Take your time, think it through, don't expect to make any money on it; it's a learning curve, after all. I cringed every time I drove by my first system, it was so amateurish. Good luck.
I still service my 1st System. It's been through 3 or 4 homeowners since but still the best looking yard in the neighborhood.
1984 or 85 I think. My first side job.
S-600 rotors- only a couple left
570 sprays- only one replaced
252 valves- all working fine
EL-6 controller- still working
Mini-clic- still working
Toro PVB- still tests good
Class 200 PVC- no problems
The front yard already has a system, but I'm adding 2 zones of MP3000/3500 to the back yard. I'm also having to install a DCVA because all they had was some wierd PVC deal from the 80s that looks like 2 pressure reducers.
Today I spent half a day on it and got it trenched. Ran over 4 lateral lines in the front yard with my trencher, but didn't hit any other of the utilities. I stayed a good 2 feet away on either side of the gas and phone lines. I wouldn't have gone through the laterals if I had known where they were, but they were nearly impossible to locate since the system was installed years ago. Tomorrow I'm hoping to get all the lines/heads/etc installed, probably going to have to come back and work on filling trenches, wiring the 2 zones onto the current controller, and testing the DC.
Overall its pretty simple for my first system. Customers are great and easy to work with. Great learning experience. Crazy amounts of roots and iron ore were the only other issues today. But nothing I wasn't used to.
Thanks!
The front yard already has a system, but I'm adding 2 zones of MP3000/3500 to the back yard. I'm also having to install a DCVA because all they had was some wierd PVC deal from the 80s that looks like 2 pressure reducers.
Today I spent half a day on it and got it trenched. Ran over 4 lateral lines in the front yard with my trencher, but didn't hit any other of the utilities. I stayed a good 2 feet away on either side of the gas and phone lines. I wouldn't have gone through the laterals if I had known where they were, but they were nearly impossible to locate since the system was installed years ago. Tomorrow I'm hoping to get all the lines/heads/etc installed, probably going to have to come back and work on filling trenches, wiring the 2 zones onto the current controller, and testing the DC.
Overall its pretty simple for my first system. Customers are great and easy to work with. Great learning experience. Crazy amounts of roots and iron ore were the only other issues today. But nothing I wasn't used to.
Thanks!
I only have one system that I seriously regret installing the way I did. The flow was weak due to old galvi service line feeding into the house, and it has slowly gotten worse. I've changed some zones out to MP 1000 due to the flow, and we may even try the Toro Precision nozzles this year instead. Mini rotors were awful, and splitting the zones is not really an option (or better yet, I'm just plain not doing it).
What I meant was from what I could see on the video, It looked like you weren't tracing a pipe, looked like rope or something.
Sorry if I'm not making sense, been pulling LONG days :sleeping:
Still working on this system that I started MONDAY. Wrapping it up tomorrow. Been a steep learning curve but it looks good and the customer is thrilled.
What I meant was from what I could see on the video, It looked like you weren't tracing a pipe, looked like rope or something.
Sorry if I'm not making sense, been pulling LONG days :sleeping:
Still working on this system that I started MONDAY. Wrapping it up tomorrow. Been a steep learning curve but it looks good and the customer is thrilled.
As for the rope in the video, this is the simplest way to demonstrate how a couple of wire angle rods react to an unseen object. I could walk the state of Jefferson finding buried objects and without digging each up, even i would have my doubts.
This is a hard crowd to play my friend (without pics you're a liar and with pics you're just FOS) so the most effective way for me to convey the reaction of the rods when they are near or over a buried conductor is to place the conductor above ground and let you decide for yourself.
You also should know that i don't do many installs and few repairs. I locate wires, valves, leaks, tanks etc. I find shiit, its what i do and i do it pretty well. :waving:
Again, good for you and the client. Posted via Mobile Device
I chose rope since it was easier to place in various directions than pipe
Will get pics of the running system when I do the walk through.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Lawn Care Forum
7M posts
202.7K members
Since 1999
A forum community dedicated to lawn care and landscaping professionals and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!