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Sprinkler placement near roads

2K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  PurpHaze 
#1 ·
I'm currently installing an irrigation system in my yard. I have about 200 ft. worth of roadfront yard to irrigate. Since the state owns approx. 15' of right of way I'm assuming that your not supposed to place any heads within that area. As a result of placing heads(rotors) out of the 15' right of way, you cannot get head to head coverage obviously, and on top of that you have to set the throw so that it sprays into the road when it is perpendicular to the road in order to ensure the total area along the road gets water. If I do that however, people will be pissed when they drive by and the side of there car gets hit with water. Just curious as to what you guys do in these situations.
 
#3 ·
Unless you are prohibited by local code, i would not worry about placing heads close to road.

I would however understand that I wouldn't expect them to repair anything they break while fixing or improving road.

We run into this locally a lot with small parking strips. Most cities, hold the homeowner for maintenance of that strip. So, they don't say anything if irrigation is installed. However, if a city crew has to do some work, they break a pipe, it is understood that they are under no obligation to repair. Most of the time though, city workers will do the repair themselves. Boils down to less headaches.
 
#4 ·
Like others have already stated go ahead and install them in the easement. However, install sprinklers that will hold up to cars parking over them and design your lines in such a manner that you can "retreat" them in the event the city comes through and curbs the street.
 
#6 ·
Critical Care said:
Agree, install them in the easement and plan on several more zones just to water that area with some fixed sprays... unless if you're running line larger than an inch diameter.
Why sprayheads?

I prefer to lay my zones out perpindicular and not parrelel to the easement. That way if the city decides to widen the road and takes out the last head of each zone you can cap the laterals and move the heads slighty to fix the spacing.

This is a quicky MS paint example, Spacing would probably be more thought out in real life :)

Rectangle Slope Font Parallel Symmetry
 
#10 ·
Wet_Boots said:
With no sidewalks, and especially with a curved road, a line of full-circle heads set a distance from the road, can cover everything to the edge, without tossing water high enough to annoy any passing cars. Space them head to head, or even closer.
Yep, Often when someone is unconfortable with heads and pipe on a easement we will space heads closer than head to head just off the easement border.

And the grass stays green.
 
#11 ·
Might not hurt to check with the local code enforcement folks.
We installed a system with heads in the park strip. The city drove by and shut us down. Seems they have codes against putting anything in that straip as it belongs to the city. They want the owner to maintain it, but putting irrigation in is not allowed.

We had to submit a proposal and drawing to the city, three departments had to sign off and approve it. Then it had to go before the common council and get their approval. Plus there was an additional $110.00 permit fee along with it. All this for 16 heads. Took about a month for the entire process.
 
#12 ·
So what the hey, Jerry? If the city red tags your system for non compliance, then perhaps they should have put in a satellite controller and done the install themselves. Or, they could have just sent out a crew every other day to hand water the strip, after all, that would have shown that your tax dollars were hard at work!
 
#13 ·
I pleaded ignorance and let the homeowner do most of the fighting. He asked the city eng. if the strip belongs to the city why in the hell did he have to mow it? He said they could send a crew out and he would even let them use his mower. Engineer didn't see the humor in that.

I just stayed in the background on this one. Best not to pizz off the city engineering and inspection department if I didn't have to. makes the next jobs easier.
 
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