How to Install a Sprinkler System for a Lush, Healthy Lawn

Map out the layout yourself, or tap a landscaping company for guidance. Use landscape flags or stakes and string to mark the path of the lines. If you’re giving your entire property an update, consider installing sprinklers before landscaping to avoid damaging the new lawn and garden.

You’ll also want to consider what types of sprinklers you want. Pop-up sprinklers are popular because they sit just underground away from lawnmowers and weed whackers until the timer turns on the system. However, you can enjoy sprinkler benefits, like a healthy lawn and a low-maintenance veggie garden, no matter what type you choose.

Before you can dig trenches and lay sprinkler lines, there are a few legal obligations. To prep for installing sprinklers, be sure to:

• Check that your design meets local building codes, including backflow preventer requirements.

• Apply and obtain appropriate permits for your project.

• Call 811 to have any utility lines on your property marked.

• Measure your property’s water source for pounds per square inch (PSI) and gallons per minute (GPM) to determine what sprinkler parts you’ll need.

You can use a trencher machine to dig narrow lines along the path of the sprinkler system. Make sure to avoid any areas marked as utility lines, and follow the strings you placed for mapping out the sprinkler system. The trenches should be 8 to 12 inches deep.

Shut off the water supply, then locate the main water line for your property. For warmer climates, you can connect your sprinkler pipes to an outdoor spigot for the water supply. For cooler climates, you’ll need to locate the main water line underground.

Because this process involves cutting into the main water line, you should hire a plumber for this step. In some cities, only licensed pros can legally access and alter the main water line.

A few feet away from where the sprinklers connect to the water source, dig a hole that’s 18 inches deep and 3 feet wide. Layer up to 2 inches of gravel at the bottom. This is where you’ll place the valve box.

Following the manufacturer’s instructions, assemble the valve box. It should contain the sprinkler valves that control water flow to each sprinkler zone, a master valve that controls the entire system, and a manifold that carries water to the various valves. 

Follow the sprinkler system’s manual for wiring the sprinkler valves and the master valve. If you’re unsure how to handle the wiring, call a sprinkler installation pro or local electrician for assistance.

Here’s one of many helpful sprinkler maintenance tips: Make sure you jot down what color wires you assign for the sprinkler valves for each watering zone. The common wire is white, but the other wires can be color-coded to your preferences. If you need to inspect or make repairs for specific zones in the future, knowing the wire color coding will make the process easier.

Based on the design layout, use pipe cutters to cut the pipes for the trenches. Then, begin laying the pipes in the trenches, connecting them together as you go with connectors and PVC cement. Continue this process until the pipes for all trenches are connected.

Once you’ve arranged and connected all the sprinkler lines around your yard, you can hook up the lines to the valves. Use elbow pipes to connect the lines around and into the valve box. Make sure the pipes now connect from the main water source to the backflow preventer to the valves and then to the sprinkler lines.

Before attaching the sprinkler heads, make sure the master valve and sprinkler valves are off, then turn the water supply back on. Now, open the master valve and open each sprinkler valve one at a time to flush the system. Close the valves and shut the water back off before continuing.

To add sprinkler heads, you’ll need to connect risers to the sprinkler lines using cement and fittings, then screw on each sprinkler head to each riser. 

With the lines and sprinkler heads in place, you can wire the sprinklers to the timer, or controller. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for wiring or hire an electrician.

Now, it’s time to get your sprinklers ready to spray. Turn the water supply back on. Go to the timer, also known as the controller, to program the spray settings for each sprinkler zone. Turn on the sprinkler system and check that each sprinkler is spraying the appropriate area. Adjust any sprinkler heads as needed.

If a sprinkler zone isn’t working, the valve for that zone may have incorrect wiring or a faulty solenoid. When troubleshooting your sprinkler system, make sure the power and water are turned off before inspecting the wiring. Be sure to hire a sprinkler installation pro if you’re not confident in handling wires. Otherwise, you could be shocked.

Once you’re satisfied with the water coverage, make sure the timer is set to your programmed settings and let the sprinklers handle irrigating your landscape.