A sprinkler system offer a convenient way to water your grass and plants, but an inefficient irrigation system can end up wasting water and increasing your water bill. According to some estimates, up to 50 percent of irrigation water can wind up being wasted due to things like wind, evaporation, faulty system installation, improper system design and/or poor maintenance.
Here are six tips for making sprinkler systems in Burlington County, NJ more efficient:
- Install new irrigation technology: You have more irrigation options today than ever before. New irrigation technology allows users to control watering by season and even by zone, which is fantastic considering that plants have varying water requirements each season and differ in zones based on the soil, amount of sun and type of vegetation. The result of watering the same way from season to season and in all areas is a tendency to water too much.
- Look at smart controllers: Smart water controllers will adjust the amount of water that moistens your landscape according to rainfall. How do they work? Smart controllers receive data from local weather stations, and then automatically adjust watering to reflect real time rainfall in your area. This can save 20 to 50 percent of your irrigation water!
- Replace your sprinkler heads: It’s estimated that you can save 30 percent of your irrigation water simply by replacing your sprinkler heads with new high-efficiency sprinkler nozzles. They are designed to minimize wind drift and to spray water evenly over your lawn or plants.
- Opt for drip irrigation in certain areas: Traditional sprinklers are not efficient in areas like raised planting beds or rose gardens, or with trees and shrubs, but drip irrigation systems are. Drip systems, ranging from micro-spray jets to bubbler irrigation to micro-sprinklers, are extremely efficient in these areas because they target individual plants and clusters of plants with slow and direct water flow. The water goes right to the roots, soaking in well to minimize evaporation and runoff.
- Try watering at dawn: There’s actually a best time of day to water your grass and plants—at dawn. Watering at any time of day other than dawn is not that great for plants. In fact, watering during the day can lead to water evaporation, which then causes the plants to burn in the sun. While it might seem logical to water in the evening when it’s cooler out, doing so can encourage fungal growth and bacteria formation on plants, and may eventually lead to rot.
- Schedule professional inspections: Scheduling a sprinkler inspection every year or so is a good way to ensure that your system is in tip-top shape and free of damage. Additionally, professional sprinkler technicians know your landscape’s watering needs and can show you how to minimize water waste in your yard.
Just because you have a home sprinkler system doesn’t mean you have to be an expert on sprinkler care and water efficiency. Luckily, sprinkler installation companies in Burlington County, NJ know how to properly design, install and maintain irrigation systems, and they can show you how to save water. Call the professionals at Star Sprinkler Systems Inc. to learn more!