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Tune-up Your
Irrigation System
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Landscape
Home Page |
Information
on the
plants and landscapes
below can be found at
www.bewaterwise.com |
Watering
no more than is necessary saves you money by lowering
your water bill, is better for your plants, and helps
protect the environment from unnecessary runoff and the
pollutants that tend to go with the runoff, such as
fertilizer and herbicides. One of the easiest and most
effective ways to reduce landscape water use is to make
simple adjustments and repairs to your irrigation system
on a regular basis.
Frequency:
once every other week to once per month. |
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Time required:
the first time you tune up the irrigation system
it could take a while if you have an irrigation system
in really bad shape, with leaks and that sort of thing;
but, of course, if your irrigation system is not in good
shape then you also have the most to gain from the
tune-up in terms of water savings. Once you get the
system tuned-up, regular monthly adjustments usually
take no more than 5 to 10 minutes.
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With your Sprinkler System on:
1. Adjust pressure:
Most sprinklers are made to operate at about 35 psi
(pounds per square inch); but most home water systems
operate at 65 psi or greater. A sign that you
might have too much pressure at the sprinkler head is
when the water blowing out of the sprinkler turns into a
mist - is atomized. The atomized water is easily
blown away by the slightest breeze and is also quickly
evaporated before reaching the ground and the plant
material. Adjust the pressure to the sprinkler
system if possible; this may require purchasing and
installing a pressure regulator.
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2.
Repair water lines:
Look for and
repair leaks in the irrigation line. If you are handy,
you can fix the leaks yourself; otherwise, you may want
to pay a gardener to do the work. This type of work is
usually not difficult and is covered in most
do-it-yourself home repair guides. |
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3.
Repair sprinkler heads:
Look for and
fix sprinkler heads that don't pop up, are clogged or
otherwise not working properly. For example, you may
have to cut grass blocking the heads, or remove the head
and clean it out.
4. Redirect spray
back onto landscape:
Over time, sprinkler
heads often get turned slightly, so they end up watering
the street or sidewalk rather than the landscape. Turn
the sprinkler head if it has been turned too far to one
side or the other.
5. Adjust
Distance of spray: Experts look for
head-to-head coverage, meaning the spray from one
sprinkler reaches the sprinklers on either side of it.
If the irrigation system was designed and installed
correctly, this will result in very even distribution of
the water. For example, if your sprinklers are 8 feet
apart, each sprinkler should be spraying 8 feet in each
direction. If you are not getting head-to-head coverage
and you have adjustable-type sprinkler heads, you can
reduce water use and/or improve plant conditions by
adjusting the distance of the spray.
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6. Replace spray
heads with stream nozzles:
Many of the newer
sprinkler heads shoot the water out in a stream rather
than in a fan-spray fashion. The stream conserves
water because the droplets are larger (less water blown
away in the breeze or evaporated) and less water is
emitted per minutes (reducing runoff by giving the water
time to soak into the ground). Consider replacing
your existing spray heads with stream nozzles.
7. Adjust
irrigation controller:
After
tuning-up your irrigation system, adjust the irrigation
controller if you have one, adding more or less water
depending on
the needs of your
plants.
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Pease remember that
the Long Beach Water Department offers
free monthly
classes on residential landscape design, construction,
and upkeep to its customers (call 570-2303 to sign up).
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For more
information, please consult the
"Irrigation System Handbook."
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~ Thank you for conserving water -
our
most precious natural resource ~ |
