The best way to ensure you will water the various parts of your property for the right amount of times with correct levels of precipitation is to hire a licensed, insured and experienced irrigation contractor to install the system in the first place.
How An Irrigation System Is Decided
Irrigation systems are divided into “zones” based on the size and layout of the property. It’s the goal of any irrigation contractor to maximize how a property is irrigated with the least amount of use of water. That’s why we must be licensed to do the job we do. We are dealing with a precious natural resource – water. Conservation is King when installing a sprinkler system.
Each zone has a valve. The valve of that zone talks to the automatic sprinkler timer. Through the programming process we are able to tell each zone how long it should water during its cycle. An area of your grass that gets full sunlight all day long will need more watering time than a large shady spot under an oak tree. It’s a myth that each zone has to run for the same amount of time. You are able to easily control if you want that zone to run for 15 minutes or 5 minutes.
Choosing The Right Sprinkler Components For An Irrigation Zone – High, Moderate and Low Water Demand Areas
Not all sprinkler components are alike. We are thankful for that! A rotor head outputs the maximum amount of water and will need to run for the longest amount of time. They are typically used in what we consider a high water demand area like a yard that gets full sunlight for most of the day.
An area of your property considered to have moderate water demand is a typically landscaped bed or areas of the property that don’t get full sunlight for extended periods of time or areas that contain more plants and shrubs. They will use and need less water. Here we would often use mist heads. The water output is less and it isn’t as much of full power burst of water like rotor head. It definitively is more gentle on plant life.
The last area of your property to consider is one has low water demand. These are areas that receive shade most of the time. They may be close to the house, may reside under a large tree or may incur the shadow of another structure for most of the day. They will not need as much water as a high demand as a moderate demand area of the property. In this case we might recommend drip irrigation or bubblers. Drip irrigation provides a slow, gentle, steady rate of precipitation. Drip irrigation is by far the most water conservation friendly type of irrigation.
Hire An Experienced Irrigation Contractor For A Proper Sprinkler System Installation
It’s much less expensive to install a proper irrigation system right the first time. A cheaper price usually means an inadequate number of zones, an improper combination of sprinkler components or use of low quality products. Setting up a sprinkler system in the proper zones with correct types of sprinkler heads will protect the investment you are making in the grass and landscaping of your property. At R & R Sprinkler and Landscape we have over 40 years of experience installing irrigation systems that last for decades. Consider us for all your irrigation needs.
