What is Irrigation?
An irrigation system (sprinkler) is a way to apply water to your yard and landscaping. An irrigation system is a luxury item that can make your job at home easier, by eliminating the need to drag hoses around the house and wonder when was the last time you watered, if you watered all areas, or if you watered too much.
With irrigation, you need three things, power, water and Olsen Sprinkler. Power that comes from the irrigation controller is sent to each valve telling it when to open and close. When the valve (or zone) opens, it allows water to pass through to that individual zone. The reason that there are separate zones is because there is only so much water pressure and water volume that can push a certain number of heads at a time. The controller also tells the system when to start and how long to run each zone. The water, of course, comes from the city’s meter, or in some circumstances a well or pump from a pond.
The State of Arkansas requires you to have a backflow device (a.k.a RPZ). A backflow is a device that the water passes through before entering your irrigation system. The purpose of a backflow is to prevent the dirty water in your irrigation system from passing back through into the city’s main water line. The backflow stands approx. 12 inches above ground and two feet long, it needs to be removed (or winterized) every year before freezing temperatures begin.
What to look for in an irrigation estimate:
When acquiring about an irrigation system, there are several important things to look for. Not understanding what to look for can lead to problems and costly repairs for you in the future. As a valued individual, we want you to be aware of this, thus why we created this handout for you to read.
1.Experience? Ask the person who is giving you the bid how long they have been installing irrigation, not how long the company has but that individual. If desired, ask for references, look at their past work. (Olsen sprinkler and Landscape would be happy to provide you with current references; we are a licensed irrigation contractor with the state #017080, not just licensed with the Department of Health.)
2.Insured, both with liability and workers compensation insurance? Just one mistake to your property or injury to a worker and you could be responsible. Ask who there coverage is with then call to check. (Olsen sprinkler has over a million dollars in liability coverage as well as workers compensation insurance (State Farm.) and we are bonded.)
3.Is a backflow included in the estimate? If so what size? Many companies or individuals installing irrigation don’t include this in their estimate, in order to seem lower. As far a size, we recommend at least 1 inch; bigger means more water volume. You want to use your irrigation at its maximum capacity, both with water pressure and volume. (Olsen sprinkler uses at least a 1 inch backflow, built to state code.)
4.What size pipe will be installed? The larger the pipe, the more water volume you will have. (Olsen sprinkler uses at least 1 inch PVC pipe, and keeps the flexible (funny) pipe, used to attach heads, to a length of no more than 18 inches.)
5.If a water meter is required by the city (Little Rock or commercial)? Make sure that it is included in the bid. The water purveyor will require a master plumber to turn in a permit. (Olsen sprinkler does this for you and is included in the estimate.)
6.What kind of coverage will you be getting? Many companies will tell you that your irrigation will have a 100% coverage, make sure this means one sprinkler head will reach the other head, eliminating dry spots not spray touching the other spray. (Olsen sprinkler installs our heads both rotors and pop-ups to reach each other.)
7.Does the system come with a parts and labor warranty? Will that company come back to honor the warranty? (Olsen sprinkler provides a one year warranty (see estimate) on parts and labor, also we are easy to reach and will return promptly.)
8.Are the materials used commercial grade? Some companies or individuals buy their materials form someplace like Home Depot or Lowes, who sell a line of Rainbird products, which are cheaper. (Olsen Sprinkler uses only commercial grade materials from Rainbird, Toro or others, which are better in many ways, eliminating the need to replace or repair in the future.)
9.What type of wire will be used? Generally, there are two types of irrigation wire, multi-strand and heavy underground wire. Multi-stand is cheaper to use but can cause problems in the future because of how thin it is, especially over long distance. It should only be used from controller to first valve or splice box.(Olsen Sprinkler installs heavy underground wire to all your valves, with no splices between the valves and the splice box. We also use greased underground irrigation wire nuts to prevent corrosion and rotting.)
Some Words of Warning
You Do Get What You Pay For
When choosing a contractor, you should be wary of those who offer to charge you significantly less than other contractors. Low bidders may not be licensed or insured and often use cost-cutting techniques that can jeopardize your lawn and shorten the life of your system.
Watch out for these commonly used tricks of the trade:
•Not including a backflow preventer, or using an undersized RPZ, this is required by local codes to protect your drinking water supply.
•Installing sprinklers too far apart, this makes it impossible for certain areas to receive enough water and causes brown spots during the hot summer months.
•Mixing sprinklers with different application rates on the same line, which causes one area to be over watered in order to sufficiently water another.
•Not using connectors and a protective valve box to safeguard the electrical elements, this helps guard against short circuits and prevents corrosion.
•Using four inch heads instead of six inch or more.
•Giving bid by how many zones it will take to complete job, instead of how many heads you are actually going to receive.
•Using materials from a large hardware store instead of commercial grade materials; Rainbird has a line of products that they sell to the public that is not commercial grade, including controllers, heads, valves ect.
Do you have more questions? Call Craig Olsen and he will be happy to talk with you (501-529-2846). Thanks for choosing Olsen Sprinkler Inc.
With irrigation, you need three things, power, water and Olsen Sprinkler. Power that comes from the irrigation controller is sent to each valve telling it when to open and close. When the valve (or zone) opens, it allows water to pass through to that individual zone. The reason that there are separate zones is because there is only so much water pressure and water volume that can push a certain number of heads at a time. The controller also tells the system when to start and how long to run each zone. The water, of course, comes from the city’s meter, or in some circumstances a well or pump from a pond.
The State of Arkansas requires you to have a backflow device (a.k.a RPZ). A backflow is a device that the water passes through before entering your irrigation system. The purpose of a backflow is to prevent the dirty water in your irrigation system from passing back through into the city’s main water line. The backflow stands approx. 12 inches above ground and two feet long, it needs to be removed (or winterized) every year before freezing temperatures begin.
What to look for in an irrigation estimate:
When acquiring about an irrigation system, there are several important things to look for. Not understanding what to look for can lead to problems and costly repairs for you in the future. As a valued individual, we want you to be aware of this, thus why we created this handout for you to read.
1.Experience? Ask the person who is giving you the bid how long they have been installing irrigation, not how long the company has but that individual. If desired, ask for references, look at their past work. (Olsen sprinkler and Landscape would be happy to provide you with current references; we are a licensed irrigation contractor with the state #017080, not just licensed with the Department of Health.)
2.Insured, both with liability and workers compensation insurance? Just one mistake to your property or injury to a worker and you could be responsible. Ask who there coverage is with then call to check. (Olsen sprinkler has over a million dollars in liability coverage as well as workers compensation insurance (State Farm.) and we are bonded.)
3.Is a backflow included in the estimate? If so what size? Many companies or individuals installing irrigation don’t include this in their estimate, in order to seem lower. As far a size, we recommend at least 1 inch; bigger means more water volume. You want to use your irrigation at its maximum capacity, both with water pressure and volume. (Olsen sprinkler uses at least a 1 inch backflow, built to state code.)
4.What size pipe will be installed? The larger the pipe, the more water volume you will have. (Olsen sprinkler uses at least 1 inch PVC pipe, and keeps the flexible (funny) pipe, used to attach heads, to a length of no more than 18 inches.)
5.If a water meter is required by the city (Little Rock or commercial)? Make sure that it is included in the bid. The water purveyor will require a master plumber to turn in a permit. (Olsen sprinkler does this for you and is included in the estimate.)
6.What kind of coverage will you be getting? Many companies will tell you that your irrigation will have a 100% coverage, make sure this means one sprinkler head will reach the other head, eliminating dry spots not spray touching the other spray. (Olsen sprinkler installs our heads both rotors and pop-ups to reach each other.)
7.Does the system come with a parts and labor warranty? Will that company come back to honor the warranty? (Olsen sprinkler provides a one year warranty (see estimate) on parts and labor, also we are easy to reach and will return promptly.)
8.Are the materials used commercial grade? Some companies or individuals buy their materials form someplace like Home Depot or Lowes, who sell a line of Rainbird products, which are cheaper. (Olsen Sprinkler uses only commercial grade materials from Rainbird, Toro or others, which are better in many ways, eliminating the need to replace or repair in the future.)
9.What type of wire will be used? Generally, there are two types of irrigation wire, multi-strand and heavy underground wire. Multi-stand is cheaper to use but can cause problems in the future because of how thin it is, especially over long distance. It should only be used from controller to first valve or splice box.(Olsen Sprinkler installs heavy underground wire to all your valves, with no splices between the valves and the splice box. We also use greased underground irrigation wire nuts to prevent corrosion and rotting.)
Some Words of Warning
You Do Get What You Pay For
When choosing a contractor, you should be wary of those who offer to charge you significantly less than other contractors. Low bidders may not be licensed or insured and often use cost-cutting techniques that can jeopardize your lawn and shorten the life of your system.
Watch out for these commonly used tricks of the trade:
•Not including a backflow preventer, or using an undersized RPZ, this is required by local codes to protect your drinking water supply.
•Installing sprinklers too far apart, this makes it impossible for certain areas to receive enough water and causes brown spots during the hot summer months.
•Mixing sprinklers with different application rates on the same line, which causes one area to be over watered in order to sufficiently water another.
•Not using connectors and a protective valve box to safeguard the electrical elements, this helps guard against short circuits and prevents corrosion.
•Using four inch heads instead of six inch or more.
•Giving bid by how many zones it will take to complete job, instead of how many heads you are actually going to receive.
•Using materials from a large hardware store instead of commercial grade materials; Rainbird has a line of products that they sell to the public that is not commercial grade, including controllers, heads, valves ect.
Do you have more questions? Call Craig Olsen and he will be happy to talk with you (501-529-2846). Thanks for choosing Olsen Sprinkler Inc.