Are you planning to install a sprinkler and are wondering if it can save water? Watering is important to the health of your lawn or garden that is why a lot of homeowners install a sprinkler system on their property. However, a common concern regarding sprinklers is that they waste a lot of water. Check out the rest of the article below to find out if a sprinkler system can save water or not.
Does a sprinkler system save water? Sprinkler systems can save water because it precisely delivers water to targeted areas. This saves water as well as money for the water bill. It is recommended that you install an automatic system that can be set to operate on a schedule. This way, you do not have to worry about forgetting to turn off the sprinkler in time.
How do sprinklers save water? What is an automatic sprinkler? Why choose an automatic sprinkler system? How to make your sprinkler more efficient in saving water? These are some of the questions that we will discuss. Read the rest of the article below to learn more about the topic.
How Long Should You Run a Sprinkler?
How long you should run your sprinkler will have to depend on your watering needs. For instance, if your sprinkler produces ½ inches of water per week, it should only run for about a third of an hour or 20 minutes per week. On the other hand, if you prefer to turn on your sprinkler twice a week, they should run for about ten minutes.
How Do Sprinklers Save Water?
Sprinklers save water by targeting specific areas of your lawn. Meaning, the areas that will be watered are those that need them. You can also invest in a sprinkler system with a smart controller to save water and money. This will allow you to adjust the watering for each irrigation zone of your lawn. Moreover, adding a smart controller saves about forty to sixty percent of water usage. You can also install a rain sensor. The sensor can tell if a certain amount of rainfall threshold has been met, which prevents the sprinkler system from running.
How to Make Your Sprinkler More Efficient in Saving Water
You can make your sprinkler more efficient in saving water by timing it right, watering by zones, ensuring water coverage, using rotary nozzles, and by regular maintenance. Moreover, you can conserve water and save money at the same time with a sprinkler system, if you install and program it correctly. Irrigation systems need a water-efficient design to avoid wasting water.
Proper Timing
By properly timing your sprinkler system, you can save water. It is ideal to water in the morning because the sun and wind will be lower which decreases the loss of water to evaporation. Set the timer of your sprinkler to run in the morning for a few minutes.
Water by Zones
Another way to save water is to divide your lawn or garden into zones. This will make sure you’re your lawn will receive the water that it needs to grow while preventing overwatering. You can also check out this article that we have shared titled, is an irrigation system worth the cost? We have shared an in-depth discussion about the topic.
Interval Watering
You can also do interval watering which is watering more frequently but in shorter periods. Take note that watering for longer periods on a frequent basis can waste water. This is because water runs off rather than being absorbed.
Don’t Water When it’s Raining
If you have an automatic sprinkler, it cannot detect when it is raining and will turn on according to schedule. To avoid this, you can install a weather monitoring smart controller that will detect when it is raining and stop the sprinkler from running.
Coverage
Make sure that your lawn has proper sprinkler coverage. Otherwise, you will waste water and end up with spotty growth. You can test the coverage of your sprinklers by placing measuring cups around your lawn. Run the sprinklers for about fifteen minutes. With the right coverage, each cup should be filled with the same amount of water. If not, adjust the placement of your sprinkler.
Weather Sensors
Weather sensors can detect wind, temperature, wind, and other weather conditions. Bear in mind that changes in the temperatures and high winds can affect how your lawn absorbs water. High temperatures can cause evaporation and low temperatures can cause water to freeze.
✅ Video – Anatomy of a Sprinkler System
Sprinkler Warehouse shared the video below on YouTube. It discusses the anatomy of a sprinkler system. In the video, the basic parts of a sprinkler system and how it works are discussed. Check out the video below to learn more about the components of a sprinkler system.
What is an Automatic Sprinkler System?
An automatic sprinkler system features two basic components which are the controller and the irrigation shut-off device. The irrigation device is also a soil-moisture sensor or a rain sensor. Also, the controller is a timing device that controls how often and for how long the system runs. On the other hand, the rain sensor stops the sprinkler from turning on if there is rain. The soil-moisture sensor is the one that prevents irrigation if there is enough moisture in the soil.
Why Choose an Automatic Sprinkler System?
The top reasons homeowners install automatic systems are probably to save time and to ensure that the whole yard gets covered with water. It can be tiring to manually water your plants and dragging a hose or watering can all over the lawn takes a lot of time. Installing an automatic sprinkler system saves water. Here are a few ways an automatic system saves water.
Avoid Overwatering
By installing an automatic sprinkler system, you can avoid overwatering your lawn and garden. Pools of water on the sidewalk are a clear sign of an overwatered lawn. Overwatering does not only waste water but is also bad for the plants. Your plants can drown with so much water. An automatic sprinkler will instantly shut off if the ground is adequately watered.
Prevents Under Watering
An automatic sprinkler will also prevent underwatering. It will keep on watering as long as it senses that your lawn or garden is still in need of water. You can also check out this article that we have shared titled, should you bury drip irrigation lines? We have shared an in-depth discussion about the topic.
Automatic On and Off
It is a common issue to forget to turn off the sprinkler. If you have a busy schedule, you might turn on the sprinkler and do something else. This results in overwatering that can also kill your plants. To avoid such issues, you can install an automatic sprinkler.
Turn Off When it Rains
An automatic sprinkler turns off if it detects that it is raining. It will not turn on to prevent overwatering. On the other hand, it turns on if it detects that the rain did not sufficiently water your lawn.
Can a Sprinkler Cause Over-Watering?
The sprinkler can cause over-watering. The common issue with sprinkler system is that it sprays water to the ground and absorbs faster which leads to water runoff and wasted water. While sprinklers should be run for adequate time so that it saturates to the ground, you also need to monitor it so that it will not cause any overwatering. You can easily forget to turn off the sprinkler when you have other chores to deal with. You can also check out this article that we have shared that discusses what an in-ground irrigation system is. We have shared tips and information that you can refer to.
Should You Hire a Professional to Install Your Sprinkler System?
If you do not know how to properly install a sprinkler system, it is best that you hire the services of a professional. They have the right tools and equipment for the job. Make sure to ask the contractor regarding the water-saving data from properties of the same size. Moreover, you need to hire a contractor with the right expertise when it comes to irrigation installation and maintenance.
Does Manual Watering Wastes Money?
If not done properly, manual watering can waste money. Take note that manual watering with the use of a hose uses more water and does not evenly distribute water. Aside from that, carrying the water bucket from all over your lawn leads to water spills. You can solve this problem by installing an automatic irrigation system. To void water waste, the sprinkler heads are placed at specific locations. This allows the sprinklers to deliver water to the right spots. Moreover, automatic sprinklers come with timers to make sure that it turns on and off according to schedule.
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed if a sprinkler system saves water. We have found out that proper installation and placement of the sprinkler system will save water. Automatic sprinkler systems can be configured so that it turns on and off at your preparation time. We have also shared the reasons why sprinkler systems save water. Thank you for reading!