Garden irrigation systems
Discussion
Anyone know anything about them? I am just about to landscape our garden and I am keen to fit an irrigation system, mainly because I dont have the time to water the garden! I totally understand the zoning and in fact already have a controller from my home automation system that can control 24v valve controls but was wondering if you should install a water tank and run it off that?
If you need a tank can you use a combination of rain water and mains water from the tank? Our garden is not exactly massive but big enough plus as I like automation its a natural thing!
cheers
Simon
If you need a tank can you use a combination of rain water and mains water from the tank? Our garden is not exactly massive but big enough plus as I like automation its a natural thing!
cheers
Simon
If the garden isn't too big, you can install a Gardena one yourself. I did front and back last summer. It was great fun.
www.gardena.co.uk - go to Product Catalogue and then Irrigation Systems.
www.gardena.co.uk - go to Product Catalogue and then Irrigation Systems.
The: "leaky hose" system is worth looking at......sorry, I don't have a website for you, you'll have to google it. You simply bury the hose around the plants, turn on the water and that's it.....
It uses less water because being released below ground there is less evaporation to atmosphere...
>> Edited by 8Pack on Friday 20th January 23:09
It uses less water because being released below ground there is less evaporation to atmosphere...
>> Edited by 8Pack on Friday 20th January 23:09
I installed one, and it's very effective, and a big boy's toy (like Meccano for the garden).
I'm not sure what you mean by a tank.
- If you mean a tank that's filled in the morning (on one timer), then empties itself at another time (on another timer), i don't really see the point.
- If you mean using a water butt (filled from rain water), you could use that for delicate plants in pots. But you would empty the butt rapidly in summer.
I could write lots of boring stuff about how to do it, but it's fairly obvious, and (apart from putting it all onto a home automation system) there's little point getting much more than the basic system. What I would suggest is:
- Start with just the one zone, to get the knack. This is probably the South facing side of the main garden (not pots), which will need the most water.
- Use an outside tap and a splitter unit (Hozelock do a simple one that can handle two timers, leaving one for the main hose, and a shorter one you can use to fill buckets/watering can. Add a timer, lay your main route of hose. Run the main hose as far as you can to where you will need the water. Then start putting in the small hose runs and nozzles.
- For large beds, you will use the sprays (90 & 180 degree, particularly on stakes) rather than dribblers, which are more for pots.
- For the lawn (if you want to do it), you could install sprinklers in the lawn itself. But a better bet would be to get the big professional sprayers that you can mount round the outside.
- Don't worry if you get it wrong. If you've got a bag of spare parts, it only takes minutes to reroute it.
For the next zone, you will know how to do it. Use a separate timer (you just run it after the first one has finished) and you may want to run it for less time (say 10 mins for the shady North facing side against 20 mins for the baked South facing side).
Make sure you have a good source for parts - you will be going back several times to get more. It will end up costing a lot more than you expect, as you add new sections - but that's half the fun.
And in the heat of summer, you will really notice how well it works (and keeps SWMBO happy). Plants in sun traps survive, and you will notice that parts of the lawn that get sprayed grow much better than the other bits.
I'm not sure what you mean by a tank.
- If you mean a tank that's filled in the morning (on one timer), then empties itself at another time (on another timer), i don't really see the point.
- If you mean using a water butt (filled from rain water), you could use that for delicate plants in pots. But you would empty the butt rapidly in summer.
I could write lots of boring stuff about how to do it, but it's fairly obvious, and (apart from putting it all onto a home automation system) there's little point getting much more than the basic system. What I would suggest is:
- Start with just the one zone, to get the knack. This is probably the South facing side of the main garden (not pots), which will need the most water.
- Use an outside tap and a splitter unit (Hozelock do a simple one that can handle two timers, leaving one for the main hose, and a shorter one you can use to fill buckets/watering can. Add a timer, lay your main route of hose. Run the main hose as far as you can to where you will need the water. Then start putting in the small hose runs and nozzles.
- For large beds, you will use the sprays (90 & 180 degree, particularly on stakes) rather than dribblers, which are more for pots.
- For the lawn (if you want to do it), you could install sprinklers in the lawn itself. But a better bet would be to get the big professional sprayers that you can mount round the outside.
- Don't worry if you get it wrong. If you've got a bag of spare parts, it only takes minutes to reroute it.
For the next zone, you will know how to do it. Use a separate timer (you just run it after the first one has finished) and you may want to run it for less time (say 10 mins for the shady North facing side against 20 mins for the baked South facing side).
Make sure you have a good source for parts - you will be going back several times to get more. It will end up costing a lot more than you expect, as you add new sections - but that's half the fun.
And in the heat of summer, you will really notice how well it works (and keeps SWMBO happy). Plants in sun traps survive, and you will notice that parts of the lawn that get sprayed grow much better than the other bits.
Basically I wanted to bury a tank in the garden and take rain water from my garage and top it up with water from the mains. Then use a pump to control it. I am advised by my water authority that I not meant to connect it to the mains supply as they are lowering the water pressure to combat leaks, the presure is pretty low already.
The controller I am going to use is this www.wgldesigns.com/rain8.html mainly because my home automation system that knows whether its been raining runnings on X10 (homevision) and can drive it. I figured I would set up 5 Zones, Lawn, right beds, left beds, hanging baskets and front garden. The system will then switch on the pump and basically run through each zone in sequence.
From what I can tell burying a tank (or installing it in my garage) will be ok, and I want to take the rain run off, just because I can!
Then just the lighting to work out, also will connect this to my X10 system.
cheers
Simon
The controller I am going to use is this www.wgldesigns.com/rain8.html mainly because my home automation system that knows whether its been raining runnings on X10 (homevision) and can drive it. I figured I would set up 5 Zones, Lawn, right beds, left beds, hanging baskets and front garden. The system will then switch on the pump and basically run through each zone in sequence.
From what I can tell burying a tank (or installing it in my garage) will be ok, and I want to take the rain run off, just because I can!
Then just the lighting to work out, also will connect this to my X10 system.
cheers
Simon
Call adrian from here www.amazon-irrigation.com/ a really good guy, a pistonhead through and through (wickedly fast ford hotrod NOS'd up etc), he'll be able to help you out!!! 
We have our garden covered with several types of sprinkler done by an irrigation company. Makes life alot easier. We needed to get a tank for several reasons. So as not to suck up the house supply while sprinkling was the main one. The tank is used up in about 30 mins but takes just under an hour to fill. The pump clearly uses more water than the pressure of teh mains can supply. An installer will know the best solution (whoever it was that reccomended his dad above)
Most of our Garden:
Most of our Garden:
maddog-uk said:
Basically I wanted to bury a tank in the garden and take rain water from my garage and top it up with water from the mains. Then use a pump to control it. I am advised by my water authority that I not meant to connect it to the mains supply as they are lowering the water pressure to combat leaks, the presure is pretty low already.
Just a thought, then. Get your tank(s) and collect rainwater from wherever you can. But rain is very unpredictable, especially during the summer when you need it. The tank will run dry rapidly and regularly, and conversely, if there is a good storm, you don't want mains water in the tank - you want to be collecting as much rainwater as you can.
So rather than having the mains topping up your rain butt system (and given that you can control the system automatically), why not plumb the mains in after the pump? The system call on the butt first. When the tank is drained, the pump cuts out, and the control valve switches from the pump inlet to the mains inlet.
That way, you are maximising the amount of rainwater you use, but if there is a lack, the system automatically switches to mains water (so your plants still get watered). Once set up, all you have to do is fiddle with the time and duration. And if the Water Board come checking, the secondary system is out of sight.
HiRich said:
the system automatically switches to mains water (so your plants still get watered). Once set up, all you have to do is fiddle with the time and duration. And if the Water Board come checking, the secondary system is out of sight.
The problem is though, if you want to use sprinklers in stead of the continous drip system, no mains pressure anywhere would be able to run several sprinklers, with any effectiveness, at the same time.
Don't forget, if you are using a butt, to have a filter before the pump. Dirt and grit, leaf deposits etc, will screw up a pump eventually.
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