Residential outdoor water use in the United States accounts for almost 9 billion gallons of water each day, primarily for landscape irrigation. As much as half of this water is wasted because of evaporation, wind, or runoff, often caused by poor irrigation system design, installation, maintenance, or scheduling. Many new sprinkler systems use their updated technology to promote water conservation and save you money.
One example of a high tech sprinkler is a Hunter MPR 40. The rotary nozzles on the MPR40 help conserve water by shooting spitting streams of water instead of a misty spray. Many states try to promote homeowners to replace their old sprinklers with heads like these by giving incentives such as rebate programs to encourage helping the environment. However, Georgia does not give incentives currently. States such as California do because of the drought they been experiencing. In the future, it is likely Georgia will start to participate in the rebate programs to encourage production of the rotary nozzles even more than they presently do.
Many people decide to use micro-irrigation or drip irrigation systems. These send water directly to the roots, therefore; preventing wasteful evaporation and runoff. However, the downside of these is that you cannot use them to water your lawn.
A rain sensor is an irrigation shutoff tool that prevents an automatic sprinkler system from turning on during a storm. Rain shut-off sensors are wired to a sprinkler timer and override the irrigation that was scheduled when a sensor on the shutoff device senses water. When all the rainwater has evaporated from the sensor, scheduled irrigations continue to operate. Rain shut-off sensors work best for short off periods. For extended periods, it is better to have the sprinkler timer in the “off” position.
Smart controllers monitor the climate conditions and automatically adjust the clock to the quantity of water your lawn actually needs. They are very simple to set up, because in many cases all you need to do is connect a rain sensor to your controller. However, if you are looking for a more advanced version you can have something as complex as having your clock communicate with satellites. The benefit of all these new features is saving 20% or more on the amount of water you use.
All of these are very common methods now, but do not suit everyone’s yard the same way. Drip irrigation is more suitable to bushes and trees with large root systems, while rotary nozzle technology is directed more towards watering grass. If you are having trouble deciding what irrigation choice is best for you, we would be happy to assist you. Dallas North Lawn Sprinklers can help you find out what options are best for your landscape and together we can help conserve our natural resource, one lawn at a time. Call 770-943-9654 for more information.
