Q Can you tell me about automatic lawn sprinkler systems? I'm thinking of investing in one, but I hate to see systems watering when it's raining or has just rained. Is there one that doesn't do that? How much do they cost?
A An automatic lawn sprinkler system is an underground system of pipes and spray heads with a controller that the homeowner programs for automatic watering.
Many contractors can install a system for you (check yellow-page directories under "irrigation"), but you can save a lot of money doing it yourself.
"It's not difficult," said Randy Hall, product manager at Rain Bird, a manufacturer of automatic sprinkler systems and components. "Cutting and fitting together the pieces is easy, like building with Lincoln Logs."
Most of the effort is in burying the lines. Do it-yourself information is available online or at stores where you buy components and systems, such as Menards and Lowe's. Trenching is the most demanding part of the job, said Hall, but you can rent equipment that makes the job easier.
In either case, the first step is design. Yards consist of areas with varying plant materials -- grass, trees, shrubs, planting beds -- with different watering needs. A contractor will create a design that divides the yard into zones of like materials. (Do-it-yourselfers can use Rain Bird's free online design service. Go to www.rainbird.com. Click on "sprinkler design service" near the bottom of the page.)
An automatic sprinkler system consists of:
Spray heads, typically drip or, the most popular, pop up. Buried flush with the ground, the latter type will pop up about 4 inches when water pressure is applied. They produce full, half or quarter patterns of spray, or they rotate.
