Irrigation efficiency matters for both residential and commercial properties. A well-functioning and properly installed sprinkler system can maintain a healthy landscape and conserve water. Sprinkler systems installation requires a thorough understanding of the process, and this guide will take you through each step of that process.

A common misconception is that you can merely pick up pieces from an aquarium pumps supplier online, and they will work for a sprinkler system. In reality, proper sprinkler systems installation needs precision and careful planning.

The Plan: Map Out Your Sprinkler System

Before the actual installation, devise a plan. Measure your property and draw a rough sketch, keeping in mind the placement of your home and any additional structures or large trees. Your strategy should also include the placement of sprinkler heads for adequate coverage along with the locations of the valve box and the main water supply connection. Remember, water pressure matters; each zone should operate independently, thereby avoiding overlapping and excessive water application.

Water Source and Pressure: Understand Your Needs

Once you have a well-laid-out plan, your attention should shift to understanding your water source and pressure. An adequate water supply is pivotal for successful sprinkler systems installation. Your regular garden hose faucet is typically enough to run a sprinkler system. A pressure gauge can measure water pressure, and a stopwatch will help check the water flow rate. Utilizing the results, define the number of sprinkler heads per zone.

Choosing Sprinkler Heads: Manual or Automatic

Consider the type of sprinkler heads: automatic pop-up type or the manual type. Automatic sprinkler heads are a popular choice for low-level planting, while manual sprinkler heads could be a good fit for gardening enthusiasts who enjoy hands-on maintenance.

Gathering the Tools and Supplies

Once you have the plan and know your needs, compile the necessary tools and components, including the pipe, valves, sprinkler heads, backflow preventer, wire, and a controller. While assembling your irrigation kit, be sure not to mix up parts with those of an aquarium pumps supplier online. Remember, they might seem similar but differ significantly when discussing performance and functionality.

Zoning and Installation

After drafting the layout, segment the area into zones. Zoning can prevent low water pressure and ensure optimum performance of the sprinkler system. Start by digging trenches around 6 to 8 inches deep, install the main line leading from the water supply to the valve manifold. Then lay the lateral lines running from the valves to the sprinkler heads.

Installing the Sprinkler Heads and the Controller

With the lines in place, proceed to install the sprinkler heads and connect them to the lateral water lines. Carefully adjust the sprinkler heads to ensure even coverage. Finally, install the controller, ensuring it has a power supply and wired into each valve. Set a program for each zone according to their water needs, considering the type of vegetation, sun exposure, and soil type.

Testing and Adjusting

After the installation, engage the system and check for sufficient water coverage and any leaks. Adjust the sprinkler heads as necessary to ensure that the water reaches all areas of the landscape.

Maintenance: Ensuring Longevity

While installation is a hefty task, do not overlook maintenance. Check valves and heads for leaks and damage every season. Reposition or replace misaligned or malfunctioning sprinkler heads. With a little attention and timely maintenance, a well-installed sprinkler system will serve you for years.

In conclusion, sprinkler systems installation might be a demanding task, yet it’s rewarding for property aesthetics and saves water. Remember, the performance of a sprinkler system doesn’t depend upon the number of sprinkler heads but their strategic placement and zoning. Whether you are a DIY enthusiast or prefer hiring professionals, understanding the process can help you maintain your landscape best.

By Jessica Ackerman

With the current economic crisis striking millions of American homes nationwide, the last thing that many of us can afford to do is replace old lighting fixtures. Instead of spending money on fixtures, you want to add as much as possible to the things that matter most when you remodel, such as furniture, paint, and accessories. Updating fixtures with paint instead of replacing them is a great way to save money on one project, so that you have more for others.

There are a few different reasons to paint instead of replace. First, you may want a different look altogether. Second, you may want to update the look of the fixture using the same shades that already exist. Third, you might want to add a color splash or focal point to the room. These are all common reasons to choose paint over replacing.

A different look is easy!

To create a totally different look, you can choose to spray paint a light fixture instead of replacing it altogether. It may seem like too simple of a change to make a big difference, but you would be surprised how much different it can appear with just a different shade of paint. It is quite literally like the difference between black and white, and you can really make a big impression with a great fixture.

For a different look, choose a contrasting color, such as covering silver with black, or white with red. You want a big difference in the look, without causing the fixture to clash with the rest of your room. Spray paint is easy to find, comes in a rainbow of colors, is cheap, and the entire project will likely take only a few short hours from start to finish.

Sometimes simple is best.

If you like the look that you already have, but the paint is chipped or the metallic finish lacks luster, you may want to consider keeping it simple. You can shine up a metallic finish with a great similar shade, and even add gloss for a great effect. Most spray paints are easy to match to common fixture shades, including the metallic looks.

Splashes of color and focal points are great touches in any room.

With the same tricks as those used for a different look, you can turn your old outdated light fixtures into new focal points in your home. You can also use those fixtures as a way to introduce a splash of color to offset a more neutral color palette. It is also a great way to add contrasting pops of color, such as warm to a cold palette or vice versa.

Keep safety a priority.

It can be a dangerous job to spray paint lighting fixtures, especially if they are electrical light fixtures or hang far above the floor. Always use proper safety precautions to ensure that your project comes out just the way you want without putting yourself or anyone else in any danger. Wear safety goggles, spray paint outside when possible, and always have someone around to help you keep your balance when standing on a ladder. Turn off the circuit and remove electric light fixtures from the wall or ceiling before painting them.

About the Author: Professional designer Jessica Ackerman, writes for WallDecorandHomeAccents.com, and specializes in decorating with

outdoor wall clocks

and

metal tree art

.

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=601975&ca=Home+Management

Business Continuity Planning (BCP) The Show Must Go On

by

Tom Bordon

Business Continuity Planning prepares an organization for the internal interruptions power failure, technical problems and external threats like natural calamities, supply chain problems and more.

BCP ensure that your organization has the backup of both hard and soft assets to prevent or recover from a crisis situation. It allows you to continuously deliver your products or services even under adverse conditions.

Vital steps of BCP:

Expect the Unexpected

Your business can get interrupted from a number of possible scenarios. Downtime resulting from natural calamities, like hurricane, fire or flood, or from internal issues like power outage, hardware failure, or any kind of human error, leads to decreased productivity and hence loss to the revenue.

While a CEO develops his disaster recovery strategy in advance, he should consider all possible downtime and disaster scenarios and should chalk out preventive measures for each.

For example, there should be a fire alarm system in the building along with sprinklers and other fire fighting equipments. There should be a timely checking and maintenance of the equipment to make sure they are working fine.

Conduct a Business Impact Analysis

Business impact analysis will help you develop the action plan you need to follow at the time of any structural or natural disaster. It involves three steps:

1.You should know about your key product and services that bring you highest profits.

2.For these particular product and services, you should decide the duration you can stop delivering them.

3.Identify your critical inputs so that you can continue to offer your products and services.

Educate Your Manpower About BCP

Being the CEO of the company, you should ensure all your employees are aware of Business Continuity Planning. They should know exactly how to act in any kind of crisis situation. For example, conduct regular training sessions on BCP for your employees. Organize fire drills on fortnightly or monthly basis to help your staff stay proactive.

If you are running an IT company, maintain a reliable data storage system and encourage your staff to store the data in that system in order to prevent loss of data due to any technical problem.

Plan to Keep Your Manpower, Systems, and Information interconnected

The business continuity plans and strategies must cover information (data), systems (hardware and software), manpower, and processes (operations and services) along with their connectivity with each other. If the connectivity between workforce, and systems & data disrupts, there will be no business.

As part of thought and planning process, you should look for the best strategy to manage critical systems and components during bad times.

Be Ready With Continuity Strategies

You can continue to run your business effectively after disruption, if you give some forethought and develop efficient continuity strategies. These strategies may include:

Cross-training staff

Hiring equipment

Consider borrowing equipment

Having back-up equipment

Retaining old equipment at the time of replacement

Practicing manual processes as an alternative to computer systems

Keeping a track of alternative suppliers

Keeping copies of insurance policies, contracts and other valuable documents off-site

Review Your Plan

The needs of business keep on changing with the market. Review your business continuity plan every six months and make the necessary changes. Keep an extra copy of the plan at some other site.

You can also seek assistance in developing business continuity planning at executive business coaching. At CEO coaching, you will get to meet like-minded professionals from non-competitive organization who will share their good and bad business experiences. Knowledge sharing at a CEO peer group will help you define your strategies in a better way so that the show goes on in any condition.

Tom Bordon is a freelance writer who has extensively written about

CEO club

and

CEO conferences

. His articles focus on guiding CEOs, COOs on how to manage their time efficiently and make new business plans, and strategies in a CEO association or CEO peer group.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com