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Irrigation system is shaking violently

June 2009

We got our sprinkler/garden watering system installed as a gift from someone who very generously installed it himself. So the tubes and pipes are in, and a timer, and fancy looking things on our outdoor faucets, but when we've gotten the timer to work, it doesn't seem to shut off proporly and the entire house shakes violently... among other issues. Can you recommend someone to look at our system and see what we need, fix it, and give us a tutorial for dummies on running the system? Thanks, We're brown thumbs with high hopes! Ann


The shaking you're experiencing is called ''water hammer'' and the only long-term guaranteed fix for it is to have a plumber install an engineered water hammer arrester.
I think you have ''Water Hammer''. If you search on line you'll find lots of ideas on how to fix it. It is a good thing to fix for the sake of your pipes. We had a similar problem when our system was put in. We solved it by turning down the supply of water to that line slightly. For some reason I can't recall, it worked. A plumber or fluids engineer could explain it, but I can't. Anhow. no more water hammer .....yeah! Happy gardener (and better morning sleeper)

Reviews for Irrigation Installation & Repair


June 2009

I am looking for someone to install drip irrigation in my garden and sprinklers for the lawn. Any recommendations would be appreciated. abby


I just worked with a fabulous irrigation guy -- Bruce Sutorious. He does everything concerning irrigation, has years of experience and is very reasonable. I just had him out to repair my irrigation system and he solved issues economically (tightening things rather that just knee-jerk replacing things) and when a small leak appeared a few days later (not his fault) -- he fixed it NO CHARGE... how great is that. He is local -- lives in Richmond. Best to call him on his cell 510 332 0076.
Oct 2008

I recently moved to a new house with extensive flowers, trees and vegetables, and I know absolutely nothing about plants! There is an automatic irrigation system with 31(!) different stations to set. I'm looking for someone who can advise me on how frequently and how long to water each station according to what's growing there, and how to adjust during the seasons. It would also help to be able to know if the hoses are placed correctly, where more hoses are needed, etc. Some plants are doing fine, others have died or are dying. I need to know how to water most effectively while minimizing water use and death. Would this be a landscape architect? A gardener? An irrigation installer? Clueless plant custodian


Any of the folks you mentioned should be able to help you out - landscape designer or architect, irrigation installer, landscape contractor or maintenance person (not the ''mow & blow'' ones). Pablo
We were in the exact same situation recently. And it didn't help that before the old owner left, she totally screwed up the system so that everything was practically dead by the time we moved in. Anyway, our neighbors use Lara at Bountiful Botanicals (http://bountifulbotanicals.com/index.html) and so we hired her (and her team) to reprogram our system, repair some of it, and to install some bits wherever needed. We really like them a lot and they seem to be reasonably priced. Owner of a (finally) Healthy Garden
Oct 2008

Looking for sprinkler repair recommendations. I'm looking for a reliable individual or company to to come repair my irrigation system. Ideally I'd like someone who has been in business for a while so that when I need routine maintenance in the future I can use this person again. House is in Oakland Hills; system is fairly small, conventional (sprinklers, not drip) system. Erin


hi, i have a recommendation for a great irrigation person. her name is lori palmquist and she has been in the business for many years. she is a licensed landscape contractor but specializes in irrigation and really loves and has become quite the expert in the field. i am also a landscape contractor and arborist. my company is california landscape service. i have worked with lori on various projects and although i could probably handle your irrigation needs, she is the person i would turn to if anything unusual or challenging came my way with regards to irrigation. you can't go wrong with lori. her phone number is 510-528-3638
good luck, pablo

June 2008

anyone have a good person to repair a drip system in Berkeley? Andrea


Paul Mele Irrigation 510-612-2837 He and the folks who work for him are great - they do drip and sprinkler and will recommend what works for you, reasonable, on time, and they clean up after themselves. They also respond to emergency calls about leaks, something I really appreciated the day the garden was flooding. Nancy
Last summer we used Rafael's Landscaping and Maintenance for some major leaks. They were responsive and knowledgeable. Besides fixing the major leaks, they checked our whole system which is huge and then did some large, overdue pruning. They can be reached at 925-933-2218. I got their name off the BPN list. linda
hi, i would like to recommend my gardener/irrigation specialist of four years adrian de jong, who is wonderful. he is trained to build and maintain irrigation systems. he works on his own for $40. he does a great job and is very friendly and knowledgeable. he can be reached at 415-774-6279 (a 415 cell but based in the east bay on the oakland/berkeley border). tabatha
Oct 2007

We have a defunct irrigation system in the garden that needs an overhaul. Does anyone have any recommendations? Perhaps someone who's generally handy would do. Tired of Watering


Call Fidel Lopez at 510-812-7436. He is very good with irrigation and has helped a number of people we know with the same situation you have. He is reasonbly priced and is very reliable. Fidel Fan
June 2007

Re: Gardener, natives, pruning, upgrading irrigation
Francisco Mayo is your guy. He is a great person to work with all around. We had our front yard re-sodded and had the irrigation updated. Our irrigation system was old but worked perfectly well. Francisco used our existing system and it works better than before. All the other landscape people we interviewed wanted to tear out the old system (because it was ''old'') and start new. We couldn't be happier with the result. He also does landscape upkeep that incorporates design and knowledge of plants. Our yard upkeep did not require that level of skill and he pointed us to a more appropriate gardening service. We will be using Francisco for future landscape design. Francisco is professional and bids competitively. He can be reached at 510-527-1355 or cell 510-207-4974.
Rachael


March 2007

If anybody is looking for someone reliable and affordable for irrigation system installation, I want to recommend Anthony daRosa. He also does repairs, which is how I originally found him. He replaced my cheap ''Home Depot Special'' valves with quality brass parts, rewired and reprogrammed my system and cleaned out and made sure the whole system was working efficiently. I haven't gotten my new water bill yet, but I know it's going to save me a ton of money just having efficient irrigation. He is extremely knowledgeable and didn't mind explaining what he was doing while he was doing it. His email address is anthonydarosa@yahoo.com Rachel


August 2006

We are looking for someone to re-sod our front yard and fix the existing sprinkler system. Everything is in place so we don't want anyone fancy - just hard-working and reasonable. The posts on UC parents are older and some phone #'s no longer work. Thanks for any assistance Rachael


I would like to recommend Maria for anything landscaping related. She and her son do sod and sprinklers. They do a beautiful job. They just put sod in the front of my house and I couldn't be happier. She also does other large jobs as well as regular maintenance, planting, pruning, and clean-up jobs. She is very reliable and has been doing landscaping for 15 years. You can reach her at (510)233-9261
Lexie
For sod installation and irrigation systems, I had an excellent experience with Pablo Soto last Fall, (cell:685 1013, home 925 755 2937). Even though he lives in Pittsburgh, he does his work often in the Berkeley area. He seemed extremely knowledgeable and proud of his work. He was responsive and quick at the task. His crew was a joy to have around. His fees were reasonable. My lawn looks marvelous now
Karen
I highly recommend Juan Pablo Escalante for this kind of job-- this past spring he and his crew put in our front yard (involving laying sod)as well as installing both drip and spray irrigation system, and it's done really well over the summer with minimal effort on our part. He also constructed a beautiful stone retaining wall which gives us great pleasure, and simultaneously replaced the aging corroded pipe which brought water to our house from the street (his brother is a plumber). He's very nice, clearly competent, and quite reasonably priced. He can be reached at 510-385-5314
Paula
We used Vince's Landscaping in May of 2006 to level a small area and install sod. No sprinklers, though they do provide that service. Very professional, reasonable cost. I got his name from a friend who used him for a total yard landscaping. We were both very pleased. Web site: http://www.vinceslandscaping.com/
Nicole R.
Fidel Lopez is an excellent gardener/landscaper for the basic type of job you are looking for. He isn't long on design details or innovation, but, if you know what you want, he is honest, reasonably priced and does a good job. He is also an excellent irrigation person which is where most ''basic'' gardeners fall down. I have used him for many years and he has done jobs for many friends and neighbors (he pretty-much has lock on the Upper Rockridge neighborhood for maintenance services). His cell number is 510-812-7436
Fidel Fan
March 2006

I'd like a referral for someone to put in a small lawn and install irrigation (none exists currently). Need someone who will do a thorough job with soil prep, weed control, etc. Any ideas? Thanks


I would like to enthusiastically recommend my gardener Luis Ramos for yard and lawn maintenance and general landscaping. Luis has taken excellent care of my front and back gardens for about 3 years. He (and his crew) weed thoroughly and do a great job trimming plants and trees artfully. He also did a wonderful job installing and maintaining my irrigation system. Luis has always been dependable and willingly tends to my special requests. He is reasonably priced and I couldn't be happier with his work. His phone number is (510) 967-2246 ljf
This is in response to the request for someone looking to put in a small lawn and irrigation system. Matt Horn landscaped our tiny Berkeley backyard and found a way to give our kids a small patch of lawn - along with other planter boxes and plants. Matt also built the planter boxes in our yard. He helped make our tiny space feel much larger than it is - and it's beautiful! He gave us a reasonable bid, always came on time and charged us exactly what he bid for the project. As a result of the excellent job he did on our backyard, we hired him back to take down a dying pine tree and to trim another tree on our property. Again, he was very reliable and conscientious. I highly recommend him for any landscaping or tree trimming projects. He can be reached at (510) 658-6088. Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions regarding Matt Horn. Catherine
Nov 2004

Any more recent recommendations (2004) for a small job putting in a new irrigation system in our front yard and revamping sprinkler system in back yard. The persons recommended in the archives are dated or too busy or we can't get ahold of them. Thanks Jennifer


I'd like to recommend the Accurain irrigation system to gardeners and landscapers, the website is www.accurain.com. It's been installed in my backyard for 3 years now, and is amazingly effective and versatile. Check out their website, you'll be impressed. pallas
I can wholeheartedly recommend my colleague, Lori Palmquist, 528-3638, for any irrigation work- new, additions, repairs, etc. Lori is a licensed landscape contractor, easy to work with, and her rates are very fair. She knows what she's doing! Cecelia
July 2003

Hi -- We're looking for someone to install an irrigation/sprinkler system at our new house. It's a large, sloping lot, with established lawn and plantings, not a simple job, so we need someone who's experienced and reasonably priced. Ideas? Chris


Call Patrick Cearley (pronounced ''Curly'') of Walen Construction at 510. 569.7959. He did one job at my house in Oakland in spring 2002 and another one in my new house about 6 months later. Both involved a new sprinkler system and some landscaping. He gives a very detailed quote and has lots of good ideas and will even select all your plants for you. His work is very high quality; he is very well organized, and extremely pleasant to deal with. I thought his prices were reasonable for the amount of work we had done. A plus for me was that he is also very good at dealing with neighbors, which can be an issue when you are having yardwork done. At my new house, my new neighbors were a little suspicious of us (they'd had a bad experience with the former occupants of our home, I suspect) but after Patrick talked to them they warmed up towards us appreciably! Fran
Several people in the last digest asked for recommendations for skilled individuals to either replace existing irrigation systems, install new ones, or do complete landscape overhauls. I've recommended him before, and I'll do it again: Andy Packer, Acorn Landscaping, 510/915-3720. You can see our back yard in Upper Rockridge if you want to view his work. The project included building three set of stairs, leveling large portions of the sloped yard to create three terraces, installing a complete irrigation system, laying sod, creating largescale planting beds, and more. To visit us, call Andy and tell him that I posted on his behalf, and that he has my permission to tell you where to find us, and his work! Darcy
We highly recommend Anthony Mattison ( 510- 654- 6357) for installing irrigation systems and repairing them. He is very responsible, efficient and experienced. We recommended him to many of our friends and they were all very happy with him. N. Berkeley resident
German (Herman) Dub\363n will do a wonderful job of installing and maintaining a lawn, as well an irrigation system if you choose. He just installed these for us, did a beautiful job, and charged very reasonable rates. Call him at 510-536-0357. gearhart
March 2003

We want to install an underground irrigation system for our front yard. We have a fairly small front yard but the system will need to go under a sidewalk. Thanks!


I recommend Lori Palmquist, 510-526-3638 for irrigation design and installation. She is an experienced, insured, and licensed landscape contractor who especially likes doing irrigation projects. Cfl
Aug 2002

We just had our inadequate sprinkling system assessed and enhanced. After talking to many people who seemed like they just wanted to bilk us, we hired Paul Mele (a referral from Berkeley Irrigation Equipment Co.), and I was very impressed with him. He seemed very knowledgeable and honest. I believe his rate is $45 per hour. His number is (510) 536-6253. Please tell him that Lisa and Scott referred him.


2001

We are looking for someone to repair our outdoor watering system. One of the major underground pipes burst, and there is also some electrical work involved. Any suggestions? Thanks! -Elizabeth


Call Irrigation Equipment Company in Berkeley on 8th and Greyson. The number is in the phone book. They will have recommendations. There is (was?) a man working there named Bruce Sartorius who did some work for one of my gardening accounts (when I was doing gardening professionally) who was very reliable and good at what he did. June
The sprinkler system in our yard was installed by Ramos Happy Yards (before we moved in). According to our landscape designer, Katrine Benninger (who is excellent, by the way), they did a good job installing the system. We also had them put in an extra drain, and they did a good job with that as well. One caveat is that they have also been doing regular lawn and garden maintenance work for us, which has been somewhat haphazard (it seems to depend on who actually comes out that week). They also did not seem to be able to make the fine-tuning adjustments on the sprinkler system. -Stephanie
2000

Can anyone recommend someone affordable to put in a small yard's sprinkler system from scratch? I am taking a yard from rocks and concrete to bare dirt to, I hope, a paradise with grass and plants. I need an irrigation system before I put down the sod, etc., though. Thanks for any recommendations. Lynn


Darcy
In the past I've recommended our stellar irrigation guy, Andy Packer: Acorn Landscaping (510) 915 3720
[Editor] phone number for Andy Packer updated 2/2004]
Call Irrigation Equipment Company (IREPCO) Their number is 841-9651. The address is 2818 8th street, Berkeley. There's a fellow who works there part time named Anthony DeRosa who does irrigation. I hired him to repair and replace irrigation at one of my jobs and he did a great job and did it when he said he would. If he's not available they'll probably have other referrals. good luck. June
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