If you are looking at 70-80 degrees you want to get about a half an inch of water onto your lawn. Usually, that means about 15- 20 mins per station with pop up spray heads, and 30-40 mins per station for far shooting rotating pop up sprinklers. If the temp outside is 90-100+ you're looking to get 1/2″ – 3/4″.
Your goal is for the lawn to receive enough water to keep the soil slightly moist in the upper six inches of soil. This usually requires at least one inch of water per watering session or around 30 minutes of watering, however, each lawn is different.
In general, it's recommended to run your sprinklers two or three times a week and give your grass one-half inch of water each time. Each system delivers water at a different rate, but this is typically about 30 to 45 minutes per zone.
To determine how long you need to water to get one inch, place a plastic container in your yard and set a timer. On average, it will take 30 minutes to get a half inch of water. So, 20 minutes, three times per week will give a lawn about an inch of water.
Always Deep Water Your Lawn
This means water from 20 – 45 minutes multiple times a week – more on this later. If you water for only 5 – 10 minutes, you can actually harm your lawn.
Generally, most lawns need about 1 inch of water per week, including rainfall. This typically means running your irrigation system for about 1–2 hours per week, depending on its type and delivery rate.
On average, homeowners might see a 30% to 60% increase in their water bills during peak irrigation months. For a $100 monthly water bill, this could mean an increase to $130 to $160. To minimize the impact: Use efficient irrigation systems.
The average system uses approximately 15-16 gallons per minute, per station.
Lawn Watering Practices
Frequent watering encourages shallow root growth and unhealthy grass. Deep, less frequent watering encourages grass roots to grow deeper into the soil reservoir from which to draw moisture. Deep roots also mean the lawn will be less affected by surface drying.
2. Spray sprinkler heads can apply 1 to 2 inches of water per hour and can usually run 6 to 8 minutes before runoff occurs. If your system applies 2 inches per hour, set your timer one day a week for five 6-minute cycles with an hour in between for absorption.
The average usage of water in a residential sprinkler system is between 12 – 30 gallons per minute depending on the type and size of the sprinkler head.
Sprinklers should be set to run for about 30 to 35 minutes at a time twice a week. Your goal is at least 1″ of water a week for your lawn.
In the late spring, rotor irrigation zones typically need to run 30-45 minutes per zone, and spray irrigation zones typically need to run 8-12 minutes. We recommend watering 2-3 days a week during late spring. In mid to late summer with extreme heat, your lawn will need more water.
The Screwdriver Test for Soil Moisture
Take a screwdriver (or soil probe or shovel), stick it 3–4 inches into the ground, and wiggle it around. Then reach into the hole and feel for any moisture. If your hand comes up dry, you should water your lawn.
According to the EPA, during hot summer months, a household's outdoor water use can be as high as 70% of its total usage and single broken sprinkler head can waste up to 25,000 gallons of water over six months.
Uses less water
Sprinklers project water into the air and over plants, allowing some of it to drift in the wind or evaporate from leaves. But hand watering allows gardeners to direct water precisely where it's needed, minimizing drift and evaporation.
Take the time to learn about your sprinkler system, your lawn and your water usage to irrigate efficiently. There are no assigned watering days, but watering two days a week should be sufficient during most of the summer. If needed, water a third day only during extreme heat or dry periods.
Installing an automatic sprinkler system is a great way to save money on water usage. Not only does it help to conserve water, but it can also save you a considerable amount of money in the long run.
You may have been on vacation or away from your home for an extended period of time . Water Conservation. You may have purchased a front loading washing machine. Front loading washers use less water.
Can an air conditioner cause a higher water bill? The short answer: yes. If your home is cooled by a water-cooled air conditioner, you may be using more water than you realize. These units are designed to cool the hot air that's circulated through the unit and then pumped back out into your home.
Nothing should be in that area between the bottom of the sprinkler heads and the imaginary horizontal plane parallel to the ceiling that is 18 inches below. This is done to allow an even and unobstructed spray pattern from the sprinklers when triggered to extinguish the fire.
A fixed spray head nozzle might take ~30 minutes to apply 1 inch of water, whereas a rotary nozzle could take 3x as long to apply the same amount. But this still depends on numerous variables such as local water pressure, age of the sprinkler system, condition of the system, etc.