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Will installing a sprinkler system damage my lawn?

9/2/2016

16 Comments

 
If you have an established lawn and you enjoy keeping it healthy and looking great, chances are you are concerned with keeping it properly irrigated.

You’ve spent countless hours watering by hand and are getting tired of dealing with dragging hoses around and all the time it takes to do so. But... you don’t want to have an automatic watering system installed because you’re afraid of damaging or disrupting the turf.

Pro Tip: There are several steps and precautions that can be taken to avoid excessive damage.

1. Time of Year
Consider the time of year when installing your underground irrigation system. Early spring and fall are good times to install for several reasons. Generally speaking, there is already a high moisture content in the soil which makes the digging easier and the restoration quicker.

As a contractor or installer, one of the hardest things to do is install a system in the middle of summer when the ground is bone dry. It’s hard on the equipment and the installers, not to mention very stressful on the lawn and landscape.


2. Type of Equipment

Every contractor does things a little different from the next. But, there are generally two type of machines that are used to install the piping for your irrigation system: trencher and plow (or vibratory plow). 

A 
trencher physically digs an open trench, then the pipe is laid into the trench and covered up afterwards. This is messy, very labor intensive and the buried trenches usually have a tendency to settle over the years requiring more work down the road to level the soil and reseed.

A vibratory plow or sometimes called a pipe puller is less intrusive and destructive to the surface. It lowers a blade into the ground with the sprinkler pipe attached to it. Then the blade shakes or vibrates as the machine drives forward and installs the pipe as it moves. The only thing that is visible afterwards is a slit or cut in the grass. This slit can be gently tamped down or soaked with water and very quickly almost disappears. This way no settling will occur and there is no reseeding needed.  
Picture

​3. Hand Digging

Every installation will require some digging no matter what. Each sprinkler location or pipe connection will require some digging to allow enough space to install the sprinkler heads or connectors.

Before digging, the established grass or sod should be carefully stripped away and set aside. While the dirt is being excavated from the hole it should be set on a tarp or piece of plywood (Shown in the picture below). This will make the burial process quicker and cleaner because the dirt and rock that is excavated won’t mix into the rest of the established grass. If there is some dirt left over after the hole is buried, it can easily be carried away and disposed of after the sod that was set aside is gently placed back where it came from.
Picture

4. ​Soak the Entire Lawn After Installation
After the sprinkler system has been completely installed, it’s a good idea to thoroughly water in all of the areas where work was performed for several days. This will minimize any additional stress to the lawn and help things settle in.

5. Specialized Contractor
Be sure to choose a contractor that has experience working around sensitive areas like landscaping, hardscaping and established turf. They will be a little more patient and tolerant of special circumstances. If it’s done properly, you should hardly be able to tell that someone was in your yard, let alone installing an extensive system of underground piping and irrigation heads!
16 Comments
Lineward Corporation link
3/12/2018 06:46:09 am

Since 1972, Line-Ward has hand-crafted the highest quality Line Layers and boring equipment specifically designed for seamless underground cable and pipe line installations. All Line-Ward line laying equipment is based on the original design patents held by its founders.

Line-Ward, located in Buffalo, New York, attributes their continuing success to combining small business sense with an innovative product for underground cable and sprinkler pipe installation.

Line-Ward customers know they have purchased a reliable and durable piece of machinery that meets the needs of buried service industries.

For More Details : https://lineward.com

Reply
Donald Burns link
11/8/2018 08:40:50 am

Thanks for posting this article. This is a very common question that we are often asked. In the long run, a lawn lacking irrigation will be far more damaged in the long run than a lawn that received short term setbacks from the installation process.
http://www.bendsprinklerirrigation.com

Reply
Jenna Hunter link
6/17/2019 02:14:25 pm

My cousin has just bought a new house and their lawn is really yellow even though they've been watering it. The house is pretty old and the sprinkler system probably is too, it would be helpful if they could just replace the system. I'll be sure to tell them that they need to install it in early spring or fall for the best results.

Reply
Thomas Jameson link
6/27/2019 11:36:54 am

It's good to know that spring is a good time to install an irrigation system since the ground is naturally moist and easier to dig. My brother wants to start a farm, and he'll need an irrigation system for it. I'll pass this information along to him so that he can get an irrigation system installed before spring ends in a few weeks.

Reply
savannhsprinkler link
8/12/2019 08:07:35 am

hiii buddy......
i really like your article as it is really helpful and useful for me. ..

Reply
Savannhsprinkler link
9/24/2019 08:24:15 am

Hi buddy..... I really like your post and i appreciate your work regarding this article.This article is so helpful for me and must say you did great work.

Reply
Callum Palmer link
10/22/2019 06:45:43 pm

We are looking to install a new sprinkler system for our house. As you said, it is good to see the different options that I have as far as digging goes. I'll probably be doing it by hand as I don't have access to the heavy equipment.

Reply
Lawn Sprinkler installation Austin TX link
11/16/2020 04:14:49 am

That post was a treat to the eyes! Great to hear from you about the various aspects of sprinklers installation. You guys are seriously doing some great stuff and hence could not be ignored at all.

Reply
Tez link
8/17/2021 06:31:25 pm

I think you are right about how different contractors have different styles of fixing problems. I need to get a new irrigation system built in the backyard. I want to have sprinklers set up for my garden.

Reply
Chance Cook link
8/31/2021 06:43:39 am

I'll be sure to soak the whole lawn after getting an installation system. That would hopefully make it work properly. Because I don't want to go out and water my lawn everyday.

Reply
Hailey Miller link
10/29/2021 10:22:29 pm

Thanks for pointing out that we should pick a contractor who has experience in installing a sprinkler system. My husband and I want to improve our yard before the holiday season. We are hoping to find a reliable expert on Monday who can install a new sprinkler system in our yard within two hours.

Reply
Michelle link
2/23/2022 11:27:36 pm

Thanks for sharing this useful information! Hope that you will continue with the kind of stuff you are doing.

Reply
Lawn Company in Richmond link
10/25/2022 12:01:43 am

While many people believe that installing a sprinkler system will damage their lawn, this is not the case. In fact, a properly installed and maintained sprinkler system can actually improve the health of your lawn.

Reply
Iris Smith link
11/21/2022 06:39:17 am

Thank you for mentioning that digging will be necessary at each sprinkler location or pipe connection in order to create enough room for the sprinkler heads or connectors to be installed. My grandmother claimed that picking up the entire water bucket caused her back discomfort. I'll arrange for the sprinkler system installation so that my grandmother won't have to take the entire pail.

Reply
Braden Bills link
12/20/2022 08:12:57 am

I want to get an irrigation system installed in my home, but I'm not sure how to go about it. It makes sense that I would want to ensure that I have it installed during the fall. That way, I can ensure that my lawn recovers quickly from the installation.

Reply
John Carston link
1/9/2023 03:31:47 pm

It helped when you mentioned that proper excavation would be implemented for the sprinkler installation process. My friend mentioned last night that he was planning to have a sprinkler system installed to provide a healthy garden and match his landscaping design. He asked if I had any idea what would be the best option for the process. I’m glad about this informative article, I'll tell him it will be much better if he consults trusted sprinkler system installation services as they can provide information about the process.

Reply



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