Irrigation 101: The Importance of a Good Sprinkler System Design

A good sprinkler system is one that satisfies your home’s landscape watering requirements, letting it flourish beautifully while saving large amounts of water and money. The benefits of investing in professional sprinkler system design are numerous:

• You no longer need to worry about watering at the proper times.
• Plants, tree, and ground covers get the right amount of water.
• Over and underwatering is virtually eliminated.
• A healthier landscape improves your home’s value.

Every sprinkler system we design is done with the xeriscape principles of promoting water conservation and reducing the need for regular maintenance in mind.

Plot and plan the perfect sprinkler system design

There’s a lot that goes into designing a good sprinkler system. Flow, working pressure, pipe sizing, water velocity, and friction loss must all be taken into consideration. There’s also valves, timers, and irrigation heads to think about. Add it all up, and it’s easy to see why having a pro handle it is a great idea!

Here’s a brief rundown on how a typical sprinkler system design plan comes together.

Measure and design

The first step in any sprinkler system design is measuring the property then plotting where fixed elements like your home, the driveway, paths, fences, patios, and decks are located. Next, current and future lawns, shrubs, ground covers, trees, and other plantings are added to the drawing. The landscape is then divided into areas such as front yard, back yard, side yard, shrub areas, lawn areas, and so on.

System design capacity

It’s not as complicated as it sounds. To design an automatic sprinkler system, you need to know how much water is available to irrigate your landscape. Most systems are designed to use water supplied by the city or township, but some people draw their water from wells or lakes. Determining capacity involves measuring water pressure (PSI) and water volume (GPM) then using those figures to make sure the most efficient watering system is put in place.

Product selection

Sprinkler heads and valves are two of the most important components. There two broad types of sprinkler heads:

1. Rotating stream spray sprinklers that operate by rotating streams of water back and forth or in circles over the landscape.
2. Small area fixed spray sprinklers that spray a fan-shaped pattern of water over a fixed radius.

Many homeowners also include a drip system in their sprinkler systems and most designs include a combination of all three types. Which ones are placed in which locations depends on water pressure, space, and area shapes like curved pathways or raised beds.

We’re sometimes asked if one system is less expensive than the other. In our experience, it tends to work out the same. Rotor heads require less pipe and trenches, but the rotors themselves cost more. Spray heads may be less expensive, but they need more pipe, trenches, and valves.

Whichever design you select, the sprinklers are then divided and placed into zones that are irrigated at different times of the day, taking into consideration things like sun exposure, plant types, and watering needs.

Create the perfect xeriscape sprinkler system

A well-designed sprinkler system design is sure to improve the health, appearance, and value of your landscape. If you’d like to learn more about our sprinkler system design services, contact us online or give us a call at 707.280.3632. Our professional team sprinkler design team is ready to give you the cost-effective, efficient, and long-term landscaping irrigation solution you’ve always wanted.

Tagged: lawn care, Lawn Maintenance, sprinkler system, sprinkler system design