Here we have a few suggested tips for improving the efficiency of your sprinkler system. Upgrading your irrigation system by implementing a even a couple of these items can take little time and provide you with a more economical irrigation system that saves you money. Hometown Lawn can help you implement any or all of these items. So, if you are looking to make some changes, please give us a call. 913.256.LAWN (5296)
- Be sure to have all of the same types of irrigation heads working at the same time.
- Make sure that sprinkler heads are installed close enough to one another so that all areas of the lawn will receive water, without overlap.
- Raise low irrigation heads that have settled into the soil. This will prevent grass interfering with the stream of water, improving your sprinkler coverage. (To avoid damage from lawn mowers, be careful not to raise the sprinkler head casing too height and make sure the heads are upright and not tilted.)
- Upgrade old water wasting heads with new water-saving products
- Install heads that have built-in pressure regulating devices. High-pressure heads are identified by the excessive amount of misting water that occurs when the zone is operating, a common problem with pop-up spray heads.
- Replace outdated irrigation controllers with user friendly ones with built-in water saving options that allow for multiple start times.
- Install a rain or moisture sensor to prevent watering unnecessarily after a rainstorm.
- Reprogram your controller monthly to correspond with the changing weather. Typically lawns in Johnson County need 1” of moisture per week in the summertime, less in the spring and fall.
- Water shrubs and flower more efficiently by turning an existing pop-up spray head zone into a drip irrigation zone. On the average, conventional spray zones are generally only about 50% efficient, whereas drip systems are 90+% efficient in water use.
- Group plants by their water requirements. Remember that trees and shrubs require less frequent watering than turf. You can actually drown shrubs if you water them as much as your turf. This may require you to rezone or add another zone to your system.
- Renozzle for matched precipitation rate. Matched precipitation rate refers to uniform delivery of water across each square foot of an irrigated area. Each sprinkler’s coverage provides every blade with no more- and no less- water than the next. The result is high precision application and consistently green, healthy turf.
Once you have made the desired changes to your system, remember to check your sprinkler system on a regular basis.
Regular, preventative maintenance is the key to keeping your sprinkler operating efficiently.