subject: High Efficiency Irrigation Systems - Lower Lawn Sprinkler Repairs [print this page] In the modern world, water is quickly becoming a commodity more valuable than even oil. Many consumers today are looking for ways to save this precious commodity and lower their costs while still maintaining a healthy landscaping around their homes. Saving money while watering your landscaping has never been so easy with the appearance of new and improved high efficiency irrigation systems, often called Drip Irrigation. This type of irrigation system keeps your lawn and plants as healthy as possible while using less water.
The drip system is the most efficient system available when used on a lawn that has a lot of plants. When fully automated with controller technology, it can be left alone without worrying that water will be wasted. You may take a vacation, for example and your flowers will still be as beautiful as ever when you come home, and you dont have to rely on your neighbor to remember to turn on and off the sprinkler. The overall system consists of different pieces of high technology, coupled with appropriate planning, working together for maximum efficiency.
The efficiency of the drip system stems from the fact that it only waters the soil where the plant is that is, it directly waters the roots when needed and with the right amount. In addition to the water savings, the high efficient irrigation systems referred to as Drip Irrigation use less energy to bring the water to the plants. The design of a drip irrigation system involves some basic planning by the home owner and then the right selection of components and knowledgeable installation.
To start the installation, take a pen and paper and plot your garden or lawn first. Take note of the plants that need to be watered. Make notes of sunny areas vs. shady areas as well as slopes and grading. Designing a water delivery system that delivers water where it is needed using low pressures (i.e. Drip Irrigation) should take into account all these factors. Make notes about the distances between points and the different landscape features. You also want to look for possible water sources. This could be any outdoor faucet that can be used for automatic drip irrigation, and having choices can help save on the installation costs.
Once you have a map of the area that you want to irrigate, and an idea of the water source, you can begin to design the actual system. There are many different components that go into a high efficiency irrigation system like a drip irrigation, however simple system designs exist as well. The higher the savings of water and energy required, the smarter the system is needed and youll likely want to contact some professional help to make sure that you choose the right tubing, controller, back flow preventers, and other such equipment. At the most based level, a manual drip irrigation system can be built with simple components but will see less savings in water conservation and requires manual operations as well.
Installing your new drip irrigation system will involve some digging and buyring of water tubing, attaching the various emitters, filters, backflow preventers, and other materials and then testing the whole system before covering it up and restoring the landscaping to hide the system. Test the irrigation system by opening the water source and making sure that each of the emitters is spouting out water. For underground, root level emitters verify they are working before covering them up with soil. Always follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer, or consult a professional contractor if you have questions or want to ensure a proper installation. Finally, check for leaks in the tubes. Water should only be coming out of the emitters and not in the delivery piping. If there are any, turn off the system and patch it up.
High efficiency irrigation systems are topped by the drip system. Installation can be less complex and the system saves energy as well as precious water, and it is very effective in maintaining the health of your landscaping.
