Your Questions

I’ve heard of a “rain switch”, do they work and where can I get one if they are effective?

I don’t have a lot of time to fiddle with my irrigation system.  It seems to work ok, but I need to save money where I can on my utilities.  Is there something quick and easy I can do?

Every time the sprinklers come on water runs down the gutter at the bottom of the hill. Our neighbors said we should rip out the sprinklers and put in drip irrigation, do we have to do that?

I want to plant some spreading groundcovers on the slope behind my house, what is the best way to irrigate them?

We moved into a house with a Toro ECx timer. The book that comes with it is confusing… can you help me set it up?

I have an automatic irrigation system and the irrigation is coming on every day.  Is this right, how do I know how often to irrigate?

Our gardener “fixed” our irrigation system last week, and now there is a different kind of pop-up sprayer in the lawn.  Is this right; does this make a difference?

How do I know when I have the right amount of sprinklers?

John's Answers

Jeremy T., from Phoenix, Arizona writes 

“…our gardener “fixed” our irrigation system last week, and now there is a different kind of pop-up sprayer in the lawn.  Is this right; does this make a difference?”

Irrigation Essential's Response:

Jeremy,
Great question!  Actually you hit on one of the Essentials of efficient irrigation.  Water has to be applied evenly over any crop, before you can adjust the correct amount with any precision. 

Each irrigation valve controls a specific group of sprinklers, often called a watering zone.  Hopefully the zones use hardware appropriate to the plants and soil in that area.  However the one critical requirement is that on any one zone the hardware has to be the same type!  If they are a fixed spray, they all have to be fixed spray, if they are the old fashioned impact heads (often called “rainbird” heads, because the company that developed them is named Rainbird), then they all have to be impact heads, and so on.  The reason is all delivery system hardware applies water at different rates.  If you mix hardware as your gardener has, some areas will get more water than others.  What this means to you is you will tend to over water most of the zone, for the sake of the one area that is getting less water on a per-minute basis.  Therefore – wasting water is “built in” to the system!

Also, most irrigation spray heads have a “nozzle” that defines an arc, or how much water comes out and the distance it is sprayed.  By “arc” I mean a quarter of a circle, half of a circle, etc.  Turn your system on and INSPECT.  Do the patterns fit the location?  All the manufacturers make a “family” of nozzles that should work together to apply the same amount over any given area.   For more information on this topic see our article ‘Pressure and Spacing’.

Where to buy Irrigation Hardware

When you need irrigation hardware go to an irrigation supply house for professional grade hardware.  In your area we recommend Ewing Irrigation, located at 7920 W. Thomas Road.  Their phone is 623.846.3000.   Check back with us to make sure you are buying what you need, no more and no less.
 

Delivery Systems • Posted on 02/22/2009 •   Permalink

Many times, seemingly simple questions have answers that span several disciplines (design theory, installation practices, horticulture and soil science issues), and can become burdensome for someone to try to take in all at once.

To facilitate understanding, we group our information in three broad categories: 

System Management — Irrigation scheduling.  Hitting the “moving target” of plant water need as it changes throughout the growing season.

Delivery System — Spray heads, rotors, emitters, etc.  We try to explain the principles behind how they function, and make sense out of the many look-alike products on the market.

Soil Biology — Living soils and horticultural practices play a very significant role in how effective irrigation can be, and the viability of the landscape.  Think of growing roots, not plants!  Healthy roots will ensure a beautiful garden!