When it comes to your lawn and irrigation system, it’s important to have your system inspected every couple of months. Remember that your typical irrigation system components are underground and cannot be seen. The wear and tear on the system may not be detected until an issue occurs and a visible leak is seen. With most irrigation systems starting between 2 and 5 AM while you are asleep, an issue may not be on time and can affect your water bill, plant health, and lawn.

The mid-season consists of the following: 

  1. Inspect valve boxes, look for any corrosion on wires, and ensure that there is no rodent activity in the valve box.
  2. Turn on each zone by inspecting sprinkler heads, checking valves, finding potential clogs, and searching for leaks!
  3. Check the soil moisture.
  4. Make sure water meets the plant’s needs.
  5. Make the necessary adjustments to the Controller/Rain sensor. As the temperature rises, plants may need more water, or times may need to be changed for drought conditions.
  6. Inspect that all drip lines are working correctly and there are no punctures.
  7. Check for overwatering and reduce weeds/Fungi.

Potential Updates and upgrades: 

  1. Sprinkler heads with working check valves
  2. Proper Rotor head Gallon
  3. Spray heads have proper nozzles and height requirements, promoting root growth.
  4. Valves and their wire components
  5. Wireless rain sensor with water adjustments and battery health  indicator
  6. The Drip line has check valves.

The amount of water wasted during the season using sprinkler heads without check valves depends on several factors, including system pressure, number of sprinkler heads, elevation changes, and frequency of watering. However, a general estimate can be made.

Key Factors Affecting Water Waste:

  1. Low-Head Drainage: Water drains out of the lowest sprinkler heads after each watering cycle without check valves, leading to unnecessary runoff.
  2. System Pressure & Flow Rate: The higher the pressure, the faster the water drains.
  3. Number of Sprinkler Heads: More heads without check valves result in more significant cumulative water loss.
  4. Elevation Changes: The greater the slope, the more water drains after the system shuts off.

Estimated Water Loss:

  • Water Loss per Head: Typically, a sprinkler head without a check valve can leak 3-5 gallons per shutoff, depending on elevation.
  • Sprinkler Heads per Zone: A residential system may have 6-12 heads per  Zone.
  • Zones per System: A typical system has 4-10 zones.
  • Watering Cycles per Season: Assuming 3-5 cycles per week over a 26-week  season, that’s 78-130 cycles per year.

For Example: 

  • 6 sprinkler heads per zone.
  • 6 zones in the system.
  • Each head leaks 3 gallons per shutoff.
  • 100 watering cycles per season.
    • Total Water Waste = 6 heads × 6 zones × 3 gallons × 100 cycles = 10,800 gallons per season

This number could be much higher for larger systems or commercial properties, exceeding 20,000-30,000 gallons per season.

Solutions: 

Installing check valves in sprinkler heads or in-line check valves in the system can eliminate low head drainage, thereby significantly reducing water waste.  Conducting mid-season or annual site audits and consulting with your technician about potential system upgrades is advisable.  Although this involves some initial expense, it will lead to long-term savings by conserving water, minimizing property damage, decreasing the need for unnecessary lawn and plant treatments, and providing immediate reductions on your water bill.

We hope you found this helpful and feel free to get in touch to learn more about our irrigation services as a local north shore landscaping & construction company.