05/01/2021
Sprinkler Systems in a Nutshell!
We know that sprinkler systems can be a little confusing. We're here to help. Read on to review all the basics of most sprinkler system setups.
Backflow Preventer
In typical sprinkler systems, the water is distributed in only one direction: from the city to you. Sometimes the direction of the water can be reversed accidentally, so the backflow is in place to prevent any contaminated water from traveling back to your clean water supply.
Valve Box
In most cases, your valve box(es) will house your manifold made up of electric valves. Valve boxes are usually installed below ground level and safe to walk or mow over. They are located at various locations around the property, so know where they are and trim around them with a square spade shovel, as grass has a tendency to grow over and cover them. Look for the green lids.
Electric Valves
The electric valves distribute water to your sprinkler heads, dripline and other emitters. which are all connected by underground plastic tubing. They wait for a signal from your controller to release water to the sprinkler heads.
Sprinkler Heads
Sprinkler heads are the show piece of your system, and are one of the few things that are above ground, or at least when they are distributing water in the popped-up position. These release water to your yard at a variety of rates and angles. There are several types of sprinkler heads such as rotors (used for large turf areas), spray heads (for smaller turf areas and flower beds) and micro sprinklers for flower pots. There is also a plastic drip tubing available for your flower beds called drip line which waters at surface level.
Controller
The controller is the central command centre of the sprinkler system. It is essentially a timer that you may schedule a watering cycle to open valves at certain times, allowing water to travel from your home supply to the sprinkler heads or drip line. Most newer controllers are wifi-controlled by your smartphone or tablet making it a snap to make changes to your watering cycle from anywhere in the world. You may even have your sprinkler system linked to your local weather forecast based on your postal code to water accordingly. Now, that's smart watering!
Rain Sensor
The rain sensor is a rain catcher that measures rainfall and interrupts your system from watering unnecessarily. After all, there's no need to water if it has recently rained.
With all of these bells and whistles, there can sometimes be a hiccup in your sprinkler system that requires the knowledge of a professional. Perhaps you have accidentally cut into a sprinkler waterline while planting a tree, or have an old tired sprinkler head that is no longer rotating. We are here to help! We service what we sell, and we service what we didn't sell. Feel free to give us a call and we will keep your system in tip-top working order and even upgrade you to wifi-control, saving you money on your water bill. Feel free to give us a call when you need our help.
Happy watering 😀
