We Won an Award for Outstanding Customer Service, as Voted on by Thousands of Customers! Thank You!
Thank you Kansas City!!
It’s That Time!
So it’s that time again! Time to enjoy good BBQ, spend time on the deck with friends, and of course, time to treat your lawn to the healthy doses of water and nutrients it needs to get and remain thick and healthy!
The Lawn Sprinkler Guys would love the opportunity to come out and give your existing sprinkler system a thorough review, seeing if we can get water to those hard to reach places, or maybe deal with resetting your timer to minimize your water bill.
We’re also scheduling new sprinkler systems installations all over Kansas City. You may be surprised to find out how inexpensive an in-ground sprinkler system can be! CLICK HERE to drop us an email and we’d love to come out and give a free estimate describing how we can tun your “yard” into a virtual grass carpet!
EVERYONE Loves Their In-Ground Lawn Sprinklers!
Repair of Main Line That Was Too Shallow
Here we have a video of a repair of a main sprinkler water supply line that was damaged as a result of only being buried about 3 inches under the ground. Take a look as we figure out the best way to repair and bury the line further into the ground to avoid further damages.
Main Line Repair
Video Link is here (1:50 minutes) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN_Wdg7jgeg
Sprays vs. Rotors: The What, Why, and How…
Here is a great explanation of how spray heads and rotors are different, what they’re used for, and how to and how not to use a combination of both in your lawn sprinkler system:
Often when I am giving a bid or an estimate on a sprinkler system I get asked whether I will be using rotors or sprays. Not everyone asks this question, but those who’ve learned information about irrigation and lawn sprinklers tend to ask.
Rotor
The answer that I give people is “we use a combination of rotors and sprays depending on the landscape.” When I say a combination I don’t mean that you mix rotors and sprays on the same zone, I mean that you will use rotors in the larger turf areas and sprays in the flower beds and smaller grass areas.
Sprayhead
Rotors have a smaller precipitation rate than spray heads. That means that they take longer to get the same sized area wet and spray heads water an area quicker. Spray heads just pop up and don’t rotate, while rotors have to turn to water the area that they are designed to water. This is why it is not a good idea to mix rotors and sprays; because you will either over-water or underwater a section of that zone.
Frequently with certain designs and curves of a landscape, a spray head may need to be added to a rotor zone. Sometimes it is just impractical to have to run a separate line just to add one spray head, so you break the “rule” and add one head. With sandy permeable soil, you can tend to get away with this with little bad effects, but with a denser soil I would not recommend it.
If you can space your heads 25 -35 feet apart then you should use rotor heads. Rotors have bigger water droplets, don’t get clogged like sprays, and cover a larger area than sprays. Spray heads are good for areas where you can space heads 4′ to 15′ apart. Spray can work better with landscapes with a lot of curves, and will water an area quicker, but they will get clogged more often when using a well supply.
A properly designed irrigation system will use both rotors and sprays in the appropriate areas. There are some cases where an entire yard can be irrigated with one type of head or the other, but this is rare. Most of the time a sprinkler system will consist of a combination of rotors, sprays, and even drip tube.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3503980
Home Improvement: Most Bang For Your $
There’s not a lot of lawn sprinkler talk here, but this is an interesting video of an interview with Angie Hicks (from Angieslist.com) speaking about tips, tricks, values, and cautions of home-related do-it-yourself projects.
Angie Hicks Interview
Click the link below to watch the 4 minute interview on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-MfvHAy-ws
(Interesting tidbit from this interview…installing a pool will only result in a return on investment of about 50%?)
Sprinkler Run Time Calculator (Free Online Tool)
Unsure about how long to water the different zones (sections) of your lawn? This can be confusing, as some parts of the lawn need to be watered for less time than others.
Rainbird Time Clock
Below is a link to a free online tool offered by Rainbird that will allow you to enter data about the different zones in your yard and will give you a recommendation of how long to water each zone.
Link is here:
ttp://www.rainbird.com/support/RunTimeCalculator/index.htm
As a general rule, we set zones with spray heads to water for 3 – 5 minutes and zones with rotor heads to water for 15 – 20 minutes. With that being said, we think this tool is very useful and can give you super accuracy in how much time per zone needs to be on the watering clock.
Who Has 10 Thumbs and Now Accepts AMEX? Us!
Through our relationship with our awesome merchant account provider we are now able to accept American Express as a payment option for our services at no additional charge.
High-five credit card merchant account provider!
Wish we could brag about you more, but we don’t want our competitors to get wind of the awesome deal we’ve got…
Video & Summary of a “Backflow” Preventer
We are often asked, “What’s a backflow preventer and why do I need one?” Here is the Cliff’s Notes version:
A backflow prevention assembly is used to protect water supplies from contamination or pollution.
In water supply systems, water is normally maintained at a significant pressure to enable water to flow from the tap, shower etc. When pressure fails or is reduced as may happen if a water main bursts, pipes freeze or there is unexpectedly high demand on the water system, the pressure in the pipe may be reduced and may allow contaminated water from the ground, from storage of from other sources to be drawn into the system. To prevent such an occurrence, many regulatory regimes require there to be an air gap or mechanical backflow prevention assembly between the delivery point of mains water and local storage or use [1] Where submerged mains inflow is permitted a backflow prevention assembly is required. In this way the backflow prevention assembly protects the potable water system from contamination hazards which can be severe. There are over 10,000 reported cases of backflow contamination each year. Some cases can be fatal.
In many countries where regulations allow for the possibility of backflow , Approved backflow prevention assemblies are required by law and must be installed in accordance with plumbing or building codes.
A typical backflow assembly has test cocks and shut-off valves and must be tested each year, if relocated or repaired, and when installed.
In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) holds local water suppliers responsible for maintaining a certain amount of purity in potable water systems. Many states and/or local municipalities require annual testing of backflow prevention assemblies. A check valve is a common form of backflow prevention. In most cases, the law requires a double check (DC), an Reduced Pressure Principle Device(RP) device or an air gap when backflow prevention is mandated.
The simplest, and most effective way to provide backflow prevention is to provide an air gap. An air gap is simply a space between any device that opens to a plumbing system (like a valve or faucet) and any place where water can collect or pool.
Here’s a quick video showing the guys putting in a backflow preventer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VoezB3dMy4
A professionally installed backflow preventer should cost anywhere from $125 to $300, depending on what kind of backflow preventer your city code calls for and the technical specs of your existing sprinkler system.
K.C. & K.C. Area Public Safety Officer Discount
We are pleased that we can extend the following discounts to ALL Public Safety Officers in the Kansas City Metro and Surrounding Areas:
15% off of Regular Service Calls for System Maintenance
10% off Sprinkler System Spray Heads and Rotors
Up to $150 off a New Sprinkler System Installed by The Lawn Sprinkler Guys (Discount Depending on Lot Size)
We appreciate everything these true professional men and women do for us everyday to ensure the safety and livelihood of the communities in which we live and work.
Thank you.
Thanks for the Super Kind Words!
We just realized we had a new post on www.Kudzu.com, which is a site, similar to Angie’s List, that rates local businesses. We were thrilled when we saw the following post:
“These guys know their stuff! We enjoy seeing the same guys year after year coming out to work on our system. When they say something needs replaced, fixed, or improved, I absolutely without a doubt believe them.”
Wow – Thank you!
