A sprinkle of knowledge to kick off your irrigation system
Tired of pulling the garden hose around the yard every day, or are you struggling to lug your watering can to the garden beds every morning? For many gardeners, a well-designed sprinkler system is the stuff of dreams, but those dreams can become a reality with a few tools and know-how. Stop messing with knotted garden hoses and learn how to design a sprinkler system for your yard.
Installing a sprinkler system can benefit your yard or garden, ensuring consistent watering keeps everything lush and green. Moreover, since lawn sprinkler systems use water more efficiently, you’ll use less water overall and probably save on your water bills.
Most sprinkler systems also run on a timer, meaning you can set it and forget it. It saves you from pulling out the hose daily or juggling a watering can through your yard.
A sprinkler system can benefit the longevity of a yard or garden, but it does come at a price. On average, homeowners pay $2,600 to install an irrigation system, paying anywhere between $1,700 and $3,550.
Designing your sprinkler system at that price may knock some expenses off the budget.
Before you can start sketching schematics for your sprinkler system, you’ll need to grab some supplies and collect some information to ensure the process goes smoothly.
Grab these items before heading into the yard.
Measuring tape
Pencil
Graph paper
Water gauge
Figuring out the strength of your water pressure may influence the equipment you use and how you lay your system out.
First, contact your local water provider and ask for a report on your property’s water pressure. Though an official number is helpful, you can take it further and measure the water pressure at the outside spigot.
Turn off all the taps in your home, turn the outside spigot on full blast, and use the water gauge to measure the pressure. An irrigation system needs a water pressure of 40 to 60 psi to operate.
Finally, you’ll want to figure out GPM, or gallons per minute, at your outdoor spigot. Place the bucket under the spigot, fully open the tap, and time how long it takes to fill it.
Divide the bucket size by the time it took to fill it up, then multiply that by 60 to determine GPM.
Now that you’ve confirmed your water system can support a sprinkler system, it’s time to dive into the design process.
Use the graph paper and pencil to create a rough sketch of your yard. Use the blocks of the graph paper to scale (e.g., 1 square = 1 yard), and note obstacles, such as trees, shrubs, paths, sidewalks, and the driveway.
While you’re still early in the process, try breaking up the yard into hydrozones. These zones keep you from over or underwatering spaces in the yard.
Mark on the map areas that:
Get lots of sun exposure or little sun exposure
Have water-loving plants or plants that need less water
Types of soil (if applicable)
Roughly calculate the size and shape of these zones.
Unless your yard is square and flat, chances are you’ll have a few obstacles or considerations you’ll have to keep in mind while designing. Keep an eye on the following:
Hills or slopes: Installing a sprinkler head at the end of a slope could lead to a soggy lawn and water pooling.
Unusual shapes or strange property lines: Take note of usual shapes or property lines. In these spaces, consider using more precise sprinkler heads.
Tiny yards: Overwatering in a small yard is easier than you think. Keep this in mind when selecting a sprinkler head.
With an idea of zones and challenges, it’s time to pick the types of sprinklers that best suit your needs.
Pop-up sprinkler heads rise from the ground when water enters the system and return flush to the earth when turned off. These heads spray water at a low angle and can throw water from 4 to 22 feet.
Spray irrigation sprinkler heads distribute water quickly in solid continuous streams up to 15 feet.
Rotary nozzle sprinkler heads rotate and stream water on lawns and are best suited for sloping yards where water drains more slowly.
Impact sprinkler heads rotate and spray up to 150 feet, with a nozzle to adjust the throw. You’ll find these in large yards.
Gear-driven sprinkler heads rotate and distribute water across small and large spaces. Small but strong, these heads are highly adjustable to meet your needs.
With a sprinkler head in mind, you can finalize the layout and piping.
Pinpoint the sprinklers in each zone and circle the zone with the estimated spray radius of the sprinkler. With the radius mapped, you should see where there might be holes in coverage across the plan.
Group nearby sprinkler heads together to create circuits. One valve can control each circuit. So when you turn one valve on, you turn on a “zone” of several sprinkler heads. You may have to group systems together in a manifold in larger yards.
With some time and patience, designing a lawn sprinkler system is likely simpler than you think. But remember the following tips to make the process a little easier.
Triple-check measurements: While early sketches and layouts can be rough drafts, take care to go back to the yard and measure multiple times to make sure the figures are correct.
Mix and match sprinkler heads: While you’ll want to buy your sprinkler heads from the same brand, it’s okay to mix and match the type of sprinkler head based on the needs of the zone.
Reach out to professionals before digging: Call 811 or Dig Safe before you start digging trenches for your sprinkler system. There’s a chance you could unknowingly hit water or other utility lines.
The cost to install a sprinkler system on your own is between $1,500 and $2,000, on average. On the other hand, hiring a professional to install the system, which typically includes creating a design, costs between $1,700 and $3,550.
If you have a vision for your home’s system or enjoy puzzling through the process, designing the system on your own could be a fun undertaking that’ll also save you some money. It also gives you better control of the size of the project. Plus, if you have a green thumb, you’ll be able to dial in your sprinkler head strategy on a minute level.
But, if it’s not your thing, the savings are only a small percentage of the system’s total cost. Learning how to design a sprinkler system can be quite a learning curve, and if it’s not your strong suit, you could end up with a less-than-efficient system.
DIYing the design might save you on some labor costs, as professional sprinkler installers charge between $50 and $100 per hour for their services. Call a sprinkler installation service near you today to start building your system.
The number of sprinklers per zone will vary based on sun exposure, plants, and soil type. Sunny areas of the yard will require more water and sprinkler heads than shaded plots. Some plants thrive in constant moisture while others wilt. Finally, some types of soil dry out quickly while others take longer to drain.
Watering in the evening or early morning is typically the best time to water your lawn, especially during the hotter seasons. It’s important to water the lawn during the cooler times of the day to ensure the water absorbs into the soil and doesn’t go to waste as it would during the hottest parts of the day (due to evaporation).
Sprinkler lines can be buried anywhere between 4 and 12 inches underground, depending on climate, yard layout, and system type. In areas with a freeze and thaw, you’ll want to bury your sprinkler lines below the thaw line so they don’t freeze and thaw throughout the colder months and crack.
