Believe it or not, this is a very typical street in my neighborhood. The problem seems to be, the sprinklers go on in the a.m. but nobody checks to see where the water is going. This is what I see-
- Sprinklers planted on the bottom of a hill and most of the water runs downhill into the street. Overwatering, where lawn is satuated and cannot absorb more water
- Overlapping of sprinklers
- Lots of broken sprinklers- where water is just pouring out of the sprinkler into the street.
I Just Gotta Tell Ya
- The average lawn only needs 1 hours of watering per week.
- In summer, outdoor water usage can be 40% of household water bills
- The Irrigation of US lawns claims an estimated 7.9 billion gallons of water per day
- Using drip irrigation for flower beds and gardens can save you up to 70% of water usage.
- Using Rain sensors can save up to 30% of water
- Using a garden hose iwth an automatic shut off nozzle can save up to 6.5 gallons per minute.
Sprinkler Basics
- Your sprinkler should keep water low to the ground and in large drops. Cuts down on evaporation and wind blowing.
- Sprinkler should be adjustable to cover different size yards.
- Sprinklers should be check for water runoff and leak every week.
- If possible add drip irrigation or Moisture Sensors to your irrigation system.
Where to Buy
- Easy Pro Jr. 8304
– reads soil moisture and other characteristics, and waters as necessary; install it beneath your lawn ($84.00).
- Toro Wireless Rain Sensor #53770
rain sensor that lets you choose when your sprinklers should shut off based on rainfall; setup takes as little as 10 minutes ($47).
- Orbit Sprinkler System Hard Wired Rain & Freeze Sensor #57069
Delays watering during rain or freezing conditions. Rain sensitivity from 1/8 In. to 1 In. of precipitation ($20)
- Rain Bird GRDNER-KIT Landscape Dripline System Gardener’s Drip Starter Kit
Covers 75 Sq. Ft-Installs easily without digging and without requiring any plumbing skills ($35.00)
Resources