When building a new house, you may wonder whether to include a permanent irrigation new sprinkler system. An irrigation system is a convenient and possibly cost-saving way to care for your lawn, but it has significant upfront expenses and should be built before any landscaping is done because the soil must be dug up and replaced.
Irrigation Benefits
With sprinkler system expenditures in the hundreds, let’s examine the benefits:
Convenience
Not everyone loves physically watering their lawn many times a week, so the simplicity of an irrigation system is appealing to many.
Automating watering schedules and frequency frees homeowners from having to water lawns and gardens. An automatic irrigation system lets homeowners go without worrying about watering their lawns.
Watering Consistently
Another benefit is the ability to water at ideal times and supply the exact amount of moisture needed for the grass and plants.
The best time to water a lawn is early morning, before full sunshine. Watering before full sunshine prevents excessive water evaporation, allowing lawns and plants to absorb vital moisture. As the grass stays damp overnight after watering after sunset, illnesses and fungus might grow.
An irrigation system can distribute the appropriate quantity of water to each zone of your lawn and garden, eliminating guesswork. Overwatering may be as damaging to certain plants and grasses as a lack of water, thus automating and controlling this important component is a must.
Cost-Cutting Measures
Reduced water use is an often-overlooked feature of irrigation systems. Early morning is the best time to water a yard, and an automatic irrigation system may be programmed to do so as needed. By avoiding later irrigation hours, less water will be needed for optimal irrigation, since a bigger percentage will be lost to evaporation.
Since irrigation systems allow for a choice of sprinkler heads and hoses within designated zones, an owner may match the exact quantity of water needed by plant kinds. The volume of water needed for appropriate watering in a garden bed may be significantly less than what a full-size sprinkler head delivers to the whole yard.
Value Increase
Most homeowners consider irrigation systems an improvement, thus they increase resale value. A correctly constructed irrigation system can assist assure a healthier and more attractive lawn and garden, which is vital to your home’s “curb appeal.”
Controller Installation
The irrigation system must be informed when and how long to operate. Depending on the model, the controller unit, the “brain” of the irrigation system, does this. It’s frequently situated in a garage or other out-of-the-way portion of the home, easily accessible but not apparent.
A controller unit may be linked to soil monitors and rain gauges to help the irrigation system respond to changing weather patterns.
Irrigation Controller Programming
With the irrigation system installed and connected to a central controller, you may choose the frequency and duration of watering for each zone. Most new owners don’t know the right controller watering duration.
This difficulty is made worse because not all lawn and garden zones need the same quantity of water. Consult local lawn and garden professionals to determine how much water each irrigation zone needs. With this knowledge, you may test the zones to determine how long it takes to get the desired wetness.
To determine this, place measurement cups in each watering zone and run the system for 15 minutes. Once you have this data, you may set each watering zone’s duration.
Some zones may need to run longer than others even though they receive the same quantity of water since your grass and garden have different demands. Most controllers enable each zone to have its own watering time; use this option for best results.
System Inspection
Visually examine each sprinkler head to make sure it’s spreading water as planned. Ensure sprinklers aren’t watering sidewalks and driveways. This is an excellent opportunity to replace sprinkler heads that aren’t suited for the plants they’re watering, such as a stream head for a misting model.
Most homeowners think the ease and ability to maintain lawns and gardens appropriately irrigated more than makes up for the initial expenditures and maintenance. An irrigation system may assist busy homeowners to maintain their property’s appearance and selling value.