Hello everyone,
Excluding the house, garage, driveway, and terrace, we will have about 300 sqm (3,230 sq ft) of garden space, mostly lawn, with some perennials and a hedge. From what I understand, a small garden timer that connects directly to the faucet is not sufficient for this; instead, you need an irrigation control system with valve boxes installed underground in the lawn—is that correct?
How do you connect a rainwater cistern with a submersible pressure pump to this system? The hose comes from the cistern, but where does it go from there?
How many power outlets should be planned for this system? Is one outdoor socket enough?
Best regards
Excluding the house, garage, driveway, and terrace, we will have about 300 sqm (3,230 sq ft) of garden space, mostly lawn, with some perennials and a hedge. From what I understand, a small garden timer that connects directly to the faucet is not sufficient for this; instead, you need an irrigation control system with valve boxes installed underground in the lawn—is that correct?
How do you connect a rainwater cistern with a submersible pressure pump to this system? The hose comes from the cistern, but where does it go from there?
How many power outlets should be planned for this system? Is one outdoor socket enough?
Best regards
H
hampshire16 Aug 2020 08:26In the garden of our terraced house, I installed a Gardena system with various sprinklers from the Microdrip series. I had filters installed for the well water beforehand. The first and second years went well. Then, over time, the devices gradually became clogged. Replacing them was troublesome because the connections between the sprinklers and extensions are not designed for multiple uses. I eventually lost interest in it.
I can also recommend the Hunter Rotaro sprinklers. I installed two lines myself just last week. I still need six more, plus drip irrigation for the hedge.
The planning tool from DVS is almost foolproof! You can have the sprinklers positioned for 20€ or get a complete shopping list for 80€.
But I did everything myself because I really enjoyed learning how to do it. Installing the pipes was fun too—I didn’t expect that at all!
For the controller, I will also use one from Hunter, but I haven’t decided which one yet. I’m first laying the pipes and installing the sprinklers, then temporarily connecting a garden hose to test everything for leaks and functionality.
My friend wasn’t too impressed with the Gardena controller. He also has a Gardena robotic lawn mower, but he said the mower and irrigation system don’t really communicate with each other. Not sure if that’s true…
The planning tool from DVS is almost foolproof! You can have the sprinklers positioned for 20€ or get a complete shopping list for 80€.
But I did everything myself because I really enjoyed learning how to do it. Installing the pipes was fun too—I didn’t expect that at all!
For the controller, I will also use one from Hunter, but I haven’t decided which one yet. I’m first laying the pipes and installing the sprinklers, then temporarily connecting a garden hose to test everything for leaks and functionality.
My friend wasn’t too impressed with the Gardena controller. He also has a Gardena robotic lawn mower, but he said the mower and irrigation system don’t really communicate with each other. Not sure if that’s true…
T
T_im_Norden16 Aug 2020 09:12For robotic lawn mowers, try searching for Robonect
H
hampshire16 Aug 2020 09:53Who has experience with Blumat? I prefer to buy locally. We have many raised beds and pots that we should be able to leave unattended occasionally. No lawn; trees and shrubs manage on their own.
My experience with Gardena is that their products typically start having issues after 2–3 years and then need to be replaced. Sprinklers connected to the professional system began leaking, and water stop valves in the couplings did not work properly. Pumps started to whistle after two hours of watering, with the explanation that "this can happen during continuous operation, just schedule a break." In my experience, the quality they used to have is unfortunately no longer there.
Currently, I use Rainbird for sprinklers and controllers, and Toro sprinklers for the past two weeks, and in nearly three years, I have had no malfunctions—except for one sprinkler that I damaged myself. The Microdrip system was replaced with Rainbird’s XFS dripline (thanks to @rick2018 for the tip in one of your posts). I can confirm the clogging issue mentioned by @hampshire. The pressure requirements are also lower; where I previously ran about 35–40 meters (115–130 feet) of Microdrip, I now have about 120 meters (395 feet) of dripline without any pressure problems.
Not to mention the cost savings: Gardena 50 meters (165 feet) of 25 mm (1 inch) pipe costs around 60 euros, whereas 50 meters (165 feet) of 25 mm (1 inch) PE pipe PN16 costs about 35 euros.
For me, only the hoses and accessories for manual water withdrawal are still from Gardena, but these will be replaced with alternatives if they break. These are currently the only Gardena products left from the rental apartment setup.
Currently, I use Rainbird for sprinklers and controllers, and Toro sprinklers for the past two weeks, and in nearly three years, I have had no malfunctions—except for one sprinkler that I damaged myself. The Microdrip system was replaced with Rainbird’s XFS dripline (thanks to @rick2018 for the tip in one of your posts). I can confirm the clogging issue mentioned by @hampshire. The pressure requirements are also lower; where I previously ran about 35–40 meters (115–130 feet) of Microdrip, I now have about 120 meters (395 feet) of dripline without any pressure problems.
Not to mention the cost savings: Gardena 50 meters (165 feet) of 25 mm (1 inch) pipe costs around 60 euros, whereas 50 meters (165 feet) of 25 mm (1 inch) PE pipe PN16 costs about 35 euros.
For me, only the hoses and accessories for manual water withdrawal are still from Gardena, but these will be replaced with alternatives if they break. These are currently the only Gardena products left from the rental apartment setup.
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