How to set up an automatic irrigation system for watering?

Hi I’m an absolute Newbie at this and keen to do a DIY set up of an automatic irrigation system for watering grass,gardenBeds & Pots some on the deck. Will appreciate help from the community starting from absolute basics. This is for a new Build where the wooden deck goes in Next week and grab the following week.

cheers

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Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @KSB. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about installing an irrigation system.

You might like to start by reading through these helpful guides: How to plan an irrigation system, How to install a drip irrigation system and How to install an irrigation system. They'll provide a heap of information that will benefit you.

Next, I recommend you start the planning stage and the Gardena My Garden Planner is an excellent tool for this. It allows you to plan your pipework and where you'll need to distribute water.

I also suggest spending some time on the Pope irrigation website to familiarise yourself with the types of drippers/sprayers and weeping hoses. It's important to understand the various methods of irrigating. They have some fantastic D.I.Y guides and a self-guided selection process for all your components.

Once you have taken a look at the guides and planner above let us know if you have some questions that our helpful members can assist with.

Mitchell

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/40663#Comment_40663

Hi Mitch many thanx for your reply and and the info. Have gone through some material and seem to be more knowledgeable than I was before. I’d like to know if to use 13mil or 19mil pipe for the pop up irrigation system? The lady at my local Bunnings store said all I’ll need is 13mil for home use however there was a Holman staff who recommend 19mil, also would I need a water manifold like the one in the image or can I connect the pipes directly to the tap?

Any suggestions?

Cheers,

Karan

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/82631#Comment_82631

Hello @KSB

Using 19mm hose gives you more water pressure especially if you are using pop-up sprayers. But it all depends on the size of the system you are building. I propose drawing it on paper first and then you can make an evaluation regarding hose size. In regards to the manifold this is often used on smaller systems and if you are spraying in a very specific garden bed with very specific needs. It gives you direct control in regards to water flow. Again, it all depends on your needs.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

Hi I’m about to start my auto irrigation project and have had some advise from MitchellMc previously as to what articles to go through before jumping in. Was going through this article and found it useful. I’m curious to know weather I should be using a 13 or 19mm tubing. Planning riding sprinklers for tall fresque grass, plus keen to know what type of tubing should be used in garden beds for flowers, hedge and trees. Should it be drip irrigation or just low pressure sprinklers.

cheers,

Karan

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/106117#Comment_106117

Hi Eric seems I would’ve asked the same question again without realizing you’ve replied back. Please disregard. Just wanting to know if I should be using drip or low pressure sprinklers for flowers, hedge, fruit trees and leafy plants?

Cheers,

Karan

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/120408#Comment_120408

Hello @KSB

I suggest splitting your system into a high-pressure and low-pressure irrigation set. The low pressure is for drippers and the high pressure is for your lawns. Your flowers, hedges, fruit trees and leafy plants can be watered with a drip system. This is an economical way to water your plants and is quite easy to control. Your lawn covers a large amount of area and drippers can't be used for this; You'll need pop-up sprinklers to get maximum coverage. This will therefor require a lot of water pressure.

I suggest having a look at this discussion - How to plan drip irrigation - Layout & zones? by @tanveersattar. This is an excellent discussion regarding a drip irrigation system.

Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How to install a drip irrigation watering system by @Adam_W.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/129009#Comment_129009

This sounds like you are short on time and need to decide what to do. My suggestion is work out what areas will be blocked to you as the construction proceeds and rather that just put in what you need, put in a way of doing it later. when my house was being built, as it is built out to both boundary walls, I installed a couple of runs of storm water pipe before the garage floor was poured from front to back. One of these was great because all the stormwater management had to be at the front of the house (soak wells) so I was able to send all the rear downpipe output through one and the other I used to thread my reticulation stations through. Alternatively whilst putting the storm water pipes through, you can put some 20mm retic pipes through and decide later how to connect them up (I ran the front end to near the water meter as that is where the retic solenoid valves will go) Just remember to seal off the ends of the pipes before and after passing things through them so they don't fill up with soil!

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/134457#Comment_134457

@KSB - sharing this based on my experience in setting up few systems in front and backyard

1. Sketch out the plan on a paper with zones

2. You can daisy chain only x number of pop up sprinklers so that they pop. Plan this first, their placement points, 90 / 180 degree ones. Variable ones don’t seem to be best.

3. My exp with drip is that it doesn’t make wifey happy becos it doesn’t wet the entire area. I would suggest 4mm jets.

4. Drip is best for trees

5. think about how you will water them once it is set like turn on zone 1 10 mins, then zone 2 15 mins etc because you will probably start with same tap outlet and it can’t feed all at once.

6. 19mm for pop up and 13mm for garden beds.

7. Keep future expansion in mind and invest in some for it

8. plan up to the number of elbow joints, clips needed and buy one or two packets more so that you don’t do another run after the project starts

9. Unbend the pipe an hour before laying. You can use the natural bend of the pipe and avoid elbow and save on cost.

10. Turo and k-rain are cheaper alternatives to Holman and pope

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/134457#Comment_134457

You got that exactly right mate although construction is over but the grass rolls go in on Tuesday so being rushed a bit worst case will have to dig through new grass which Boss certainly won’t be happy about 😁. You recommend 20mm retic pipes do you mean sobering like conduit pipes? Through which I can run Poly pipes? Something I was considering before but wasn’t sure how that’ll work? Plus I thought it’ll be easier to change worn out Poly Pipes when it’s time?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/129009#Comment_129009

Many thanks EricL I have three taps with decent water flow but as I put in the WiFi water controller dropped the pressure significantly I’ve drawn out a plan and will post it here shortly for your advise or from others.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/137961#Comment_137961

That’s some great info mate Pretty much what I was looking for. I’ve drawn up a plan and will post it here in a cpl o hours for comments and recommendations. Never really thought of using the natural bend of the pipe I think it’s a great idea cause besides saving on costs will probably maintain better water pressure too as a circular bend will be better than a elbow 😁

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/129009#Comment_129009

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/137963#Comment_137963

Not sure who you were replying to but if you are short on time to get these in before it is too late, use as large bore pipes as you are comfortable with installing. If you need to just use retic pipes rather than put in bigger pipes (stormwater type) that give you future choices then yes 20mm at least and poly pipe will do as it is the easiest for you to work with. PVC pipe (like conduit pipe) is more robust but harder for an amatuer to work with.

One thing people also forget is to run a conduit from below where the reticulation controller is to be installed to where the valves will be. You should use a circular box with one outlet which is screwed to the wall with the one outlet connected to the conduit going to the valves. Never use a right angle bend on a run like this, use a swept bend (with a radius that makes it easy to pull cables through) the circular box is screwed to the wall and the back of it is drilled through into the cavity to allow the cables to get to the controller. This needs to be done before any paving is done as the controller is often located near the power board to reduce costs and that is often somewhere paths run next to!

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/140350#Comment_140350

Many thanks @R4addZ for those points.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/134460#Comment_134460

@R4addZ @J-P @EricL Could someone look at this diagram and suggest How I decide how many pop up sprinklers or drip or other watering sprinklers can be added on a particular connection. I’ve calculated the flow per hour but not really sure how many I should add per connection? would it be advisable to add a 2 zone controller to one tap or use different taps and keep zones independent?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/137964#Comment_137964

I am still not clear where you are planning what. Sorry about that. This page contains very good guides that I read thru

https://popeirrigation.com.au/diy-guides/

You can Max put 5-6 pop up without losing presssure. That will line one with 19mm pipe. Place sprinkler 3m apart to get max coverage.

Another line with 13 mm (you can take off with 19mm from tap and later on transfer to 13) with jets. You can have 10-12 half circle jets.

I got myself 4 way splitter from one pipe. You would need individual tap controls for each line and that works out costly. So mine is still manual. You can always upgrade this later.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/140351#Comment_140351

Hi @KSB,

The Pope irrigation site @J-P linked to is an excellent resource for mapping out coverage and the number of pop-ups you can run on one line or tap. I've include their Pop-up litres per minute below.

Say you had a flow of 20L/minute from your tap. You could run two Master Full Circle pop-ups at full capacity.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/142070#Comment_142070

It is easy enough to work this out with an online planner as many here have suggested, but one word of caution. You may have checked the flow rate at the tap but if you are in a new developing suburb, the flow rate you have now may not be the flow rate available when all the new homes start watering on the same day as you. May I suggest that if the planner says you can, for example, run 6, you only run 5 to allow for future drops in pressure.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/143312#Comment_143312

Ahh that's a great Point @R4addZ worth considering didn’t think of that. We sure are in a new development and there’s quite a few new houses about to start construction and some are already under construction. In that case maybe best to wait a bit until some more houses come up. I checked water pressure with the WiFi water controller and it seems to drop significantly with more houses around will surely affect it further. Thanks for all the points much appreciated.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/134458#Comment_134458

Hi I had to postpone the project at that time and planning to install it now with certain changes. Not planning to install the pop up sprinklers any more, as the grass is already in. Planning to install sprinklers along the grass in the gardens and have sprinklers throwing water onto the grass. Can you suggest what kind of sprinklers can I use for the purpose, had attached a photo of the house before.

cheers,

Karan

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/138390#Comment_138390

Hi Karan (@KSB),

Depending on what size poly irrigation lines you use, you can use either the Holman 13mm Metal Spike Tee Sprinkler or Holman 19mm Metal Spike Tee Sprinkler. They are inline sprinklers, meaning they can be daisy-chained to run off a single irrigation line.

You will also need to purchase Holman 1/2 Circle Metal Sprinkler Spray Heads for each sprinkler. There are also Full Circle Spray Sprinkler Heads if any area requires watering all around the location of the sprinkler.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/140633#Comment_140633

Hi Jacob that’s copied thanx would that mean for a 10m length, 2 Holman 1/2 or full length sprinklers will do the job with a slight overlap? Also is it ok to have drip sprinklers attached to the same line for plants/trees? Also could you think of any other options besides the sprinklers you’ve recommend above that may not be as big and bulky so they can be concealed for aesthetic appeal?

Cheers,

KSB

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/142283#Comment_142283

Hi @KSB,

It depends on the depth as well as the width of the space. If it is along the footpath, then you would likely need at least 3. With 2 sprinklers operating at a 2.5m radius, there would be coverage laterally, but there would be sections in the corners and centre that would get missed.

Drippers will require you to use a Pressure Reducer to ensure they are not overloaded and burst. If they were on the same irrigation line as sprinklers, you would need to ensure that they are still receiving enough pressure to operate as they should. It is likely possible, but for simplicity's sake, I would just run a separate line for each.

The sprinklers I have linked to may appear bulky, but the spike will be buried in the ground, so they are likely not as bulky as you think. There are also these Pope Micro Eze Jet Half Circle Jet Sprayers, but they are similar in size.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/143456#Comment_143456

Hi Jacob that’s copied the Holman sprinklers that you’ve recommended would they cover the entire area from where they’re installed until 2-3m or would there be blank zones under the spray. There are certain areas which are only about a meter wide that need to be sprayed what could you suggest for those areas? Also can you suggest how I can install the hose across a cemented walk path to spray along the road unless there’s something that you can suggest that’ll throw a spray across the cemented walk part onto the grass along the road? Not really sure how to cover that area of grass? Please see photo attached talking about the grass area between the red line and the road

Cheers,

KSB

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/144345#Comment_144345

Hi @KSB,

Can I ask for some dimensions of the area?

The plans from your original post give us an idea of the dimensions, but they are not perfect.

Can you perhaps draw the area like @TimGeo has in his post How to install a lawn irrigation system attached to recycled water?

Sprayers will spray the full area covered by their radius, so depending on the dimensions, you may be able to just run one line of sprayers to cover both sides of the footpath.

If not, you can always run a line beneath the footpath. You can use a hose or pressure cleaner alongside some electrical conduit to carve out a channel beneath the footpath for your irrigation line.

I'll have a good look at what we can do once I can see the dimensions.

Jacob

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/144989#Comment_144989

Just a quick point here, just because the grass is down, it doesn't mean you can't use popups. they are less visible and just as easy to install as a sprinkler on a spike. Also it is easy to run the black flexible irrigation pipe through the lawn by simply pushing the spade into the ground through the grass and wiggling it back and forwards to make a mini trench. push the pipe into the trench and then just stamp the lawn back into place. A week or two later and you wont know it ever happened. The pipe doesn't have to be too deep as it isn't somewhere you are going to be digging! Just keep it in mind though if you decide to use an aerator.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/144989#Comment_144989

Hi Jacob PFA a diagram hopefully this will give a good idea. All the light blue line sections are 1/2m wide garden beds that need to be watered pretty much along the perimeter of the house and slightly bigger squarish ones on both sides of the main entry door.

The light green stripes are all grass areas that need to be watered. Have worn all dimension in light green as well hopefully they’re self explanatory. Brown lines are the wooden deck. The entire rear boundary of the house the 1/2m wide garden in light blue has griselinea hedge already planted. All other gardens are yet to get plants. Planning some citrus fruit trees as well along the side of the house marked with a magenta line. Have 3 taps on the outside marked with Red dots. All three run from the same main water line so The water pressure drops when 2 or 3 are running at the same time so will have to be planned to run at different times.

cheers,

KSB

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/145501#Comment_145501

Hey @R4addZ was considering pop up sprinklers but one reason was I thought they’ll be difficult to install which you’ve explained isn’t the case the other I was told by a couple of mates who have pop ups installed and say they end up getting damaged by the mower sooner or later. But might give it a second thought.

cheers

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/145501#Comment_145501

Hi @KSB,

It looks like three fairly obvious grass zones will connect to three different taps and then your garden beds in the blue. I would focus on the grass zones to start with.

Perhaps you should sketch a layout plan for your irrigation zones with the origin starting at the taps. If you are going to use pop-up sprinklers, keep in mind that you can have full, half and quarter sprayers for different circumstances and coverage.

Also, keep in mind that you can have more than one irrigation line coming from each tap to service the drippers in your garden beds.

A basic layout plan for your irrigation seems like the place to start.

Jacob

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/144989#Comment_144989

Hi @JacobZ just returning to this project. Can you please explain in more detail how I can make room to run the line under the footpath please? It sure sounds doable!
I’m planning to have a 2 or 3 line distribution on the tap is there any recommendations on how the initial setup next to the tap can be made neat maybe attached to the wall so all the pipes/distributor aren’t just hanging in the air? Else Boss may just scrape the project 😁. Photo attached along. I’m thinking maybe get the pipe coming down from the tap attached to the wall (What could be used to cover the gap from the tap tip to the wall if attaching pipe to the wall to run down), then where it touches the concrete thinking of putting a L there to run towards the grass then another L on the side of the concrete ( about a 2” drop on the side of the concrete) with a splitter one towards the grass for lawn and the other running from the concrete point towards the bins for drip sprayer line. Thinking of running each zone at different times? What do you think?

which will run all along the wooden fence.

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