethylene piping (a softer pipe that won’t freeze and crack so in the winterization process there’s less likely to be damage to your lateral lines) and some PVC (for pressurized main lines). We find that excess PVC creates more liability for your system in the event your system isn’t blown out properly. This piping is placed in the dug locations using a specialized machine.
After all the piping is put into place and your sprinkler heads are placed and restored, our attention turns to the lawn itself. Pulling through an established lawn means we have to clean up the grass debris.
Once everything is properly cleaned and installed, our crew turns the system on and audits the water coverage, making adjustments whenever necessary.
With Commercial Lawn, your system is 100% guaranteed to achieve complete water coverage.
Finally: Customer Follow Up
Our maintenance staff will also take the time to go over your new sprinkler timer with you step by step. While we make sure your system is properly programmed and optimized from the get-go, we also believe in the value of an educated customer.
Primarily, we make the customers know what times to water, how long to water, and how often to water. We also like to talk about the different requirements of various soil types. For example, in Southern Illinois we see a lot of clay-based lawns, so we like to make our customers aware of a cycle and soak program--
What is a cycle and soak program? Well, continuing with the clay soil type example, the saturation point on clay is reached quickly because it’s so dense. You might need to water for 30 total but you’ll need to break it up into separate, smaller cycles first, and then let it rest for a period of time so the water is fully absorbed. WIthout a cycle and soak program, once that clay hits the saturation point all that water is just going down the street gutter. This is a surefire way of saving our customers water and money.
What’s included in the initial Installation Contract?
Sprinkler installation contracts with Commercial Lawn Irrigation cover turn on and shut down services for the first year. We also offer those services beyond that first year for additional fees at the time of service.
Discounted sprinkler maintenance contracts are offered as well, contact us for more details.
At the end of the day, though, we realize this is your sprinkler system, and so we leave it up to the homeowner to decide what services they desire.
If you’re handy enough to handle turn-ons and winterizations, our crew will actually help walk you through the process so you’re treating your system correctly!
Are you interested in installing a sprinkler system for your yard? A greener property is just a button click away! Fill out our brief contact form to get started and we’ll get your FREE estimate on the schedule.
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The time it takes to install a sprinkler system depends entirely upon the size of the system and the unique challenges of your landscape.
In general, a sprinkler system installation takes between 3 - 5 hours. Nearly all of our installations are completed within 1 day. -
The cost of your sprinkler system will depend on a number of factors.
In general, though, a typical residential sprinkler installation should expect to receive an estimate in the $3000 - $3,500 range. -
Absolutely yes! Sprinkler systems not only create greener, more water efficient lawns, but simply having a sprinkler system installed increases your property value whenever it comes time to sell your property.
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We do not recommend underground sprinkler installation as a DIY project. Performing line locates, dealing with plumbing regulations, and properly installing your system and timer is a complicated process best left to professionals.