If you used to water your lawn by running back and forth from your kitchen sink to your backyard with a coffee cup full of water, your new irrigation system must seem like the most efficient upgrade ever.
But guess what? It can get even better!
Even though it looks like everything’s working great out there, your sprinkler efficiency might need a boost. You could be wasting water — and money.
Follow these tips to make your sprinkler system more efficient:
1. Control Your Controller
When your irrigation specialist sets up your irrigation controller, it’s set for maximum sprinkler efficiency for your property’s exact irrigation needs.
Leave it alone, and it can save you thousands of gallons of water a season. That means you could save money, too.
So no fiddling, please. If you mess around with your smart irrigation timer, or get carried away fiddling with your smart irrigation apps, or decide to water manually every day, all bets are off — along with that sprinkler efficiency.
One exception: do update your controller with the seasons.
Spring is cold and wet. Your settings shouldn’t be the same as in August, when it’s 90 degrees with no rain.
It’s important to adjust the controller with the seasons as part of your routine irrigation tune-ups.
2. Check Your Rain Sensor
If you have a rain sensor, make sure the batteries are still working and that it’s clear and not obstructed by debris. Let it do its job for the most efficient irrigation.
3. Update to High-Efficiency Nozzles
Do your old sprinkler heads belong in a museum?
Your old, outdated sprinkler heads are probably putting out a lot of mist — which means wasted water that just blows away.
Updated water-saving sprinkler heads spray larger water droplets that are heavier and fall to the ground where they can sink in. They also send out water at a much slower rate, so the ground has more time to absorb that precious water.
Less water waste. Better sprinkler efficiency.
4. Consider Drip Irrigation for Planting Beds
Increase your sprinkler efficiency by switching to drip irrigation for your flower or vegetable beds.
Unlike a typical sprinkler system that sprays water from irrigation heads, drip irrigation uses hoses pierced with tiny holes that allow small amounts of water to trickle slowly into the soil.
Drip irrigation uses less water than typical sprinkler systems because it goes directly to the plants. There’s no water waste from evaporation because water isn’t spraying into the air.
5. Get Regular Checkups for Efficient Irrigation
This is all about catching water waste early. Invest in a sprinkler system maintenance plan and you’ll have peace of mind that a skilled irrigation specialist will discover any issues before you waste a bunch of water.
Just inspecting your sprinkler heads regularly can make your sprinkler system more efficient.
Frost can cause the ground to heave and nudge your sprinkler heads out of whack. That means they might spray your driveway instead of your lawn.
Heads could be leaking. Residue in the line can flow to the heads, clogging them.
All of that is making your sprinkler system inefficient.
Specialists will also make sure each of your zones turn on and off and run properly, so your entire lawn gets the water it needs without costly waste.
How often? Spring, summer, and fall.
6. Pay Attention to Smart Irrigation System Alerts
A smart irrigation system tells you if there’s an electrical issue in your system, a leak, or if anything isn’t quite right. And it tells you right away — so pay attention.
You can include your irrigation system company in the alerts, too, so irrigation specialists can hop right on the problem before you waste water and money.
7. Hire Pros Who Share Water-Saving Tips
In addition to catching sprinkler system problems early and keeping things running smoothly, professional irrigation specialists offer great advice to make your sprinkler system more efficient.
Sure, they’ll find water-wasting issues you didn’t know were happening, from sprinkler heads spraying out too much water to a controller set for the wrong season.
But they should also let you know if you’re watering too much, or too little, and keep you posted on updates that can help make your sprinkler system more efficient.
How to Make Your Sprinkler System More Efficient? Trust RainMaster
Would you stand outside and dump buckets of water onto your driveway? Makes no sense, right?
You want the most efficient irrigation system possible.
Did we mention your irrigation maintenance company should make all of this super easy?
You deserve skilled, efficient irrigation repair; continued attentive maintenance; and friendly customer service that takes away the stress and makes things easy.
Hire an Eau Claire or Minneapolis irrigation maintenance company that goes beyond fixing that immediate irrigation repair problem and sets you up for easy maintenance and efficiency designed for the long haul.
Choose from our three irrigation maintenance programs to make sure everything is running smoothly.
When you’re ready to put your trust in us, we can’t wait to meet you — and help you make the best choice for your lawn.
Ready to make your lawn life easier? Request a quote today! We’ll review your options together so you can make a confident decision. Then, you can finally enjoy your well-watered lawn and stop worrying about it.
