17 Reasons To NOT Buy The Coolest Sprinkler Ever // Irrigreen
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- Опубліковано 28 сер 2023
- This is my argument against buying an Irrigreen sprinkler system. I say all this after having installed Irrigreen in my front yard and used it for the past three months.
♦♦♦ UPDATE Spring 2024 - 1 FREE head on all Irrigreen systems using this link: irrigreen.sjv.io/3e13LK
It's not that I don't like Irrigreen; it's just that I now know who this product isn't for.
► You can see my Irrigreen installation series right here: turfmechanic.com/irrigreen-re...
► See this blog post to better understand how much it costs to install Irrigreen in your yard: turfmechanic.com/irrigreen-cost/
If I didn't scare you away from Irrigreen with this video my audience is entitled to a free head with the purchase of any Irrigreen system. If you are asked, use my affiliate link above or the coupon code "turfmech".
Here is that link; go to town with it if you've got cash to burn!
turfmech.link/irrigreen-turfmech
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► Curious how much Irrigreen costs? turfmechanic.com/irrigreen-cost/
This is a really unbiased and realistic look at the pros and cons of this system. Most honest review I’ve seen on UA-cam. Appreciate you doing this.
thanks for saying that; always trying to be as honest as possible around here :)
That was the best and most honest review I've ever seen on any product. Thanks for not being a product pusher. Great video
thanks for that; I thought long and hard about how to do this one the right way.
This is the first video I’ve commented on. I wanted to say thank you for your well thought through approach to this. Your comments are accurate. I’ve done lots of research on this and I’m glad to hear your insights. If I was going to install it by myself I think the Irrigreen would be easier and less work. I am looking at a 5 zone system for my house for about $3500 (not installed). A traditional sprinkler system would have about 26 heads and would run about $6000-$7000 installed. In my area no one would install it since they have never worked with this. Bottom line is that both systems have pros/cons so there are many factors to consider and you bring up many good points. 😊
wow, cool to be the recipient of your first comment ever! :) Thanks for saying all that; I have really wanted to document as much as I could about this before recommending anyone buy something like this. Trial and experience help identify stuff that actually matters. For instance the app has a major delay which is annoying but hardly a deal breaker. You'd never see that mentioned anywhere but if I say run on the app it takes a while to kick on and it takes a while to kick off when I hit stop. Anyway, I could probably make a full 20-min video about the positives of this too but for that I'm willing to wait but you are right; one of the major positives is the installation cost. Although the cost of the equipment is high the cost of installation is much lower than that of a traditional in-ground system. Basically anyone looking to put in a new in-ground system and have a landscaper do the work would probably pay far fewer man hours labor on this job. Regardless of the system installed though, more heads are better than less. Even though this can throw 30+ feet I don't think I'd ever plan on setting a zone up to do so; the longer that distance is the less accurate it is due to weather conditions.
This was super useful to me. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
I was literally on the verge within the next 24 hours of buying the Irrigreen system for my front yard, but this video changed my mind. This review was non-biased, well thought out and clear & concise. Wish I could pay Turf Mechanic a consultation fee to check out my yard via pics/vid/satellite imagery and advise me on my best bang for my buck irrigation system. I’ve found one on Amazon I was impressed with but I’m a layman when it comes to all this but I’m trying to listen to pros like Turf Mechanic.
I pulled the trigger, it is crazy awesome, only 8 heads, 11,400 sq ft easy easy install
As an Irrigation Manager here in Knoxville, TN. I thank you for making this. I want to know everything I can about this. I personally don’t see a need for this. It seems like a nice DIY project. Doesn’t seem nice to what plants need in a planting bed
If I was in the business and someone told me I could install a system faster with less pipe, it would be a no brainer
Despite making this video I still think this system is worth it by a lot and you're right, requires way less digging and less pipe. It's a much shorter duration for installation so a business could literally do more installs per season and customers could save a lot of expenses on that side as well. I'm currently installing new zones in my back yard right now. I've got PVC curing right now before pressurizing the new zones.
I have 2 reasons for installing a master valve, 2 leaks lol Do you know how to wire it, I failed last weekend
Have you had the time to calculate how long it takes to put out an inch of water?
I hadn't calculated it until this comment but here you are, each revolution applies 0.055 inches of water according to irrigreen's website, so it takes just over 18 revolutions to apply an inch. From my video time stamps (published video is actually playing at 105% speed) it takes about 7-min per revolution...so, that means 7 times 18 would be about an inch of water or two hours and 6 min. Next time I do a tuna can or coffee cup test I'll have to see if that's close. Also the app tells me how much water is put out in gallons for each cycle so it would be interesting to compare the app's output measurement, with the statistical estimate of two hour six min, with the coffee cup collection method. I feel a video may be needed for this. :)
@@TurfMechanic a video would definitely be wanted
I'll work on that for sure, if I don't make a dedicated video I'll at least get some footage of me doing it and add it as a segment to some video down the road.
Sage advice. Thanks
👊
Great review!
thanks a lot LawnSauce! :) Love your name btw!
How long does it take to put down 1/2” of water on that front lawn? Seems like it would take an eternity compared to a regular irrigation system. Great video! Honest and to the point!
Looks like 1hr 3 minutes. My mp rotators take 1hr 15, so very comparable, but very overpriced imo. I can tune my mp rotators pretty close to my borders as well.
After hearing all the pros and cons, i think the system is still right for my sutuation. The only negative i saw was putting down grass seed and the sprinkler pushing the seed. If i need to put down seed, I'll probably just use my old above ground system
I also find myself using my old sprinklers if I want to water something into the soil but for regular watering on my lawn now the Irrigreen works great.
There are a few things I would like to point out about this irrigation system having owned and operated a full service lawn and sprinkler maintenance company for the last decade.
Irrigation systems are typically installed to establish a new lawn, sowing seed and hydroseeding would be difficult because of the damage from large droplets trajectories toward their outer bounds. That leaves you with sod, typically people don't sod large lawns. The inability to run multiple zones at a time is a HUGE proplem, watering restrictions are becoming commonplace and the precipitation rate for this system is max 7.4 gpm per zone. 1" systems can provide around 24 gpm typically and I maintain 2" (125 gpm max) systems that run 10 plus hours 3 days a week. Running cables to every head instead of an ICV box is also complicating things that were previously not an issue with traditional sprinkler systems.
Edging along concrete doesn't damage heads unless they are pressed tight against the concrete and it's the first time you've edge the lawn, even then landscapers pull edgers and the rotation of the blade is upward which pushes most heads out of the way unless you are edging dry. Damaged rotors from aerating and flail-tine dethatching is more common than you think and I wouldn't want to service a lawn knowing if I punched a hole in their otto or irrigreen rotor i'd be shelling out $300 plus just to cover parts. Sprinkler systems only add value to a home as green lawn curb appeal, meaning that people don't know or care what is there until it stops working and their lawn dies or goes dormant. Another thing to consider is water quality, pressurized irrigation water from non-potable water will wreck sprinklers and valves in as little as 2 years even when filtered.
A properly designed irrigation system will have much less overspray than what I see with irrigreen, it will be easier to install, easier to service, more durable, and most importantly is less expensive. A single hunter i-20 rotor is $14 compared to irrigreen's $278 integrated head, a simple controller for standard sprinkler valves starts at $50 compared to $1570. There is no situation I have seen where this is better than what is already available.
Pretty sweet comment right there! Thanks for adding so much value to the topic!
I have Hunter Sprinkler and a Rachio Controller, is super.😁
I really need to do a deep dive look at or comparison between some of these high end controllers. I still have a nice Hunter Hydrawise HPC 400 hooked up in the garage controlling my still connected traditional system. I still really that unit too
I have the Hunter Pro HC12 coupled with the smart flow meter and rain gauge shut-off sensor and I can see data that others could only wish for. My yard is a bunch of complex shapes that Irragreen would cost a freaking fortune to set up. So sometimes 75 MP rotators can outperform other systems just based on areas and flexibilites.@@TurfMechanic
For my area which required 2 zones it was over 2 grand to get irrigreen. People can go on their site and get a quote. They make it really easy.
their site does make it super easy to get a quote without having to call and talk to a sales rep.
Mine was 7 heads for $4k lol. Pretty neat website. Thanks for posting the tip.
$2K installed?
@@Casmige nope that’s just the 2 heads and cables
@1:08 very nice that you programmed the sprinkler not to get you haha
aha, you picked up on that early in the vid! I also programmed it to miss the camera too. :)
I see what you did with the camera and yourself staying dry, nice job...haha
that was a totally unnecessary step I did there but I think it made the video a pinch more fun to watch the water get close to me and the camera without ever hitting. :D Now I have to reprogram it back; I may take some footage of that to show how it works sometimes but it is kind of intuitive.
I'll stick with my drip irrigation haven't had an issue in over 3yrs of installation
Glad this video was made. Too many boot licker videos out there that totally gloss over any of this information and will delete comments asking about them.
I may have to make a blog post about all these things including some of the quirky ones that matter less and less. It's all important info to have IMO
So for me it was cheaper than a traditional system.
1-less trenching and trenching time
2-less material (pipe, heads, etc)
3-less labor
A good candidate for this system would also be those with a large yard and no existing system (like me!)
Another good candidate is someone who wants to change the shape of their yard over time. That can be easily addressed with Irrigreen without digging, plumbing, and spending money.
So, for my 6000 sq ft yard a traditional system would have had about 40 heads and cost over $9000 installed . My Irrigreen system has 6 heads and cost a little over $5500 installed .
It works very well with one exception. I have 1 head that has errored out twice now. Irrigreen has been very responsive and has stood behind their warranty. I’m hoping this time next year I can confidently say I have no complaints.
As for a “light watering job” I would accomplish that by clicking “play” in the “edit shape” function.
excellent points made in this comment and excellent tip on the light spritzing too. I am considering making a pros video to pair this one with but want to really use it longer to make sure to get it right without being a salesman...you are right though, a large yard with no existing inground sprinkler system would be a great candidate for this for the reasons you brought up. Cost of equipment may be higher than traditional but cost of install are probably lower enough to make the entire Irrigreen system the cheapest option. labor costs matter a lot!
A cheap sprinkler that kind of does? The same thing is the Gilmore pattern master sprinkler.
It has a ring around the sprinkler where it will adjust the pattern to the shape. You should check it out?
It's the poor man's Irragreen sprinkler. Great for small yards 1000 to 2000 Sq. Ft.
Geez water is evaporated by the time that thing makes another rotation 😂
yeah, takes a good bit to make it around! 0.055 gallons per rotation so each spot definitely gets more than a spritz per rev but overall it's a slow application for sure.
Almost looks like you Reel mowed your grass :)
Yeah, that Toro on the bottom looks pretty good, cant get any lower without a reel.
looks ready for lawn bowling
I'm game for bowling any day of the week. :) Almost shot me an 800 series last week. I've actually got 30+ balls in the garage! 🤓
@@TurfMechanic Nice. You don't "Strike" me as a bowler. But what Average you got if in a league?
@@kevingebert4316 ha! Word play! 😆 I just finished up a summer league this year at 220 average. I'm down from 224 a couple seasons back pre-covid. I wanted to go pro but I'm just not good enough 🤷♂️
The price is a turn-off as well as the company, how long will they stay in business concerns me as far as product support. If this were Rain Bird or Hunter it would be a no brainer.
When you do the math, it will eventually/potentially pay for itself or add value to your home.
Bermuda is looking fabulous, if only there were a selective herbicide to rid the Kikuyu.
I'll have to reach out to my contacts over at irrigreen and ask what would happen if their servers go down and the app stops working. I haven't tried to control the thing from the panel without the use of the app because that's a very big concern that I didn't think of when starting this project in back in Spring. As for the bermuda, yeah, it's looking way better than expected; early season I thought I was sure I had mostly kik with an infestation of bermuda but obviously it's mostly bermuda with an infestation of kik. I'll be looking into as many ways as possible to see if I can push isolate one to push and the other to supress but I may just nix the whole process because I do still want a 100% buffalo stand there. I may do a blanket glyphosate app in Fall and overseed Rye while I wait for late Spring next year to start transitioning it over to buffalo. It doesn't have to be perfect but close to would be great because buffalo should tolerate tenacity while kik and bermuda will be damaged or lose color so next year if I don't eliminate it all before starting the transition, I should be able to spot treat remnants of bermuda/kik in buffalo stand. Then again, I change my mind every day it seems so it'll be a fun ride to watch.
This is a big concern I have as well. I've been left high and dry too many times with smart home products where the company disappeared and products stopped working. Fingers crossed Rain Bird comes out with a competing product with more reasonable pricing.
I think this market is ripe for competition and it should help push the best innovation possible.
Okay I won't buy it.
Sounds like you"'re just nagging about small things. These types of systems like any online are for people that have talent. You must be a PRO installer trying to steer people who can handle this install very easily.
I agree that this video is mostly about nagging many small things and a few major considerations but many shoppers want to know these small things. Early this Spring I'll be putting a counter-video to this out covering the positives both major and minor. I still use this system and I'm expanding it this Spring to my back yard, zones three and four. I really like using this over traditional sprinklers for regular weekly irrigation so I may even expand later this year to a fifth zone if it makes sense for our garden area that is currently under construction.