Since you say zone 5, I'm guessing Wasatch front, right? I'm not sure what the frost line is, but it's not very deep. Compared with Illinois, we have really odd weather. We have late frosts in the spring and early frosts in the fall, but it doesn't really get cold in the winter (rarely below 20F and I don't remember seeing it get to 0 since I moved here in 93). I do turn off the water to the irrigation at the end of the fall and drain the water (but I've never had it blown out). I think my sprinkler lines are about 6 inches deep and I've never had a problem due to frost. I had a neighbor who installed his own and didn't put the pipe deep enough and he was repairing pipe a couple of times a year. I've only had a pipe burst once and that was self inflicted (poorly chosen location for a new rose bush). Most of the irrigation systems here are installed with PVC and use little or no copper. Given your description of your current system, I think it might be worth replacing it rather than trying to repair it. Since some of the pipe is improperly laid (and you don't know for sure what is done right), you'd almost have to dig up everything to get it all right. And if you're not getting good coverage, you need to figure out a better design anyway. This is about the worst time to try to do this kind of a job, since it's so hot and if the sprinklers haven't been working correctly, the soil is likely to be as hard as a rock (unless you live someplace like Sandy and have sand instead of clay). But it's also about the worst time to try to leave the lawn unwatered (unless you're a wacko like me, trying to grow a native lawn and even I have had to water once and will have to water again this week). I think there are places that will help you design a system and there may be websites, also (I think Rainbird has a site that will help with the design). The biggest suggestion I can make is that you should use gear driven sprinklers for the rotating heads, not the impact sprinklers that seem to be more popular. The gear driven heads are more reliable and apply water more evenly. And they're nearly silent. I've still got a couple of impact sprinklers, but as they go, I replace them with gear driven heads (and I've replaced a couple that were still working because the gear driven ones are so much better). If I were installing a system now, one thing I would include is a probe to determine when the soil has dried to a depth of at least 4 inches. Most people set up their sprinklers on a schedule and end up watering too much. There are systems available that connect to probes and will only water when the soil dries out so that you don't water too often. Believe it or not, the biggest problem most lawns along the Wasatch front face is too much water. That's an odd problem for desert conditions, but it's because too many people water improperly.

har, Is your irrigation connected to your house faucet? or from a connection from the street(before your house pressure regulator)? If you say you have 90 psi or higher then your pressure is way too high and is most likely connected to the street pressure. The sprinkler are rated for on the average 50 to 60 psi(average house regulated pressure). The irrigation system at that high a pressure will wear out faster and experience water hammer which eventually will rupture pipes. Do you have a way to fill up a 5-gallon bucket from your irrigation main line before you valves? Flow rate can be easily found by filing a 5-gal bucket and timing the fill. Aloha

chisue - I am Canadian and I can assure you our drugs are NOT free! I am going to assume that the Cdn. in line was 65 or older - otherwise our provincial health case does not cover the cost of prescriptions (and note, each province has a different plan). If the drugs a senior Canadian takes are offered in generic form, then that is what they have to take - or pay the difference between the cost of the generic and the brand name. Many people are allergic to the non-medicinal ingredients in the generic meds - I have one prescription - other than my HRT - and I have to have the name brand. I was incorrectly given the generic brand once and didn't check - and I had a very bad reaction - I was allergic to 5 of the 6 fillers. People who are under 65 have their prescriptions covered by office plans or purchased plans. My husband's office plan has a deductible of $1,250 which is pretty darned high for people who hardly have any prescriptions. Premiums are high - 2 people are classified as "family" - I would prefer a separate category for a couple for obvious reasons. I have had to see a doctor when out of the country. I had to pay for the doctor's visit - in cash - and then buy the meds where I was and then go through our provincial health care system for partial reimbursement of the doctor's visit and then the office plan for reimbursement of the cost of the drugs - a lot of paperwork - plus I needed permission to see a doctor. We do not receive any vision or dental coverage under our provincial health care plans - and we pay very high taxes and fees while at the same time prices are rising, and services are being cut. Is our system better than that in the U.S. for the average Joe - yes. Is it what many Americans think - absolutely NOT! There are many Cdns. who have had to pay for medical care in the U.S. at their own cost because the wait would have been over a year to see a specialist. I am not trying to start an argument here - I was just pointing out that all is not as it seems.

I guess a better question is, should I seek a professional for auto-matic sprinklers, or is it normal for "diy" people to install them, themselves. I am actually a good land scape person, doing it a couple summers, but I have been tick tacking around these sprinklers that my dad installed like in the 80's. I am debating on ripping up the entire front hard system, and redoing the whole thing. I have put in sprinklers before, but it was always in new houses, or yards that were just dirt. I also never really did the main part, I was normally running the pipes, and I can say for certain my yard doesn't properly drain, im on hill so it doesn't help. Which is why I am really consider redoing the whole front. So I might just seek some professional help.