How To Ensure Your Inground Irrigation System Isn't Wasting Water

How To Ensure Your Inground Irrigation System Isn't Wasting Water

Water conservation is an important issue for many homeowners, not only for the cost factor, but also as a responsible global citizen consuming a natural resource. The best way each homeowner can do his or her part is to find small ways that can add up to big changes in our daily habits and routines. One great example of a positive, eco-friendly routine shift is with water-conserving inground irrigation systems.

You may be surprised at how big the savings can be on your water bill when you practise conservation via smart irrigation.

Easy Changes To Conserve Water

While it may not seem like it at first blush, an inground irrigation system is the most efficient way to maintain a vibrant lawn through the hot summer months.

Set your inground irrigation system to run in the early morning, just before daybreak. Did you know that watering the lawn in the hotter daytime temperatures can see a 50% loss of water to evaporation - that water never makes it to the lawn!

The cooler early morning temperatures will prevent the water from evaporating before it has time to soak into your lawn, meaning you'll need to run your inground sprinkler system for a considerably shorter span of time.

Next, make sure you're only watering your lawn every 5 to 7 days. This will save the water, and help your lawn grow deeper roots to better resist pests, mold, extreme weather, and disease.

Get smart with an efficient spray nozzle

One huge way water is wasted on a regular basis is with inefficient sprinkler nozzles. These nozzles often use water more than necessary to keep the grass healthy. With high efficiency nozzles, your inground irrigation systems slowly and evenly releases water to your lawn.

With this smart programming, these nozzles reduce your water usage and maximize the efficiency of your inground irrigation system. What's even better is that these can be retrofitted to existing irrigation systems.

Scrap the guessing game with smart technology

In every lawn care regime, balance is important to the survival of your plants. In order to maintain a healthy lawn, your inground irrigation system can be programmed to accommodate the specific needs of your lawn and gardens, or even different areas of your lawn or garden. A flower garden will have different watering needs than a vegetable garden than your shaded lawn than your full-sun lawn.

Smart controllers are the ideal piece of equipment for ensuring your grass is never given too much or too little water.

Smart controllers use on-site rainfall data and historic weather data to adjust watering run times on a daily basis. This way, your lawn is only being watered when it needs the extra dose. It will save water and allow you to get rid of the guessing game of how much irrigation your lawn requires.

Inefficiencies to watch out for!

There are a few ways that even a brand new inground irrigation system can create water waste, but they are easily fixed by our expert team.

  • Sprinkler nozzles facing the wrong way or on an angle in the soil. This happens from time to time with stray soccer balls, lawnmowers, or pets.

  • Run off from your sprinkler. Don't you hate it when you're paying to water the sidewalks or driveway? Our experts can help create a better design to more efficiently use your water.

  • Sprinklers running during or following a rain storm. Smart systems can tap into local weather forecasts and sensors in the soil can measure the moisture levels so there's no more guesswork or watering the lawn in a rainstorm.

  • Broken or damaged nozzles. Life happens. These are easily replaced and/or updated depending on the age of your irrigation system.

  • Obstructions over the sprinkler nozzle. Plants grow and spread, mulch gets spread too thick, maybe branches or a limb has come down - a wide variety of situations can create an obstacle between the sprinkler head and your lawn.

  • Puddles from your sprinkler. This may be a problem with the sprinkler head or perhaps there's a soil compaction problem or the type of soil causing this.

  • Sprinkler sprays without overlap. Yeah, that brown strip between zones in your lawn does not look good. Call our experts to get this adjusted.

Upgrade To A Rain Sensor

As a Burlington sprinkler system installer, we know there's no point watering twice in one day.�That's why we've made an effort to get rain sensors on�our systems.�This technology will read when it has already rained one day, and stop your systems before they can water your lawn a second time.�Not only does this preserve water, but this also prevents your lawn from being over-watered, and reduces the amount you spend on utilities.

Know Your Soil

Each soil is unique, and will require different watering methods.�Clay soils have a harder time accepting water, due to their compact nature.�These will need to be aerated to allow water in easier, and will need to have a slower application of water to avoid run off.�Sandy soils, on the other hand, need small amounts of water in regular doses to avoid losing surplus water. Sandy soils also dry much faster than clay soils, which can retain water for longer.

Don't Overwater

Grass doesn't need as much irrigation as your flowerbeds or vegetable patch.�In regular summer temperatures, your grass needs about an inch every four to five days.�In particularly hot weather, increase that to an inch every three to four days.�As the water trickles further into the soil, your grass roots will need to stretch to gain the nutrients, creating a stronger and healthier lawn.

Have questions about the benefits of an inground irrigation system? Then check out our�FAQ page�for detailed responses to some common Burlington sprinkler system queries.

Water Conservation Tips

Here are a few ways to proactively take a step towards water conservation with your Burlington inground sprinklers this summer.

  • Have your Burlington inground sprinklers audited. Once you figure out how your sprinklers need to be updated or fixed, our experts can help you make those repairs.

  • Cycle your watering. Rather than watering for fifteen minutes straight, water in three intervals of four minutes to allow the water to soak into the soil.�This lessens your overall usage, yet will result in a greener, richer lawn.�

  • Program your system to run in the early morning.�This prevents water from evaporating in the hot afternoon sun.�

  • Think about the seasons.�Based on weather changes, you should alter the watering time on your Burlington sprinkler systems each month to ensure optimal performance.�

  • Check for leaky valves and low head drainage.�If your sprinkler spits out too much air with the water, this could be the sign of damage that needs to be fixed. This means that air is taking the place of water that is draining through improperly placed sprinkler heads.�The water that drains is just wasted, and cannot be returned. A service call should help you alleviate this problem.

  • Buy a rain switch.�These are devices that can be installed on your Burlington inground sprinklers to detect rainfall.�If the rain switch senses that it has rained enough to properly nourish the lawn, then the sprinkler system will turn off to avoid watering what doesn't need to be watered.

  • Look for nearby water sources. If you live by a lake, river, creek, or pond, you may be able to use these to your advantage. Hooking up your Burlington inground sprinklers to one of these water sources can save you tons of money.

Nutri-Lawn's Burlington Sprinkler System experts can help you with any of your irrigation needs.� Don't believe us?� Check out our�testimonials�page to review feedback from our many satisfied clients.

For your complimentary quote, contact Nutri-Lawn this summer!