GARDEN AND YARD DECORATION

Sprinkler Systems

Hand watering gardens, flower beds, or lawns-moving a lawn sprinkler attached to the hose every 20 minutes-is not most homeowners’ idea of fun.

A sprinkler system automates this entire process while eliminating the concern of whether or not your yard is getting the proper amount of water it needs. Hand watering or using an oscillator, takes more time, wastes water, and leaves areas of your yard either over-watered or under-watered. A properly designed and installed sprinkler system addresses all these concerns.

Basic Sprinkler System Operation

At its most rudimentary level, a sprinkler system consists of a relatively few main components. It is connected to a set of valves that regulate the flow of water into a specific “zone” in your sprinkler system. The sprinkler heads are normally placed near ground level when not in use, and then pop-up when the water pressure fills the pipes that feed them…so there you have it, the essence of a sprinkler system.

Zoning Your Lawn

Irrigation zones are an element of landscape irrigation design that allows your system to target water distribution with precision. The premise behind the landscape irrigation design concept of “irrigation zones” is a simple element of planning the system. Establishing irrigation zones allows your sprinkler system to be programmed accordingly. This ability to discharge more precise amounts of water in a targeted area further promotes water conservation and costs savings.

Sprinkler System Water Conservation Tips

Did you ever dream that you could actually save water through the use of an irrigation system? Much of the water is never absorbed. Instead of watering for a long session, water a few times for shorter periods and take 15-minute breaks between each session. This will allow time for the water to soak in, while minimizing run off. Midday watering tends to be less efficient due to water loss through evaporation and windy conditions during the day. Watering during evening hours isn’t the best idea either. 3. Divide by zones.

Different plants need different amounts of water. Both sprinkler and drip irrigation can be incorporated to achieve more efficient use of water.

Water only things that grow.

With a subsurface sprinkler system, proper sprinkler head alignment is paramount in order to water only living plants, not sidewalks, driveways or the street. A properly adjusted sprinkler head should spray large droplets of water instead of a fine mist. When it comes to watering individual trees, flowerbeds, potted containers or other non-grassy areas, consider applying water directly to the roots using low volume drip irrigation. This approach will reduce water waste from evaporation or runoff. A clogged head or a torn line can wreak havoc on your landscape and water bill.

Always adjust your sprinkler system as the seasons and the weather change. Approximate Cost of a Sprinkler System

The cost of an automatic sprinkler system depends mainly on two factors-the size of your lawn or yard to be irrigated (ie, how much pipe needs to be laid, how many physical sprinkler heads are needed) and the components you choose to build your system. For a 2500 sq. ft. lawn, you could expect a figure of around $2000-$2500 for an underground sprinkler system.

With subsurface irrigation, the water is applied at a slower rate but for a longer period of time. The slower application rate means that your sprinkler zones can be significantly larger. For example, a medium sized yard might need 8 zones with an above ground system where the subsurface irrigation system might only need 3 or 4 zones. Choosing a Contractor

Since a subsurface irrigation system can save you from 30 to 70 percent in lawn water usage, it can benefit the environment as well as your bank account. So, if a new or upgraded sprinkler system is in your plans, contact a qualified contractor for more information.

Sprinkler Systems

Here are important facts about residential sprinkler systems:

Water Supply – There are three different ways of supplying water to domestic / residential sprinkler systems:

A direct connection is a dedicated system supplying water only and directly to the sprinkler system from the mains water supply.

If the sprinkler system is activated the priority demand valve ensures that all available water from the mains supply goes to the sprinkler system by closing off the domestic/residential supply.

A direct and indirect connection that serves both the residential sprinkler system and the domestic water supplies in the building but without a demand valve.

If the sprinkler system is activated water will still be available to the domestic/residential services in the building. All domestic / residential sprinkler systems rely upon a continuous water supply at the right pressure to operate

Sprinkler System – There are three types of residential sprinkler systems:

The Wet-Pipe system is when the sprinkler system is permanently charged (filled) with water.

In the wet-pipe system, water is immediately discharged when the sprinkler heads bursts

The Dry-Pipe system is where the sprinkler system is charged with compressed air. System Control – A domestic/residential fire sprinkler system should have:

A bleed valve for purging air from the system should be fitted at the highest point(s) of the sprinkler system.

A water flow alarm that detects the flow of water in the sprinkler system and sounds an alarm. Sprinkler Head – Sprinkler heads are the water outlet points from a sprinkler system and they are designed to discharge water in a predetermined pattern. There are two basic types of sprinkler heads:

Maintenance – The maintenance of residential sprinkler systems is the responsibility of the property owner. A sprinkler system is by far the safer option

Sprinkler heads can accidentally go off – Sprinkler heads rarely go off accidentally. In a fire all the sprinkler heads go off – No. Sprinkler systems can cause a lot of water damage – Not as much as the Fire Brigade/Department.