The Basics Of Sprinkler Head Placement For Grass Areas
Spacing for your irrigation heads is important for a number of reasons. For turf areas the importance of proper placement of the sprinkler heads is essential to getting optimal coverage of your grass, plus it will help you avoid wasting water unnecessarily.
Coverage for flower and shrubbery beds does not always need to be precise, as long as the plants receive ample moisture. With the sections of your landscaping that are lawn though, the layout of your heads needs to provide for even watering.
Both over and under-watered sections of grass will suffer. Here are some tips to use when selecting the best placement of your sprinkler heads that irrigate your turf:
Diagram
The first important step in setting up an irrigation system for your yard, is to draw up a diagram. If you are not experienced in setting up an irrigation system, draw up a rough draft of what you think you want, and present this to a licensed irrigation specialist.
Your diagram will begin at your water source, show the location of your control timer, and then branch out into the various zones, noting each specific sprinkler head in your system. This diagram will be valuable if any problems ever occur in your system, plus will provide you with an outline to accurately space your sprinkler heads for optimal coverage.
Here we are going to deal with specifically the turf sections of your diagram, but you will want to map your complete system prior to starting installation.
Measurements
Once you have a plot map, next step is to get accurate measurements of the areas. For square, rectangular, or areas that are otherwise a definite shape, this will be simple. When you have oddly-shaped sections of turf this step can be a little tricky and will a situation when you should consult a professional.
If your lawn is laid in a simple shape, all you have to do is measure the perimeters of the area that is grass. Note these measurements on your draft, as you will use them to select the right sprinkler head for the job, and then adjust each head to cover the area needed.
Layout
After you have the measurements written down, and a general layout map in front of you, you will be able to determine the size and range needed for each of your individual sprinkler heads. For small areas, you will able to get by with mist heads as long as you adequately overlap your coverage area.
For your larger sections of lawn, rotary heads work best. The coverage area is much bigger, plus each head can be adjusted to reduce, or expand the amount of area covered. As with mist heads, you are going to want to overlap your coverage areas.
The rule of thumb for rotary heads is each head should just reach the adjacent head in spray distance. With your measurements in front of you, you will be able to determine how much coverage you will need from each sprinkler head to be certain your yard is irrigated adequately.
When setting an irrigation system for your yard, be sure to do a detailed diagram, get precise measurements. This way you can get the right sprinkler head to do the job, plus space them correctly to get optimal coverage.
If you have questions about spacing, or sprinkler head placement, consult with an irrigation specialist who can guide you through the process so you get the most for your irrigation dollar. To learn more, contact a company like T & J Landscape Services with any questions or concerns you have.