How to Install In-Ground Sprinklers | This Old House
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shows how to water your lawn and garden-automatically. (See below for a shopping list and tools.)
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Shopping for How to Install In-Ground Sprinklers:
1-inch-diameter polyethylene pipe [amzn.to/2Vak5UU] and assorted fittings [amzn.to/2VQJqaZ], for delivering water to the system
3/8-inch-diameter flexible pipe [amzn.to/306v6ud], connects polyethylene pipe to sprinkler spray heads
pop-up sprinkler spray heads [amzn.to/2HaXNxm], used to disperse water onto lawn
hose clamps [amzn.to/2YqvLVL], for securing fittings to hose
battery-powered timer [amzn.to/2vN9J38], automatically turns sprinkler system on and off
5-gallon bucket [amzn.to/2WCPalx], used to determine how many gallons per minute of water comes from hose bib.
wire flags [amzn.to/2E0gt1X], for pinpointing sprinkler head placement
Tools for How to Install In-Ground Sprinklers:
pointed shovel [amzn.to/2JwBaGA], for digging trench for water-supply pipe
propane torch [amzn.to/306weOt], used to heat pipe ends
pipe cutters [amzn.to/2VtISsd], for cutting polyethylene pipe
crimping pliers [amzn.to/2VrCIsk], for crimping hose clamps onto pipe
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How to Install In-Ground Sprinklers | This Old House
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TOH needs to do a behind the scenes video for this segment where they cuss in heavy Boston accents while trying to operate a trench digger in rocky New England soil.
This looks so easy!
Cut to a scene of me with 100s of $$$ in materials in the hot sun in front of my house, calling a professional with all the tools to do the install
🤣
RIP to Roger. His style and enthusiasm will be missed.
Please do an updated video on an actual area of lawn with multiple zones and with proper end results
Good to see Roger’s doing better.
Hes dead
i was planning on running my own sprinkler system. i figured itd be easy, not much to it, but a bit of back bone and poke a few pipes here & there... clicked on this just to get a few pointers but after watching, all i can think is WHAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!
The best part of this video is when Kevin slams the shovel on to the pipe they just layed.
I just thought the same thing. 😂
.....profi
Man this guy is like a real home improvement (if you're old enough you know) I literally look for 8 year old videos when I search for lawn DIYs just to find these!
Is there a benefit or disadvantage to install sprinkler system using clamps vs PVC Pipes and using primer and PVC glue?
Me: finding videos on this for my boyfriend
Boyfriend: “needs to be IN NEW ENGLAND SPECIFICALLY”
Me: plays video
Boyfriend: hears accent for .1 second and says “perfect”
😂
I do irrigation on new plantations and i say hes creative and loves doing his job and making ut perfect we all have our style to work.. Good job Sir💯
Would love to see This Old House do an update of garden irrigation. There are drip systems out there one can get at the local home improvement stores……. Questions…how easy to install and are they good for my periennal borders….Is drip most water efficient, etc.
Just great to see the boys watering some grass
I personally LOVE the idea of putting the main pipe in the middle of the lawn AWAY from the sidewalk, I'm a concrete mason for a living and I HATE when pipes are put next to the sidewalk and get in the way of forming, we also tend to drive stakes into the pipes without knowing.
There’s no lawn to water now after installation 😂
You can hardly call that a lawn to begin with. I have killed nicer looking weeds.
🤣😂🤣😂👍
Before installation, not after installation.
Rest in Peace Roger
3:24 Thats what she said
You meant 2:13
Lmao. MFr!
Thanks! Now I know I need to hire someone. 👍
Lol hell yeah
when they said "check the pressure and flow rate" I started googling for installation guys
I no im late but good one.
@@mayalman why? Seems pretty simple
mayalman My experience with trying to contact companies is that they never ever respond. If you DIY it then you’ll be sure that it gets done. But it may take a few mistakes to get it properly.
What lawn they dug out the whole lawn putting in the sprinkler system.
What if you wanted to create more than one zone. How would this work with timer device? I have a half acre that definitely needs more than one zone. Thank you for your answer.
You could use a standard controller with valves, but if you go that far might as well do it right and put in an RPZ backflow and professionally connect it to the water supply like your supposed to.
That's not a lawn , that's just a strip of grass
Gixer750pilot lol exactly a real lawn has 10+ zones 😂
Gixer750pilot not in Boston
Probably a half a million dollar home and that strip of grass is half the cost. God I hate cities like that lol. Such a poor way to live. Figuratively and litteraly.
@@Luckingsworth if my lawn ain't bigger then my house its a no go!
How do you drain this so it doesn’t freeze in winter?
I used to like these shows when they used to tell you everything needed to accomplish. Now, they just buzz over details that a DIYer needs to know to be successful. Its as if they are covering the information for those that already know the key choices. Like, why did he use 6" risers instead of 4". Why 1" pipe for three heads? How to adjust the heads.....stuff a person knows and learns from other, more complete instructional videos.
Watch the whole episode
Typical this old house style. This isn't really a "how to" show. It's a "what they make" and "who you can call" show for your wife to watch and then tell you what you need to install because it's so easy.
@@joshwest7353 The whole episode isn't anymore detailed. This is what they do - basic idea and totally glaze over all the details.
Any actual plumber will love this install
Why use a crimp clamp as opposed to a hose clamp? Does it matter?
I was waiting for the guy to call me numb nuts the whole time
Very good but would have liked to see more of the end result. Also would have wanted to see some more discussion as to how many sprinklers can effectively operate at any given pressure or pipe size: either a graph or chart of good reference numbers so one does not overbuild a supply line. This demonstration was with well-above average PSI for a residential hose faucet. Would you have considered a pressure regulator to ensure the timer doesn't suddenly blow apart due to the high pressure? Plus a do-it-yourselfer could easily tap an internal wall outlet for power to an outdoor-model timer that will last years longer than a battery-operated hose-valve. I honestly thought these battery-operated timers were mostly for small patio drip systems or raised garden beds rather than as a legit substitution for an anti-siphon valve and electronic timer. Again, I would have liked to have seen more of this new sprinker system operating and demonstrated the "Head-to-Head Coverage" that you stressed importance of in the beginning of the video.
Hunter makes a Solar timer as well. It's part of the XC line of controllers. You can wall mount it or purchase a freestanding pole base that needs to be in a concrete footing. Head to head coverage means the water from the adjacent sprinkler is reaching that head. They actually don't have true head to head coverage because they are missing the line of heads on the house side that should spray towards the fence side. Shrubs and turf should be on separate valves as well due to different watering needs.
Usually the number of heads depends more on the water supply than the zone piping, most 5/8" water meters will only do at most 15 gpm, which is less than the max a 1" pipe can do. Most places with more GPM supply will use like 1-1/2 main lines or bigger and either 1 or 1-1/2 valves and 1" laterals. The further from the water supply you are the bigger you want for flow.
Not to mention that the high pressure often causes the spray to fog instead of spray. The droplets are such a fine mist that it just blows to other parts of the yard. The poor man's pressure regulator is just to use a ball valve on the main supply line. You can turn it partially closed to lower the pressure.
Them: **Installs Underground**
Me 7 years: **Forgets**
811: There is no underground water. My detector doesn't seem to show a warning
Me: **DIGS**
The Pipe: This is what you get for digging me up, **EXPLODES**
I live AZ with a hot climate and have ever only used pvc pipe for sprinklers. Whats the difference between PVC and polyethylene ? Does poly hold up in a very hot climate? What are the pros and cons of poly tubing?
If I'm not mistaken, the poly is more forgiving in colder climates where your pipes might freeze.
Just curious, how come the heads don’t need a clamp also ?
Man I thought Kevin was going to catch Roger’s shirt on fire 🔥
That was a very good video,i appreciated the entire process. Great job guys!!!!!!!
Doesn't it rain enough in Boston?
No backflow protector or anti siphon?
Wouldn’t it be good to test the system for leaks before the lines were covered back up with dirt?
Great idea
If you have an ACTUAL lawn, just multiply this installation by approximately 5,000%
3:59 is it important to spike the shovel into the ground near the pipe i just buried or is that more of a professionals secret trick?
Good video, clear to the point without too much wording. Well done, thank you!
Stabs spade shovel in the ground…….breaks main water line. Way to go Kevin.
A postage stamp size yard and a water sprinkler system.
it be nice to see full episodes
did anyone notice that he just jam the shovel in the ground right where he layed the hose at 3:59 ish lol
no wonder they had low pressure on the sprinkler heads
hahaha... good catch!
@@jojolikescocoa1 he has low pressure because hes running off house water. what a joke
😂😂 (it’s funny but not real of course)
mariobeans Drilling a ground water pipe + pump installation isn’t free though. But it is much better yes.
As a professional irrigation expert having been educated by the original Toro University with over 32 yrs experience here are the major mistakes made both in this video and in most so called professional installs
1 - Head to head coverage is NOT the same as even precipitation.
2 - You almost never want to water a lawn AND landscape plants. Very few areas of the US will allow the fibrous lawn plant to need the same amount of water as a woody ornamental. As a arborist with a specialty in treating plants I have always seen more problems with over watering plants then everything else combined Only animals can normally handle the same water need
3 - Everyone likes to keep it simple and designs are where this happens in very wrong ways. For instance this video they start at one corner then space the heads the distance apart that they will spray This is head to head coverage. There is no thought of how far into the plants that will spray or if the plant type will like it ( usually far from it). But what happens when your working from one end spacing heads apart 8’ and then suddenly there is 4 foot left at the other corner ? Did you notice they didn’t show you that ?
4). Most don’t understand the wide range of flexibility they have with sprinkler head nozzle sizes. They can range from as little as .25 gpm to 2 gpm on normal residential designs. If you have low pressure just reduce the gpm nozzle size. Thin very small areas often need smaller nozzles You can’t make a normal lawn so simple it runs all same nozzle gpm. A small thin area shouldn’t throw out 2 gpm or the same that a large wide open area does. The explanation or thought by installer is to just adjust the timer. That is not the same as timer reduction reduces or controls the overall amount of water but not how fast that water is thrown to the area
5- To do a sprinkler correctly one must have a good cross knowledge of plant health and kmow problems. Must completely understand the wide range of flexibility options available to design. Design should easily wrap around landscape yet when possible landscape design should be in conjunction with irrigation design. Throwing in a landscape is going to find out how knowledgeable your irrigation designer is. In this area most have absolutely no cross knowledge or through design knowledge and yet they make a fortune because no body does.
Lastly truth is most irrigation companies have no educated understanding of how to water a lawn. To kmow how to water properly one must know and understand their soil type, soil density, if there is a thatch layer and if so how thick is it ? One must know the average current root depth of the lawn and the species nature of what it wants to do with its root mass.
It might sound difficult but it isn’t. It’s just the stuff you never hear because the blind teach the blind
The video is good to explaining how easy it is to install one
Good luck
From someone installing sprinklers for some fifty years you make some good points. But it gets too scientific for 90% of the DIY people out there.
You must be fun at parties
@@michaeltodd3557
Lol.
You read it
Small ass yard. Just hook a sprayer to a hose and water it yourself. Lmao
Lol! Exactly! Don’t even need a hose could just use a flower watering pot for that lol
Kinda what I thought
It won’t look as nice as using automated sprinklers. And what about when you are not at home? Not everyone is free to water plants.
@@saeed6811 they're called friends, dont you have them?
Thought Frankly My friends aren’t free to water my plants either. Try a timed system and you will understand why it’s worth a 1000 times. I would not risk to burn my plants waiting for my friend to go and water my garden. Plants are so expensive in my place and the effort to keep them alive is more so no risking games.
60psi of pressure, 1" water line, three tiny pop ups....pow! That system gonna blow up big time.
whats the reason behind smelly water thats coming out of the lawn sprinkler? seems like every house is like that, where is the water coming from?
Those heads didnt seem to have much pressure. Is that proper? I would think you would need more pressure even though it's small area look like it was basically dripping out the sprinkler heads and did a quick cut scene in video ended
Looking through the comments and not one person is complaining about those castle astetic lawn edge stones
Why not using the PVC but poly pipe?Any concern here?Thanks!
hose bib timers are the worst...don't do it, they will break and flood - his is right above a window, so expect a flooded basement in less than a year. Take the time to put in a solid valve.
Todd Blackburn indeed, agree 100%. There is no “flex” in the final connection. It was putting upward pressure on the bib, something is going to leak soon. You also wouldn’t be able to disconnect the timer and winterize. The plastic timers last 1 season if you are lucky. Good example of old school sprinkler fittings.
Nice torch. What's the ref. of it ? Thanks. For the joining connectors we use PE ones.
Great video. I wonder if its high-density polyethylene tubing.
3:24. That's what she said
Actually, she begged for the whole thang.
How do you know if the zone stays under 10 GPM?
1 in. or 3/4 in. poly pipe? How to choose?
Amazing.
Do I need an anti siphon valve for each zone? Or just one for the entire system? Lowe’s told me I need just one, and then a solenoid for each zone but Tampa codes require back flow prevention.
I tried a vacuum break on just the hose bib and lost pressure. Also I've read they are not meant to be under constant pressure which is why you install them after the timer. So if your timer has 3 outlets for 3 zones than you would have one on each outlet.
My comment is if you are doing it like the video and running it off hose bib. If you are doing an inground system usually its just one backflow preventer installed above ground and a valve for each zone.
At 3:57 it looks like Kevin spikes the shovel right into the water line they just installed. 😂
yeah but how does the AVB work with a valve closed 6 inches below it ...
I do irrigation and only use Polly when using micro sprayers or emitters. I always use pvc when doing yard sprinklers
I like how he used a tile breaker to crimp the connection
4:49 How do you connect the pipe to the timer in the “last connection”? I am struggling to find fittings that will do this and it looks like you guys have glued a pipe fitting to a standard water hose connector
Not sure how they did it but I know they sell brass swivel female garden hose barb adapters. So your poly pipe will slide on barb end and be clamped and you can easily attach it to standard garden hose outlet. Just Google female swivel garden hose barb adapter and should get you in the right direction.
@@ChrisCorpse669 I’ll give it a try, thanks!
They order those stones from Mordor?
What fitting and size is that coming off the water timer?
Good Idea. and great video
Speechless.
Flex pipe seems cool, but it seems like it’s way more steps than just regular pvc
5:09 mins of prep and how to's followed by 1 sec of result???
i feel like something was wrong
The pressure was shit, you can see the head slowly climb up. They should pop up immediately. They also used higher precip "VAN" nozzles which didn't help. You can't see they look almost like a bubbler rather than a spray due to the lack of pressure.
+Kenny Rodger can*
D Lewis ii
should have started the main line closer to water source. Terrible. At least they used funny pipe. never use unless you have too. they the lazy man way. but this show is for rookie so I understand. lol. Still love the show dow.
I know this is a water video but how he installed it was 🔥
so cool. wish i could do something like that in my garden but i know someone would steal the water timer.
+J o n a t h a n
I install irrigation systems in Canada and we have a plumber bring copper out directly from the home watersource and have inground valves controlled by a wire which we run underground and through a hole into the basement or garage where you have a in house controller. That way no one can steal your timer
+pat stay Yep i install them for a living, all undérground is better
It's that right to heat the swing pipe?
Yes
Yeah maybe when it's freezing outside. Otherwise you just push em on
80psi! Where do you get that kinda pressure? I’ve never seen above 45.
He didn’t show you the high and low only the static and average working pressure
I don’t see that kind of pressure either. They might of been inner city near a larger main or near the source of pressure. The farther you are from the source the less pressure. It also varies by 25 % here just by the time of day and amount of use
You need 80psi to throw water across your 27” lawn 🙄
The “ orange cap “ is a flush cap to flush debris from the lines also screw clamps are much better that crimp clamps
How would you drain it for the winter ?
Air compressor. Hook up the needed Schrader fittings to a mail end 3/4 inch hose fitting and hook it up to the female hose end at the sprinkler timer and blow it out with the air compressor. Done.
onecrazywheel just use a rubber glove to create a somewhat airtight seal between the sprinklerhose and the air compressor pistol. Good enough. I wouldn’t drain it at all though. I never had issues in the winter.
NOT BAD! Thanks for excellent show ;)
very good!
why would you need a sprinkler system for a scrappy small strip of lawn?
Does anyone know what kind of brass fitting is used to connect the 1 inch poly to the 3/4 male hose thread? I'm guessing 1 inch FPT to 3/4 inch FHT. Any tips on where to find this adapter??
How do you know that you have 10 gallons per minute?
SO MUCH DIGGING N HASSLE N STUFF... A HOSE N SPRINKLER FOR OTTAWAS SHORT SUMMER
With all the certain words I kept hearing I began to wonder if this was a sex education video but using a lawn as a metaphor.
I admire your work sir. You always make everything seem easy!
N my
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Just curious, how come the heads don’t need a clamp also ?
300 divided by the number of seconds to fill the 5 gallon bucket will give you gallons per minute.
Probably should test it b4 you backfill in case you have leaks etc
I appreciate this thanks 🙏 I like it connecting to hose faucet vs main line 👍😁😁
How did you build the hose bib attachment.
There was nothing to build. The backflow preventer was already on the faucet and the timer just screws on.
these guys are awesome
What is a hose bib? That is a water faucet.
Sooo, the water sprays AT the house??
Dry rot / fungus is not far behind...
Backflow preventers need to be installed before you connect the battery operated sprinkler system to the water supply, not after.
Thank you. Always great understandable and useful
love this guy's accent
Brandon Rickborn sounds New England to me; not sure exactly where he's from, I dunno, Maine?
Yep
Found out he lives in Massachusetts, went to college in Maine. So I was close. And Maine used to be part of the Massachusetts colony before becoming its own state.
Yeah I figured too
Hey I'm a noob but I had a question.
Wouldn't you want to test the sprinkler and check for leaks before you back filling with soil?
Yeah if you're an amateur
I'm an irrigation contractor and certified backflow technician, this system is a good start to a very small self installed underground sprinkler system, but the way they made the connection to the hose spigot is a code violation. The backflow preventer they are using must be installed after the valve. They state that this particular backflow is acceptable, but its only acceptable if it is installed correctly.
Greensman their in Boston
Why does it have to be after?
It is, it's screwed onto the hose bib outlet, after the main valve. Get yourself a new certification.
Also, codes are different from place to place, whatever rules are in your area, may not apply to other places as well.
geez thats a crazy flow rate on a house.
10 gallons a minute isnt badd I usually see 15 or 20 gallons per minute
Guy: not bad not bad a- *outro plays*
Wait, does he have to leave his water valve open 24/7 doing it this way? Or does the timer shut that off so that the water stops running? If anyone knows please let me know! Because if that's the case you're better off just watering your yard with a hose!
The spigot needs to be on 24/7 with the timer's internal valve controlling the water flow. I've got a small mechanical timer on each of my spigots. When I need to use water, I use turn the timer dial to some random number to use the hose and back to zero to turn it off. When using a sprinkler, I just turn the dial to the desired number of minutes.
Big thing i seen is the main line need to be below the freeze line. just good practice in case water in in the line . some people will open the line up at the end and blow any water out befor winter hits
Where can i get those sprinkler heads at ?
+Haddox Hardscapes & Landscaping homedepot or lowes
home-harvest.us/
Important note, Check local ordinances.