Simple DIY Sprinkler Sets: A bad idea?

Question

My wife & I purchased a home in November in Los Angeles. There's a fully automated, underground sprinkler system in the front, but nothing in the back. The backyard is a bit of a mess. Not terrible, but not ideal. 4-5 years down the road we see ourselves having it overhauled, so we don't want to invest in an expensive sprinkler system (& installation) at this point.

However, with the summer here, we're realizing watering by hand is going to be... a challenge.

I've seen a few DIY sprinkler systems with no underground plumbing. (E.g., Quick-Snap & LawnBelt.)

This could work for us, as the the backyard is basically two large rectangles.

However, I haven't seen a lot of people use them. Has anyone had experience with them and/or advice? I checked Consumer Reports & couldn't find anything either.

I'd also be interested if there's any with a timer (e.g., so we can set it water the yard every other day for X minutes, etc.)

Thanks!

Answer 1

Do you have a lawn or individual plants in the back? In L.A. you will certainly need to water almost anything you want to keep alive. If you have individual plants, a drip watering system is the way to go. If you have lawns, there are workable options. There are timers that screw onto a faucet outlet and have a threaded connection for a hose. One simple option is an old-style moving sprinkler -- the ones at http://www.garden-sprinklers.co.uk/enter.html and http://www.orbitonline.com/products/Sprinklers/01/10/20/1803/ seem like the ones I remember as a teenager that we used to water a large lawn, although I cannot vouch for these sites. If you use one like these, just remember to occasionally move the hose.