There are two primary sources of water used to irrigate a yard. You will either have non-potable water supplied by the City or County in which you live or you will have a well.
Well Supplied Water For Irrigation
Well supplied water always runs the risk of running low during times of drought. Installing a pressure tank helps maintain a consistent level of readily available water all the time. If your well runs dry you may have to consider drilling a deeper well and lowering your pump.
City or County Supplied Water For Irrigation
City or County supplied water runs the risk of fluctuating water pressure. As a homeowner with fluctuating water pressure there’s not a lot you can do about it except to call and complain.
High Water Pressure
High water pressure can lead to “over” watering meaning shooting beyond the intended area. Often this could mean a wet house, excess puddles on the street or unnecessary precipitation on sidewalks, driveways or vehicles.
Low Water Pressure
Low water pressure can lead to “under” watering. It’s always more common to have low water pressure above high water pressure. You should be aware of how far out a rotor head is supposed to be covering your grass. If you notice that the outside perimeter of that area is getting brown or spotty then you can suspect you have low water pressure. Since most of us aren’t awake when we water our lawns we may not always know if we have adequate pressure. Put an empty cup or can out in the area that you suspect is not getting adequately watered. You should have at least a 1/4″ in the container.
Solving Low Water Pressure Issues
Once you have identified that you have low water pressure you should first have your irrigation system inspected by a licensed and insured contractor like R & R Sprinkler and Landscape. Perhaps you just need your sprinkler heads adjusted. You might even have debris stuck in your sprinkler lines that is preventing full use of water pressure. It’s common to have debris stuck in your system if you are pulling water out of a lake or retention pond. Debris also settles in your sprinkler lines if you shut off your system for extended periods of time (which we never recommend). If neither of these issues are the culprit the next step is to call your utilities department to complain.
Using R & R Sprinkler and Landscape To Check and Adjust Your Sprinkler System
At R & R Sprinkler and Landscape we charge a service call to come to your house and then charge by the hour. However, if we only took 1/2 hour to check and adjust your system then you would only be charged for 1/2 an hour. It’s always better (and easier) to have a professional irrigation contractor check and adjust your system. They do this for a living and are trained to troubleshoot problems quickly. Let us know if we can help.
