Irrigation Pro consulted -- is this wise advice of a rip off?

14 years ago

Not being handy myself I've decided to hire a professional irrigator to deal with the following needs:

(1) Front lawn main area: 2,000 sq. ft.

(2) Front lawn side are 700 sq. ft (only 16-19 feet wide)

(3) Back yard lawn: 2,100 sq. ft

(4) Side yard lawn: 300 sq. ft ( 6-11 ft wide)

(5) Front: one major bed for shrubs and flower along length of house

(6) Front: two smaller beds away from house and stand-alone crab apple.

(7) Side: one bed with shrubs

(8) Back: beds along about half of the perimeter

The PSI of our water is 78; GPM is 24. Our lot is fairly flat. Our water meter is inside an unfinished basement.

I plan on getting estimates from at least three irrigation companies and heard the first estimate today from the area's biggest irrigation company (I'm in London, Ontario) Those plans raised questions and some concerns and I would be grateful for knowledgeable posters to share their views on the following:

(1) When I asked about use of a pressure reducer (since 78 PSI is quite high), the company rep said that no devoted unit was needed because his company would place a "master valve" in the basement and would also use rotors (Rain Bird) that reduce pressure. (He also said his company was the ONLY ONE in North America to use this approach) Would that be suitable? Or would I run the risk of damaging my in-house plumbing and the sprinkler system which would include both rotors for the lawn and a drip line for the beds.

(2) When I asked the rep what type of filter he would use, he said none since the filtration is done by Rainbird automatic solenoid valves. Is he right?

(3) The rep recommended for the narrower strips of lawn using Rain Bird rotary nozzles and doing so in a zone that also includes regular rotors (5000-series). What do you think?

(4)According to the Rainbird site, a smart control (ESP-SMT; outdoor model) costs $450 and takes minutes to install. The rep quoted me a price of about $1,100 to purchase and install. Reasonable or rip-off? How much of a markup is typical?

(5) The rep proposed two drip lines zones and three turf zones, the latter to have 12 of the Rain Bird 5000 series (six front and back) and six rotary nozzles. Is that enough for effective and efficient coverage for what totals about 5,100 sq. ft?

(6) The total estimate including the $1,100 controller was $5,500. Your thoughts?

Thanks All

Jon

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Comments (4)

lehua49
14 years ago
NG,

Your are being slightly premature and should wait till all the contractors check in with their quotes. I am not familiar with prices and local irrigation takes on set up for systems. You have given very good information and I have the gut feeling that you are being over charged. You have taken the correct step in getting three quotes. That is the only way to educate yourself in local prices. I have three questions that come to mind. Does your house have a pressure regulator before entering your house proper from the basement or is your house experiencing 78 psi throughout? 78 psi is normal pressure for street pressure and high for house pressure because of your appliance pressure limitations. The second question is how many zones and how many heads per zone and their respective gpm requirement? Your designer should be able to provide you with that information. The third one is did you let them all know you are getting three quotes? First you compare the three systems and select the one you like the most then compare prices. Wait for the other two quotes then ask them questions or ask them here Good luck. Aloha
all_wet
14 years ago
When you get all your quotes, compare the systems' designs. You should buy the system, not the price. If you pay peanuts, you should expect to get monkees.
northgarden
Original Author
14 years ago
Lehau13 - Thanks for your helpful questions and perspectives. I don't believe there is a pressure regulator but I will double check.
(1) The rep said the 78 PSI was the pressure of water that would go into the irrigation system and the source of that water would be a new line from above my water meter inside my basement to an exterior wall. I'll have to check that for the sake of the internal plumbing and appliances too.
(2) The rep proposed five zones, two of them for drip irrigating the beds and three for the lawns totaling 5,100 sq. ft. He didn't delineate the zones so I'll have to ask him but in total he's proposed 12 Rain Bird 5000 rotors and six rotary nozzles.
(3) I told him we were taking "quotes" but to drive home that point, when I send him some followup questions, I'll say that will make it easier to consider the different proposals.

all wet - Thanks for your response. I will, of course, be comparing both the quality of the designs and prices. My concern at this stage is that none of the companies may propose a design that is well thought-out, My plan has never been to automatically go with the low bidder, which as you suggest, is a risky strategy. My concern with the first proposal is that it seems both over-priced and of questionable design.

To all -- I may have to extend my search beyond London, Ontario, which for those who don't know is a city of 350,000 two hours from Toronto, Detroit and Buffalo and an hour from the Michigan border. We did that for a major home project recently when we struck out finding a company that did high-quality work and were quite pleased with the results.
lehua49
14 years ago
NG,

You are taking the right approach. 78 psi is on the high side for house pressure because of appliances and water hammer sounds in the house system. Velocity is your enemy and high pressure causes this in small diameter pipes. After your irrigation take off you might consider a pressure regulator for the house set at 45 to 55 psi. Also a little larger diameter pipe(1 1/4" or 1 1/2" diameter is not much more $$) for your main line irrigation will reduce the velocity in the lines and keep your irrigation auto-valves from causing water hammer. This also depends on the demand of your system (# of heads or(gpm) per zone) vs velocity. I hope this is helpful. JMHO. Aloha