Insight In Irrigation Installation
Happy February from Desert Rose! In this month's blog we are going to explain the reason why we use certain parts and materials in our irrigation systems and how they are chosen to better serve the customer. Every company has their own way of installing irrigation systems and their own reasons why they select certain materials. Here at Desert Rose, all of the parts we choose have the customers’ best interest in mind. We hope that this blog will be informative and give you a better insight into the costs of an irrigation system.
Supporting local companies, abiding by city standards, and providing quality services is very important to Desert Rose. This is why all of the components that we use are purchased from local irrigation stores and are professional grade to ensure quality parts are going into your irrigation system. And did you know that the city of Santa Fe requires all irrigation systems to have a backflow preventer? The backflow preventer (or vacuum breaker) prevents the water inside the irrigation tubing from siphoning back into the house and contaminating the house water. However, the part is pricey and easily breaks if not winterized properly. We make sure to use a high quality backflow preventers to ensure your family’s water supply is protected.
After the back flow preventer/vacuum breaker comes the box where the valves attach to the manifold. We use pre-manufactured manifolds that are properly spaced to allow easy repairs on valves. If a valve becomes defective and needs replacing, we simply unscrew the old one and screw in the new one. Other manifolds are custom-made to fit extra valves inside a box. When a valve attached to this variety of manifold needs replacing, the entire box needs to be dug up, a new manifold needs to be made/purchased, and the box needs to be re-leveled and put back together. Sufficed to say, this is a laborious task and can be quite costly.
When it comes to the main lines that carry the water from the valves to the emitters and sprayers we choose to use polyethylene (PE) tubing instead of PVC. The reason for this is that if there is water left inside PVC during the winter months, the expanding ice will cause the PVC to shatter and send hairline fractures from the spot of the break. In order to repair this we have to dig up the cracked area and inspect the pipe. Once we identify were the hairline fractures end; we cut the pipe, prime and glue in a repair pipe that is cut to fit the exact dimensions, wait for it to dry, and then pressure test it to ensure there are no more leaks. This takes a lot of time and can be costly depending on the size of the crack. On the other hand, the polyethylene tubing has the ability to expand with freezing temperatures and will not shatter.
Lastly, we use self cleaning emitters to water your plants in order to reduce clogs and to ensure that your plants are getting the water that they need. All of these actions, including buying from local suppliers, abiding by city laws, and using materials that are more durable help Desert Rose to provide services that keep your landscape looking beautiful as well as ensure that your irrigation system is long lasting. We know an irrigation system is a huge investment for a homeowner and we want to make sure that investment pays off with years of worry free watering. If you have been thinking of adding an irrigation system to your yard, give us a call and we will be glad to help!
