Sprinkler
Design Service How to Use the Sprinkler Design Service
1. To start the process you will need to fill out the following two forms from our website. One is for the sketch of your yard and the other one is for your technical and personal data:
You can also drop by your local home center or do-it-yourself retailer to pick up Rain Bird's Sprinkler System Design brochure and graph paper..
2. Gather the information requested below in steps 1 through
6 and complete the request form and drawing as instructed.
Upon completion, mail or fax the completed questionnaire
and
drawing to Rain Bird. Once you receive your design, follow
the instructions in the Installation Guide or Installation
Video to complete
your project.
Rain Bird Rapid Response Service
WANT IT FASTER? For $49.95 ($29.95 refundable fee with any
Rain Bird product purchase, no minimum dollar amount required),
we can design your plans within three business days and ship
them to you via express mail. If you desire this service,
then please check the appropriate box on your "Sprinkler
Design Instruction Sheet". (prices subject to change.)
Getting Started
You'll need a pressure gauge (see your Rain Bird dealer), string and a pencil or pen, a 5 gallon bucket and a tape measure.
Check
your water pressure: Screw the pressure gauge onto the nearest faucet to the water meter. Make sure no water is running
anywhere inside or outside your house. Turn on the faucet
with the gauge attached. The gauge shows your water pressure
in pounds per square inch (PSI). You may also call your local
water company to find out your water pressure.
Write the pressure reading on your information sheet.
Check
your water meter size: The meter size ( 5/8",3/4" or 1") is usually
stamped on the outside of the meter. If you can’t find
the size, just call the water company, they’ll know.
Write the meter size on your information sheet.
Check
the size of your service line: Find the pipe that runs from the water meter to your house.
Wrap a piece of string around the pipe, mark it, then measure
how much string it took to go around the pipe. Check your
string length on the table below to find your service line size.
For example, if your string measures 4" and you have
galvanized pipe, your service line is 1 inch.
Determining Size of Service Line:
Length of String
2 3/4"
3 1/4"
3 1/2"
4"
4 3/8"
5"
Size of Copper
3/4"
1"
1 1/4"
Size of Galvanized
3/4"
1"
1 1/4"
Size of Sch. 40 PVC
3/4"
1"
1 1/4"
Write the service line size on your information sheet.
Measure
your home’s water capacity (flow):
Get a measurable container, like a 5 gallon bucket, make
sure no other water is running in or outside the house, turn
the faucet on all the way and time how long it takes to fill
the container.
Our 5 gallon bucket took 17.5 seconds to fill so; number
of gallons divided by number of seconds to fill x 60 seconds
= GPM (5 divided by 17.5 x 60 = 17.14). Round your answer
down to the nearest whole number. Our example gives us 17
GPM.
Note: For pump systems, check with your well and pump dealer
or the owner’s manual of your pump to determine its
pressure and flow capacity.
Write your water capacity on your information sheet.
Measure
your lot: Include lawn, sidewalks, driveways, and walkways and don’t
forget the house. It’s a good idea to sketch everything
on a piece of scratch paper, and write in the measurements
before drawing your final plan on the graph paper supplied.
Then, just transfer everything, to scale, to the graph paper.
Mark your water meter or pump location with a box .
Mark your desired timer location with a circle .
Mark your desired manifold locations with an .
On your graph paper, each 1-inch square can be 10, 20, or
30 feet. Decide your scale and write it on your information
sheet (important). Maximum lot size for Rain Bird’s
Design Service is 240 x 300 feet.
Dividing
your lot into sections:
Divide your layout into sections, pick out the different
areas like, the front lawn, side lawn, flowerbeds etc.
Be sure to label all areas of your yard that you want watered.
Rain Bird will make sprinkler head recommendations. If you
have special watering requirements, such as wanting bubblers,
label these areas. For the types of sprinkler heads that are
available, refer to our online Underground Product Catalog.
Also, if you have a particular area you want watered separately,
such as gardens, roses, etc., mark that area ‘separate
valves.’
Group similar types of plants together, like shrubs and ground cover. If you have big differences in the amount of sun different areas get, you may want to group them, too.
Mail or fax the completed questionnaire
and your drawing to:
Rain Bird Sprinkler
Design Service
2675 Customhouse Court, Suite L
San Diego, CA 92154 USA
Fax: 800-862-4927
The Rain Bird Sprinkler Design Service is for homeowners
only and only for their place of residence. Please do not
request designs for commercial or institutional property,
these design requests will be rejected and not processed or returned..
Rain Bird offers this design service as a guideline. No guarantee
of accuracy of design, system installation, or operation of
system is implied.
IMPORTANT: The computerized plan you receive
will only be as accurate as your drawing. Be sure to scale
your drawing using one of the following ratios: 1"=10’
or 1"=20’ or 1"=30’.
Remember: Maximum yard size for a Rain
Bird computerized design is 240 x 300 feet.
Sprinkler
Design Service graph paper
WANT IT FASTER? For $49.95 ($29.95 refundable fee with any
Rain Bird product purchase, no minimum dollar amount required),
we can design your plans within three business days and ship
them to you via express mail. If you desire this service,
then please check the appropriate box on your "Sprinkler
Design Instruction Sheet". (prices subject to change.)
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