PSA: For big irrigation problems, just pay the expert.

[LVSteve]

As you might surmise, having anything green in your yard in Vegas is highly dependent on the efficacy of your irrigation system. Keeping the bill within bounds is having a keen eye for leaks.

Now small leaks in the dribbler system I can deal with. Changing sprinkler heads and risers is OK too. But the recent issues had me saying nope, get the man in. Turned out that not only did I have at least one leak in the front dribbler system, but the damned valve was not shutting off. I can hear you all saying, "No problem, just a bit of dirt in there or the diaphragm has gone bad". Nope, the ground under the valve was wet, implying the body or a fitting had cracked. My guy suggested that he change all the valves in the box as it all looked pretty tired. Given the age of the house, I had to agree.

Today he stopped by and did the work. Three new valves, each now with its own gate valve, pressure regulators, new valve box in the ground, a bunch of pipe replaced, oh and a load of new edging board around the planters as the sun had finally killed the existing stuff after 30 years. Once the new valves were plumbed and wired, I helped him test everything and the search for leaks was on. That revealed two broken sprinklers spryaing water vertically (they go bad at the base with time) and four leaks in the dribbler system pipes. One of them was a split in an otherwise perfect looking piece of pipe that was not only pushing water up onto a path but starving the end of the run.

He was at it from about 0745 until nearly 1300. I paid him $600 for that lot, not cheap, but way worth it to save my back and lack of the right tools.

 

[Greyman50]

Had a irrigation system in our yard in Ga. The el cheap o that had the house built had a half *ssed system. Had a shallow well with a low volume pump, pressure tank and really messed up valve system. Friend and I figured it out. Installed the correct pump, pressure tank and valves and added so entire front and back yard was covered. Was a lot of work but worth it when finished. Our Greys loved running in the back yard, they would dig up grass running all out.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

2007 was a drought year for central Ohio. I worked for a 90-acre complex (514 apartments) that used the 17-acre lake and three 8" deep-wells for a water source. We had a yard caretaker that insisted we fixed the sprinkler system. He got about half fixed before he and the complex manager got fired. We had a $10,000 budget; he went over by $25,000! But we did have green grass when all the competition was brown!

I'd say you house system sound pretty good, and you got off cheap!

Ivan

 

[arjay]

The one here had multiple failures after about 25 yrs. I finally quit chasing problems and went back to a hose and sprinklers [emoji23]

 

[steelslaver]

Big irrigation problems require either a wheel line or a pivot

 

[LVSteve]

Big irrigation problems require either a wheel line or a pivot

Hmm. I did not realize those were so bendy. I have a grand plan that if I win the lottery I would adapt on of those devices to support an array of VHF and UHF HAM antennas. Maybe it's not such a smart idea after all.

 

[steelslaver]

The pivots stay in line pretty well as their movements are centrally controlled, the wheel lines not so much and they are usually ony moved periodically by a center motor while shut off.

A 130 acre pivot cost about $20,000 a year to run, depending on how much rain you get, how deep the water is, if you need to run a diesel or can go all electric, etc etc etc,.

One of my brothers did it for a guy a couple summers and said the guys ran ch had a $30,000 a month power bill in the summer

I think for the most part open ditches and siphons are just about history

 

[llowry61]

I would love to have an in-ground watering system, but from everything I have heard from buddies who have them they are a giant PITA.

I water very little here in Ohio, but I just use the hoses even though there are always spots you can't get.

 

[ameridaddy]

...

He was at it from about 0745 until nearly 1300. I paid him $600 for that lot, not cheap, but way worth it to save my back and lack of the right tools.

That a really good deal IMO.
My irrigation guy clipped me $282 this summer just to replace one zone valve that was leaking.

 

[LVSteve]

That a really good deal IMO.
My irrigation guy clipped me $282 this summer just to replace one zone valve that was leaking.

My guy was changing three valves. Maybe I got the bulk discount.

 

[Old Arkansawyer]

OP. if you want a green lawn, the question becomes, why live in the desert?

 

[Inusuit]

At some point, we may realize that watering lawns is a terrible waste of a scarce resource.

 

[LVSteve]

OP. if you want a green lawn, the question becomes, why live in the desert?

It's the way most of the homes were when I got here. In fact, it has only been since I came that HOA's were banned from demanding grass out front. I cannot make this up.

In the case of this failure, it was a failure in the dribbler/bubbler circuit that triggered the repair work. The water company actually likes a bit of ground cover.

 

[wood714]

I would love to have an in-ground watering system, but from everything I have heard from buddies who have them they are a giant PITA.

I water very little here in Ohio, but I just use the hoses even though there are always spots you can't get.

I had my house built in 2004 with a irrigation system.

First thing I did was disable the rain sensor.

Most of the heads are original. I've added about a dozen, but so far it's been pretty much maintenance free.

I do have some kinda back flow valve coming from my well into the house I need to replace. It loses prime sometimes. Got all the parts, just too lazy to fix it.

 

[LVSteve]

At some point, we may realize that watering lawns is a terrible waste of a scarce resource.

It is, but the small amount of grass I have would likely cost me more to remove than the water company is prepared to give me. Yes, I would save on my water bills in the future, but with their criminally incompetent policies over decades that have led to our current crisis, I'm not about those IQ zeroes at the water company the satisfaction.

There are many in Vegas who came here in the 80s who really resent the current drive to remove grass and the increasing cost of water. You may judge the attitude from the following anecdote.

First full year I was here (1998) was an El Nino year. Dad visited and we had taken my 4x4 SUV through a not so dry lake bed and got playa all up the sides to the degree we had to kick the doors open when we got home. Dad noted I didn't have a hose to wash down the truck, so next day we went to a nearby hardware place. Dad was looking at the shelves in the irrigation aisle and commented that there was a lot of stuff for watering grass. I replied, "Yeah, what part of living in a desert do these people not understand?" Well, there was a lady further down the aisle who promptly swiveled on her heels and fixed me with a stare. No kidding, if her eyes had been lasers, I'd have been a smoking hole in the floor.