v1rtu0s1ty, I don't have a second meter so I can't compare that cost for you, but that sounds reasonable as far as plumbing work goes. I would suggest that if you are having someone install a new meter for you that you go the extra step and have them plumb a direct connection you can use for your irrigation instead of(or in addition to) a hose bib. If you look a few posts back you'll see me discuss the benefits of increased flow from a direct connection as opposed to running off a restrictive hose bib. Look inside one of the faucets on your house and you'll see how tiny that opening is. You may be cutting your GPM potential in half, limiting your entire system's design. While you're at it have them install a backflow preveter for you. These can be bought at Lowe's for as little as $40. That will keep fertilizer/pesticides, etc. from being siphoned back into your home's water supply. Yuck! I have some valves installed at the spot where my water connection is made, then a long length of pipe runs around the back of the house to another set of valves. So all valves should run off the same water connection/backflow preventer. That looks like the right pipe. I'd recommend not going below 3/4", and 1" if you can afford the cost of the pipe, connectors, etc. It also comes in different pressure ratings. I think 100psi and 160psi. The 100 psi is easier to bend and insert fitting into, but isn' appropriate for use where the pipe is going to be under constant pressure. Use the 160 psi stuff for those situations. Example, the pipe that runs around to the back of my house is constantly under pressure so I used the higher PSi stuff. Design the system after the second meter is installed. You need to test for GPM and also find the static pressure. Once you know those things you can start to figure plcaement of your heads. Different heads will throw water different distances depending on what your pressure is. The heads should have a little chart right on them that tells you how many feet of throw you'll get at various pressures. You'll need to take into account pressure losses from your pipe runs and connectors, backflow preventer to figure what the actual pressure a the head will be. Go forth and make rain! check out www.irrigationtutorials.com by Jess Stryker for lots of info.

I put in a budget irrigation system about 15 years ago, connecting the lines to the faucets on each side of the house. The PSI is very high in some parts of SA. Mine was 140, so I had to use pressure reduction devices. If you call SAWS, they can tell you the exact PSI at your address. Home Depot and Lowe's should have an abundance of free instructional litterature in their irrigation sections. Once you figure out what you need, the reps at Toro, Rainbird, etc. will help you design the system. (They helped me, anyway.) The hard part is the trenching, and you will certainly want to have SAWS, CPS, etc. come out and mark the location of their underground lines. Splicing the pipe and whatnot isn't much more difficult than tinker toys. There are some legal pitfalls involved here (mandatory backflow preventers, etc.), so you will need to be thorough in your research.

lazypup's in the ballpark but I think his long discourse on cavitation is more tailored to an extreme version you'd see in a hot water system. Cavitation occurs at a microscopic level. It happens at points in the pump volute and on the impeller where low pressure occurs (the trailing edge of the impeller is the best example). If the suction head required by the pump to operate is greater than what's available due to suction line throttling or friction losses, the low pressure becomes low enough to cause water to vaporize. It's technically "steam" but not like you think b/c it can happen even at room temperature. This can be exacerbated by pumping a hot fluid b/c it has a higher vapor pressure (i.e. it 'boils' easier). Your pump can be sitting there pumping water pretty much normally and still be cavitating. Lazypup's description makes it sound like you suddenly get a pump full of steam, but that's not the case. The bubbles that are formed by cavitation immediately collapse back on themselves and that's what causes the pump's parts to erode, since the bubbles occur at surfaces in the pump. It sounds like you're pumping marbles. Lazypup's description sounds more like a pump that's air binding. For hot water, it can be an extreme version of cavitation. But what he describes sounds more to me like a situation where the pump is depending on the pumped fluid for some of its lubrication/cooling. If the fluid isn't there, then the pump can quickly overheat.

In planning our remodel, my plan was to eliminate the garbage disposal. We looked at an open house to get ideas for the kitchen and the realtor told us about the remodel in the kitchen in the house that was for sale. He said that there were two things that all of the prospective buyers complained about: 1) the pantry closet had been removed (every house here is built with one), and 2) there was no garbage disposal. Since we might not be here for the long term, we will keep our disposal. If you think you might put your house on the market in the near future, you might want to do what's common in your area.