If you're going to put your precious time and hard-earned money into creating the perfect landscape design, let our team of experts ensure you have the proper irrigation and drainage system in place to maintain it. Give us a call today!
Irrigation Solutions
Micro Drip as the name implies, is an irrigation system best used to irrigate shrubs, bushes, and some garden applications. Micro drip irrigation systems are highly efficient as water is delivered almost directly to the soil thereby almost eliminating water loss due to evaporation and further exacerbated by wind.
Micro Spray is also an effective means of irrigation for shrubs, bushes and gardens. Micro spray systems are not quite as efficient as micro drip systems , however are generally used in the same zones, schedules, and for similar application.
Sprinklers
are the ol' faithful of any irrigation system. Though not as efficient as micro drip and micro spray systems, they remain the best way to water turf or large garden areas that do not lend themselves well to micro spray systems. Though one might give up 20%-30% water efficiency as compared to a micro spray system, much of the water loss can be mitigated by watering at low-evaporation times of day, and when wind is ideally at a minimum.
Irrigation System Installation and Maintenance
One of the first questions we are asked when installing an irrigation system is how it ties into the water supply. This can be done from a well or from a municipal water supply. In either case, the system must be appropriate to the capacity of the water supply in terms of pressure (PSI) and gallons or liters per unit of time (gallons or liter per minute).
For most urban applications, your irrigation system will be tying into the municipal supply and must be connected by double check back flow preventers as per BC building code. This connection requires a permit held by qualified backflow installers.
The main line
Main Supply (Source)This is either a municipal water supply or a well (Gulf Islands, Rural). The water source will have a capacity in both gallons per hour(GPM) and pressure (PSI)and an irrigation system must suit the capacity of the supply. In the case of a municipal connection you will need to connect on the private water service line and your connection must be connected by a double check back flow preventer. BC Building code requires a permit to make this connection and it must be done by a qualified backflow installer.
Once installed, your main line is under constant pressure and will feed directly to a manifold that distributes the flow of water through various pipes to the different zones of your property. These pipes leading to the sprinkler heads of various zones are known as laterals, and are only under pressure when the system is activated.
When constructing an irrigation system, especially when tying into the municipal water supply, it is important to use high-quality, durable materials to cut down on the need for excavation and maintenance over time. Materials for main lines include municipal polyethylene, PVC (Schedule 40), and PEX piping. For the laterals, which are under less stress than fittings attached directly to the city main, we normally recommend less expensive piping to keep costs down as these components of your system do not require the same amount of strength and redundancy in construction. For lateral componenets, we generally use PVC (Schedule 200), Blu-Lock, and prime polyethylene.
After having installed the various fitting, sprinkler heads, and piping, and we've planned out the best course of action to provide optimal irrigation throughout your property. The various planned zones can be controlled with an array of various controllers. These can range from battery-operated units for areas with limited power supply to full service models that control every zone of your property through the touch of a button on your phone, or at predetermined times. Rain sensors can also help ensure that you are not over watering putting your plants (and water bill!) at risk.
Depending on the composition of your landscaping elements, the topography of your property, expected evaporation, and your budget, our team can help provide a custom irrigation system solution perfect for you yard and garden. Give us a call or fill out the quote form to the right to discover the Nanaimo Landscaping & Lawn Care difference!
