But life happens and sooner or later the running sprinkler is forgotten – even overnight! Not only does this waste water, it's also tough on the water bill – and can cause irreparable lawn and plant damage. In fact, over-watering can cause just as many problems as under-watering.
Under-water by running your sprinklers too briefly and the grass will curl up and brown; overwater by leaving sprinklers on too long and the soggy ground will invite excess thatch, pests, and/or fungus while wasted water will run off and weather your hardscape.
The ideal watering schedule is once or twice per week, for about 25 to 30 minutes each time. Taking care of a lawn doesn't have to be an overwhelming, all-consuming task. Once all the tips and tricks are in your back pocket, it will be easy to come up with a routine that results in a gorgeous green lawn.
As mentioned earlier, the arrival of freezing temperatures varies from region to region. Generally speaking, those in northern areas should consider shutting down their irrigation systems as early as October, while those further south can usually wait until November or December.
It is best to turn on your system during the warmest time of the day when anticipating freezing conditions. Be sure the outside temperature is 40 degrees fahrenheit or above when you run your system. You ABSOLUTELY do not want to run your sprinkler system during a hard freeze as this will cause damage to your system.
Heat from a fire will cause the liquid to expand, once the pressure gets too high the bulb will burst and the water in the system will be released. The liquid in the sprinkler head comes in a variety of colors, which indicates the temperature required to activate the head: Orange – 135° F. Red – 155° F.
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 common rule that is followed for obstructions within 18 inches of the sprinkler deflector is the “three times rule”. This requires sprinklers to be positioned away from obstructions a minimum or three times the maximum dimension of the obstruction.
The “Four Times Rule” is really just an extension of the “three times rule” however it covers extended coverage sprinklers and the maximum clearance is 36 inches (0.9144 m).
Watering every day is not advised. It should be done 2 to 3 times per week only to prevent a shallow root system. If possible, water during the early morning hours to ensure that the lawn dries entirely before nightfall. However, watering at any time of the day is better than not watering at all.
Avoid watering grass on a hot afternoon when it's 95 degrees or higher. The best time to water grass is at dawn or in the early evening. Water deeply three times a week instead of a little water daily. Test whether your sprinkler system is watering your lawn evenly.
Watering with a typical sprinkler using a standard 5/8" garden hose for one hour uses about 1,020 gallons of water; if you water three times per week, that's about 12,240 gallons per month.
The average system uses approximately 15-16 gallons per minute, per station. Here is an easy formula to help you calculate the approximate amount of water you are using each month.
Many grasses can stay in dormancy for 3-4 weeks without beginning to deteriorate to the point of plant death. When the prolonged period without rain ends, the turf is able to regenerate from rhizomes and stolons.
Rainy weather is upon us, which makes it a great time to turn off your irrigation system. Watering your plants is not necessary when nature is doing it for you. It's also not necessary for at least two days after it rains, and often for much longer.
Hose-end sprinklers use more water than necessary and don't evenly distribute the water. Water often sprays where it isn't needed, shooting over onto pavement, driveways and sidewalks. It's easy to forget to turn the sprinkler off, so you're often using more water than your landscape needs.
At different pressures, the sprinkler head and nozzle will consume different amounts of water. For example, at 35 pounds per square inch (PSI) the 5000 Series Rotor using the 3.0 nozzle will use 3.11 gallons per minute (GPM). If your home's water capacity was 10 GPM, you could place 3 heads per zone.
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. When it's hot and dry, double the water times while still trying to water just 2 or 3 days a week.
You can operate 2 or 3 sprinklers at one time with 'Y's and extra hoses, depending on your water pressure. To run more than one sprinkler off the same faucet, attach a 'Y' to your faucet and run a hose to each sprinkler.
Running multiple zones at once is usually not possible due water-pressure and flow limitations at residential properties.
The most common reason that sprinklers failed to operate was the system being shut off at some point before the fire. One sprinkler is usually enough to control a fire. In 77 percent of the structure fires where sprinklers operated, only one operated. In 97 percent, five or fewer operated.
Or, if you prefer, simply leave the irrigation design up to an installation professional, so you can be guaranteed head-to-head coverage. Typically, though, a sprinkler system zone will boast 5 to 6 rotor heads and/or 8 to 10 spray heads.
LL26 was designed to improve the fire safety of NYC buildings. This law requires buildings classified as business occupancies that are at least 100 feet tall to have automatic fire sprinkler systems.
What DOES Set Off Fire Sprinklers? Fire sprinkler systems are actually quite sophisticated, and are designed to be heat sensitive so that sprinklers only activate when the temperatures rise to fire-induced temps, usually somewhere between 155 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Because of the lower PSI the distance of the spray rarely exceeds 15ft. Meaning that spray heads should never be placed further than 15 ft. apart as this would create dry spots (i.e. dead grass) in your lawn. It is always important to install sprinklers with overlap for full coverage.