Anyone who has a sprinkler system knows it’s a great investment in conveniently maintaining a lush lawn and thriving garden using less water than watering by hand.
If you’ve had your irrigation system for many years, it may be time for some upgrades.
Why Upgrade Your Irrigation System?
You may have noticed your water use has been increasing over the last few years, but your lawn and plants don’t look as healthy as they used to. Or you’ve had to book more service calls, and the cost of maintaining your older system is becoming excessive.
Your landscape may also have changed over the years. Plants and trees have grown, or you’ve made additions, and you need better water distribution.
Today’s newer technologies and better equipment will improve landscape watering efficiency, keep you in compliance with current and future city ordinances in Texas, deliver the correct amount of water to your lawn and plants, and save you money.
Upgrading doesn’t mean the whole irrigation system has to be replaced. It could be something as simple as changing the nozzles on your sprinklers.
Older systems, even when new, did not achieve the levels of efficiency that newer systems bring, and with wear over time, their efficiency declines even further. This results in higher water costs, wasted resources, and inconsistent watering, leading to over- or under-watered lawns, shrubs, trees, and flowerbeds.
Here are a couple of examples where simple upgrades can make a significant difference.
Water Pressure and Nozzle Efficiency
Did you know that water pressure makes a profound difference in the efficiency of your irrigation system?
High water pressure atomizes the water and the more water is atomized, the lighter it becomes so more of the spray will drift and evaporate instead of being absorbed where you need it. This misting of the water can cause up to an estimated 25% water loss.
Sprinkler Nozzles
Nozzles are specially shaped water outlets that determine the distance and the pattern of the water that is sprayed on the lawn and garden. They are one of the most critical components in the efficiency and effectiveness of your sprinkler system.
Modern sprinkler systems are designed to apply water more evenly when fitted with the proper nozzles and spaced evenly. Just replacing older sprinklers with newer models, even with the current spacing, will improve water distribution.
Metal vs. Plastic
Sprinkler heads and nozzles can be made of a variety of metals including brass and zinc. There are those who still think that metal equals durability, and in previous years they might have been right. Today’s plastics, however, are engineered to perform just as well as, if not better than, metal sprinklers and have the added advantage of being resistant to minerals contained in hard water. Metal attracts such minerals, as anyone who lives in a hard water area can confirm. Those minerals are not attracted to plastic and they do not stick to it. And to cap it off, replacing plastic heads and nozzles costs less than metal ones.
Mixing Spray Heads and Nozzles
Irrigation System Upgrade Options
We do tons of upgrades to irrigation systems every year. We take systems from the 90’s and bring them up to more modern standards. The cost is usually only a fraction of the price of a new system.
Upgrading for Greater System Efficiency Equals Cost Savings
Some of possible upgrades include:
- Updating the controller to a digital, smart Wi-Fi controller.
- Adding or replacing Rain/Freeze sensors.
- Updating sprinkler heads to newer style heads that are less prone to leaks and damage.
- Updating nozzles to more efficient technology that improves water consumption and improves uniformity of the spray pattern.
- Adding sprinkler heads to dry spots to improve coverage.
- Convert flower bed from spray heads to drip irrigation.
- Add or replace moisture or temperature sensors.
- Add a pressure regulator.
While some upgrades are convenient or “nice to have”, some can make a significant difference to the health of your lawn or gardens as well as the water saved. We can assess your current system and provide the information you need to make informed decisions about the value of upgrading your present system.
For more information on the specifics see our Complete Guide to Irrigation System Upgrades.
