Castlerock Landscape Contractors

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April 22, 2011

Here’s the release from Denver Water (Stacy Chesney):

Denver Water’s summer water use rules begin May 1, but the utility encourages customers to pay attention to weather and lawn conditions before watering.

“Half of a household’s water use goes to outside watering,” said Melissa Essex Elliott, manager of conservation. “Most lawns don’t need as much water as you might think. Watering your lawn two days a week should be sufficient during May and into June.”

Denver Water’s watering rules, in effect until Oct. 1, are:

- No lawn watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
- Do not water more than three days per week (there are no assigned days for watering).
- Do not waste water by allowing it to pool in gutters, streets and alleys.
- Do not waste water by letting it spray on concrete and asphalt.
- Repair leaking sprinkler systems within 10 days.
- Do not water while it is raining or during high winds.

The utility will continue to enforce its rules with a team of 12 Water Savers, including four on bikes.

“The Water Savers’ purpose is as much about educating customers as it is about enforcing Denver Water’s rules,” said Elliott. “We continue to have some monitors on bikes as a more approachable way to talk with our customers one-on-one about wise water use.”

If you see water waste in one of Denver’s parks, call 3-1-1. To report waste elsewhere, call Denver Water at 303-628-6343.

Colorado’s dry climate means everyone needs to take part to ensure adequate water supplies will be available well into the future. “A small step like adjusting your watering times based on the weather is a great way to become more efficient,” said Elliott. Denver Water’s long-term plan to secure water for the future includes encouraging water conservation as a permanent way of life for Denver residents.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 by: Mike Bundrant

123(O’Hara) – How to Install Yard Sprinkler Systems in West Palm Beach by O’Hara Sprinkler Inc.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
West Palm Beach, Florida, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) April 7, 2011 — Basic sprinkler system parts are affordable.  Sprinkler systems make lawn watering efficient and promote healthy grass and plants. Planning the sprinkler system on paper prior to installing creates an easy-to-follow blueprint and allows the purchase of the proper amount of piping and couplings. You’ll find basic parts at local hardware stores and contractor supply outlets. Except for the control box and possible rental of a trencher, the parts are inexpensive for the water savings achieved.

Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions

things you’ll need:

Graph paper
Water pressure gauge
Trenching equipment or shovel
Sprinkler control box
¾ inch PVC pipe (adjust size for water flow as needed)
PVC pipe cutter
PVC bonding cement
Pipe couplings
Risers
Sprinkler heads
Teflon tape

Locate the main water supply, and test the water pressure using a pressure gauge. Sketch an outline of the yard using 8 ½ x 11 graph paper. Note shade trees, flower beds, and where sidewalks interrupt the yard space. Note where the water main runs from the street to the house. Determine the number of sprinkler zones and the type of sprinkler heads needed to reach the desired gallons per hour. Use half circles or full circles on paper for half spray heads or full spray heads as noted in “Garden and Patio Building Book” by the editors of Sunset magazine. Create a legend on the paper to measure the amount of linear footage needed for piping that are typically sold in 10 feet lengths.

Acquire supplies and tape over the open ends of the PVC pipe to reduce the chance of dirt entering the pipes in trenches. Check local city water departments for rebates on purchasing weather-based controllers similar to the listing on SoCalWaterSmart.com. Locate where the sprinkler control box will be located. Select a position for the valves that control the sprinkler zones and ensure the wires can easily reach.

Sprinkle lime to mark how the PVC pipes will lay in the yard, or stake a spot at the main line to run a plumb line just above the ground to mark the piping. Start at the sprinkler valve controls and then walk along the grass marking each spot farthest away from the controls. Mark where each sprinkler head will appear. Dig trenches six to eight inches deep following the marking.

Lay pipes in the trenches. Attach pipes to the main control valves. Unwrap the tape to attach the pipes. Use a PVC pipe cutter to cut the pipe, and install a riser for the sprinkler heads. Use adjustable elbow joints to attach the riser to the pipes to allow flexibility if the sprinkler heads are bumped by lawn mowers. Select either a 6-inch, 8-inch or 12-inch riser. Use plastic risers to make adjustments easier. Bond couplings with pipe sections using pvc cement. Wait one hour or longer for the cement to bond. Turn on water to flush lines before attaching sprinkler heads. Turn off immediately after turning on to avoid flooding over the risers.

Troubleshoot connections before covering with sod.
Attach sprinkler heads, and inspect both the water flow and strength of pvc pipes at joints. Cover the sprinkler pipes with sod and tamp down lightly. File the graph for future reference.

To get additional information about Denver landscaping, Denver landscaping companies, and Denver landscaping contractors, please visit our Denver landscape designinformational site.

courtesy of southernbermuda, youtube.com

To get additional information about Denver landscaping, Denver landscaping companies, andDenver landscaping contractors, please visit our Denver landscape design informational site.

Premium content from Denver Business Journal – by Cathy Proctor / 28 Oct 10

A small, private Longmont company sees a big future for its innovative, underground irrigation system that it claims cuts water use as much as 60 percent compared to standard overhead sprinklers.

Irrigation Water Technologies Inc. (IWTI) sells and distributes the KISSS (Kapillary Irrigation SubSurface Systems) watering system in North America. An Australian company with a similar name, Irrigation Water Technologies Australia, makes the patented system, which consists of a flexible water tube sandwiched with a plastic strip on the bottom and a strip of felt-like material on the top.

A modest economic recovery would make IWTI profitable in 2011, said Dave Hunter, president and CEO.
“We operate in a green, sustainable conservation space that’s spurred by population growth and water shortages,” Hunter said. “‘I don’t see that easing up. Water is going to be the next battleground after oil.”

Traditional overhead sprinklers lose water to evaporation and runoff. But KISSS system water winds up in the soil. It seeps out of the tube, which is buried up to 12 inches underground, through the felt and into the soil — using the capillary action of the felt and dirt to spread water slowly and widely to the roots of grass, trees or ornamental plants.

KISSS also avoids problems associated with drip irrigation systems, such as water pooling around the tubes, or roots growing into the tubes and clogging the water flow, said Mike Croy, IWTI’s vice president of sales for North America.
The system has been used to water athletic fields, commercial and public gardens, street medians and plants in green roofs, such as on the William J. Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Ark., and the Target Center in Minneapolis, Hunter said.

The tubes can feed water, fertilizer or pesticides into the soil for roots, and its underground location means players can use athletic fields while the system runs, Croy said.

“It saves water and gets as good or better coverage [for the root systems] as traditional irrigation systems,” Hunter said.
The private company started in North America in 2007 and has 15 employees, up from 11 a year ago. Its 2009 revenue was “in the six figures” for 2009, and expected to double in 2010, Hunter said.

Making goods in Longmont
IWTI expects to close a Longmont manufacturing agreement with the Australian company, to start in early 2011. The Longmont office would make systems for the North American sales territory, Hunter said. He expects to hire two employees initially for that operation.

Hunter joined IWTI in July. The company moved to Longmont from Colorado Springs in December 2009 in order to be close to its CFO, Collis Woodward, who lives in Fort Collins, he said.

The KISSS system costs more than other irrigation systems. A KISSS system for a soccer field would cost 20 percent to 30 percent more than overhead systems, but the higher costs are recouped through water savings in five to seven years, Hunter said.

Water demand for the Clinton library’s green roof, which was installed in 2007, is 40 percent less using the KISSS system compared to what an overhead system would require. That’s according to Mark Anderson, sustainable market development manager for the installer, Tremco Inc., an 80-year-old Beachwood, Ohio, company focused on roofs and waterproofing materials for buildings.

“That’s what I specify for all my systems for vegetative roofs,” Anderson said. “It’s working fabulously. We’ve had no issues at all. Everything is flourishing very well.”

Anderson said he initially thought the library’s roof would last about 15 years, but now believes the irrigation system and plants will extend the roof’s lifespan to 45 years.

The plants protect the roof from weather and sunlight, lengthening its lifespan, he said.
“It’s all about water management,” Anderson said. “It’s truly a water-conservation device that’s easily controlled, not exposed to the elements and doesn’t have a UV breakdown of the components [from sunlight]. Everything is buried, it stays in place and it works.”

Read more: Irrigation company sweet on new watering system | Denver Business Journal