How Can I Make An Inexpensive Sprinkler System?

By Harry RamosLast update: 2024-03-21

While you can buy a commercial sprinkler, making your own irrigation system is not a difficult task plus it’s pretty budget-friendly and you can customize the water stream direction and quantity.

I successfully DIY a simple sprinkler system – which costs no more than $40. If you’re wondering “how can I make an inexpensive sprinkler system?”, keep reading!

How Can I Make An Inexpensive Sprinkler System?

What You’ll Need

Here are the items you will need to prepare to make an inexpensive sprinkler system:

  • 1 flex pipe tee

How Can I Make An Inexpensive Sprinkler System?

  • 2 flex pipe elbows

How Can I Make An Inexpensive Sprinkler System?

  • 1 compression swivel adapter

How Can I Make An Inexpensive Sprinkler System?

  • 2 rain bird 1804VAN (with side stripe nozzle) sprinkler
  • 1/2-inch underflow flex PVC pipe

How Can I Make An Inexpensive Sprinkler System?

  • PVC glue or heat gun

How Can I Make An Inexpensive Sprinkler System?

Tools for the project:

  • Ground tamper tool
  • Diagonal pliers or tube cutter

How Can I Make An Inexpensive Sprinkler System?

How Can I Make An Inexpensive Sprinkler System?

Explanation: The reasons that I used PVC vinyl tubing are that they’re flexible, easy to arrange/rearrange, easy to use, and inexpensive with plastic couplings. You don’t need a hacksaw, but just snip it off and snap it together. They’re also easy to buy.

How To Make An Inexpensive Sprinkler System

Determine The Irrigated Area

This is an important step you need to do before starting the job!

How Can I Make An Inexpensive Sprinkler System?

Measuring the area that you plan to install a sprinkler system will help determine the scale of this project, which equipment is needed, and how many tools and materials to prepare.

It avoids buying too many or not enough materials, which is time- and money-saving.

You will need a 100-foot rule roller to measure the width and length of the area.

Create Sprinkler Head Layout

After getting the dimensions of the area, you should sketch it on paper, consisting of the objects available in the space – such as trees, flower beds, and fences. Don’t forget to locate the water source on this sketch.

How Can I Make An Inexpensive Sprinkler System?

Then, try different sprinkler system layouts to find out the best-suited one – which should be easy to install and distribute water evenly throughout the space with no under-watering or overwatering.

There’s a tendency to let the sprinkler follow the form of the shape rather than imposing a consistent geometric grid with the sprinklers.

With irregular-shaped areas, your goal is to create a grid of even spacing within the space, whether it’s a square or equilateral triangle.

Mark The Sprinkler Head Layout On The Irrigated Area

You will need multiple rolls of a string with loops tied off at different increments to match the throw of the nozzles commonly used.

Typically, 10, 12, 15, 20, and 35-foot increments will meet the majority of your needs.

Anchor the string along the longest edge, starting where the head placement is most critical. Run it in a straight line parallel to the edge until reaching the loop that is closest to the opposite end of the turf without going past the edge.

Make a 90-degree turn into the area by one loop and reverse direction to create another row parallel to the first.

Keep doing this until you have created a grid that covers the full width of the area. Place a flag next to each loop to mark the placement of the heads in your grid.

Make The Sprinkler System

The very first step is to dig a trench down to around 5 to 6 inches following the mark you made before. This trench is for placing the irrigation tubing. Use a lawn edger to make it easier to remove patches of grass to later on reposition.

As this step is quite challenging, please be careful when digging!

Connect the swing pipe elbow to the sprinkler, using PVC glue.

How Can I Make An Inexpensive Sprinkler System?

At this point, use a PVC cutter to cut a small piece of the tubing to joint the elbow to the T-fitting. Cut the tubing where the sprinkler will be positioned.

Then, connect the sprinkler to irrigation tubing. To make it easier, use a heat gun or PVC glue.

Leveling the sprinkle head and making sure it is able to pop up on its own. Lay the irrigation tubing in the trench, then insert a compression swivel adapter to irrigation tubing, which will allow you to connect the garden hose.

How Can I Make An Inexpensive Sprinkler System?

Close and level with the ground tamper tool.

How Can I Make An Inexpensive Sprinkler System?

Conclusion

The quantity of each material that I listed above are for a simple sprinkler system of two sprinkler heads for watering an around 30-square-meter garden. You should adjust it to fit your area.

I hope that this post helped you learn more about how to make an inexpensive sprinkler system. Good luck! And, thanks for reading!

I’m Harry Ramos, who's crazy about all things green. I’m here to share some experience in my gardening adventure and how to choose the best products for your garden. Let's dig in, get our hands dirty, and celebrate the simple, earthy pleasures of the garden together!


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