My irrigation system will water when I want and do a good job of saturating the ground if left to run long enough.  That is easy enough to do. I simply adjust the controller. My irrigation system is great! It relieves me of a seemingly simple task. Who has the time to properly water their landscapes? And of those who actually does it? 

           As long as everything is getting soaking wet my irrigation system is doing it’s job, right? No, it’s job is to deliver the needed water but also be able to conserve water as well. One programming mistake overlooked could waste thousands of gallons of water. Can you really afford to water the sidewalks?

           Do I know what my irrigation system is doing at four or five o'clock in the morning when I am getting my best sleep? No, I am not watching it! But had I been watching I might find out I could water less and maybe mow less often, pre-emergent applications would last longer, brown patch disease would not be such a threat and my water bill would go down.
           A well designed and closely monitored irrigation system will deliver the correct amount of water where it is needed. Conventional sprinkler devices can’t deliver precise accuracy. However if programmed to water too much or incorrectly water is being wasted on a regular basis and plant health is sacrificed. Remember the water is supposed to help the plants!

          I urge everyone with an irrigation system and those who drag hoses and abandon running sprinklers too long to audit your operation. Know more about the amount of water you use. A very basic audit of your water use should include: 
 

• Know how many gallons per minute comes from your garden hose. Use a stop watch and a 5 gallon bucket and do the math.

• Run each zone on your irrigation system. Watch your water meter and your stop watch and determine the gallons per minute each zone uses. If you knew how much water is used during one full cycle of your irrigation system, multiply that by how many days per month you irrigate and you might not be shocked when you get your water bill.

• Place rain gauges in your lawn and measure the amount of water each zone receives per cycle. Follow this link to the guidelines spelled out in the Watering Fescue section of this site.

• Watch your system work through a complete cycle. Follow up your audit with the proper adjustments to sprinkler heads and nozzles. Many nozzle sizes are available for most sprinkler heads. Dropping down a size or two may be very helpful.

See photos of an Irrigation System Installation