Lowes Sprinkler (2024)

FAQs

Is 10 minutes of sprinkler enough? ›

Don't forget that the type of sprinkler head you have influences how long you should water your yard: Spray heads: Water for 5 or 10 minutes. Rotor heads: Water for 20 to 30 minutes. MP rotator heads: Water for 20 to 30 minutes.

A smart irrigation system runs from $3500 to $5500 for average residential installations. The cost depends on numerous factors, including complexity, lawn size, number of watering zones, and installation costs.

If you notice one sprinkler head that doesn't seem to be going as far as the others, you may have a clogged line. If the entire system is falling short of what you expected, however, you may have an issue with the backflow preventer or simply low water pressure.

One of the leading reasons for low sprinkler water pressure relates to the valves on your backflow preventer device. If you notice limited water pressure in your sprinkler system but normal water pressure inside your home, then the problem might be that your backflow preventer valves are not completely open.

1) Watering for Too Long

If you water your lawn for more than 20 minutes at a time, the water will start to puddle on the surface. This can lead to disease, fungal growth, and encourage weeds. The best way to avoid this mistake is to schedule when you will use your irrigation system each week.

In extremely hot weather, consider giving your grass a solid 2 inches of water weekly. Grasses in drought-prone areas may even need watering twice a day, but this varies from situation to situation. Water your lawn until it looks fresh again and bounces back when you step on it.

By checking the pressure regulator, inspecting the sprinkler heads, checking for leaks, doing a pressure test, installing more stations and increasing the water supply line, you can boost water pressure and keep your lawn healthy and green.

The optimum operating pressure for most residential sprinkler heads is between 30 and 50 pounds per square inch (PSI). With correct water pressure, each head will perform the way they were designed, and the result will be even spray-patterns and efficient use of water.

A quick and easy way to increase water pressure is to adjust the pressure-reducing valve, which can be found in your home, usually close to your water meter. If your pressure gauge reading was low, make slight adjustments to your regulator.

Why are my sprinklers not watering evenly? ›

Underwatering issues can easily be caused by clogged nozzles and sprinkler heads, which can usually be cleared with a little gentle brushing. Other imbalances may be caused by rotating heads that become stuck, causing overwatering in one area and underwatering just a few yards away.

For lawns watered by sprinklers, water no more than 12 minutes total. On your assigned watering days, water in three 4-minute cycles, with about an hour between each cycle if using pop-up sprinklers. Water for about 12 minutes each watering cycle if using rotating sprinkler heads.

It is ideal to water lawns about one inch of water per week. To determine how long you need to water to get one inch, place a plastic container in your yard and set a timer. On average, it will take 30 minutes to get a half inch of water. So, 20 minutes, three times per week will give a lawn about an inch of water.

Just to give you an idea, it's typically somewhere in between 10 to 35 minutes per zone (depending on the type of irrigation heads your sprinkler system has). Rotor heads must run around 25 to 35 minutes per zone whereas spray heads can typically do the job in 10 to 15 minutes per zone.

Watering with a typical sprinkler using a standard 5/8" garden hose for one hour uses about 1,020 gallons of water; if you water three times per week, that's about 12,240 gallons per month.