Irrigation FAQs Page

Sustainable Irrigation begins with knowledge. Find sprinkler answers to problem sprinkler heads, explanations for how sprinkler valves work, learn how to shut-off the sprinkler water source and lookup sprinkler troubleshooting solutions. Heads Up Sprinkler Company believes in educating owners and prospective owners of automated sprinkler systems about their systems. These are not industry secrets -- it's what every user of water should know in order to most efficiently and effectively use water.

Question: What are the parts of an Automated Sprinkler System?

There are 4 main components to every irrigation system:

1. Backflow Device -- The source of Water for the system. It is located adjacent to the point where your sprinkler system water line cross connects to your house service water line, usually near your water meter. In Texas the typical backflow device is a double check situated in a buried rectangular box. This source has 2 handles to allow the water for your irrigation to be turned ON or OFF.

2. Controller -- The controller is the Electrical source of the system. It is the brains telling the section valves when and how long to supply water to the sprinklers. It is generally located near an electrical outlet in your garage or on an exterior wall.

3. Valves -- Sprinkler systems are broken up into individual sections of your yard with specific watering areas called stations or zones. Each zone is managed by a valve wired to the controller. Each valve controls when that group of sprinklers is to turn ON & OFF.

4. Sprinkler Heads --The sprinklers direct and control the water applied to the lawn and plants.

Question: What exactly is the difference between sprinkler heads?

There are 3 types of sprinkler heads to meet the needs of most landscaped areas:

To avoid over- or under-watering, the similar heads are used within a station; different types of heads cannot be mixed in a station. Sprinklers with a shorter spray radius are used in smaller areas and heads with a longer spray radius in larger areas.

1. Pop-Up Spray Heads
These heads are ideal for small lawns, shrubs, and oddly shaped beds because their fixed spray radius (usually between 5 to 15 feet) allows for targeted watering. Pop-up spray heads deliver water in gallons per minute (gpm) and require shorter “run” times (8 to 15 minutes per cycle).

For placement near shrubs, the nozzle sits on top of a fixed riser; for high-traffic areas where the riser could be broken off, a pop-up head sits flush with the soil until the water comes on, rises during watering, and then retracts when the cycle is finished. Nozzles are attached to the body of the spray head, above the filter, and come in several patterns to direct spray in quarter, half, or full circles.

Pop-up spray heads throw more water in less time than do rotors, and they need lower water pressure—about 20 or 30 psi (pounds per square inch) compared to between 30 and 70 psi for rotors. High water pressure causes spray heads to mist, so you may have to install heads with built-in flow adjustment or use pressure reducers to keep them efficient.

Pop-up spray heads come in varying sizes, 2”, 4”, 6” and 12” to accommodate specific irrigation needs.

The 2” or “shortie” has a spray shaft riser that raises 2” above the cap. This size head is good for grass typically grown at less than 2” height.

The 4” version is used for Texas warm or cool season grasses (Bermuda, St. Augustine & Zoysia) and some ground covers.

The 6” and 12” heights are best suited in areas where the spray head needs to rise above surrounding impediments like stone borders or 8”-12” tall plants.

2. Rotors
For large landscaped areas, rotors are the best option. They use higher water pressure to shoot streams of water much further than spray heads can—up to 50 feet. Rotor heads deliver water in a gallons per hour (gph) application requiring longer “run” times to deliver enough water (usually 25 to 45 minutes per cycle).

Newer gear-driven rotors reduce the noise standard ones make, and closed cases seal out debris to make maintenance needs less frequent. Like spray heads, rotors can sit on fixed risers near shrubbery or pop up during use; they also come with different nozzles for different spray patterns.

Rotors are an especially good option for clay soil since they deliver water more slowly than do spray heads, thereby allowing for better drainage. While slower water delivery means you may have to run rotors longer than spray heads, their long reach means you’ll need fewer of them. They are best suited for larger grass areas and are not recommended for plant material. The water stream is too severe for plants to endure should they be in the water’s path.

3. Bubblers
Ideal for small shrubs, trees, and planters, bubblers direct a “trickle” or “dribble” of water in a downward direction for areas up to 5 feet, making them ideal where you want to water roots without getting flowers or foliage wet. Bubblers deliver water in a gallons per hour (gph) application requiring longer “run” times to deliver enough water (usually 25 to 45 minutes per cycle).

Question: How much should I water?

Every sprinkler system is different. Every landscape is unique. Every yard has its own soil characteristics, slopes, sun vs. shade factor, efficiency rating of the heads, coverage issues (over vs. under) and drainage. Factor in varying plant types and seasonal changes and all of these factors must go into an educated method of calculating "run times" for individual stations within a system.

Determining the detailed precipitation rates and distribution uniformity of your system may be out of your immediate reach --- it takes a Certified Irrigation Auditor. Basically you need to know 2 things about watering. Run-Off and Cycle & Soak.

Run-off is the point at which the ground has absorbed all the water it has capacity for and begins to reject additional water.

• Run-off can be easily determined. Pick a station/zone in your sprinkler system. Set the controller to run that station for 10 minutes if it is pop-up heads, 25 minutes if it is rotors. Get your watch. Begin timing when the station/zone starts watering. Watch for the moment water starts to puddle, run-off or collect in the station. Check the time --- set the controller to water this station/zone for the number of minutes it took to reach run-off, minus 1.

Cycle & Soak is the process of managing the watering schedule to maximize the delivery of usable water to the soil in multiple applications with a rest period between applications to allow for more absorption. In North Texas, our lawns need about 1” of water a week.

• Cycle & Soak is simple to set. In the exercise above, you discovered how long to run your station before reaching run-off. Now all you have to do to deliver 1” a week is set your controller to run twice a day on your watering day – the first time should be around 1:00 am and the second time maybe around 3:00 am or 4:00 am. [Set a time that won’t disturb sleeping patterns, shower times and won’t violate watering restrictions.] In North Texas, early morning is the best time to water, here we don’t worry about molds or grass diseases because of the heat and early morning is when winds are lowest.

That helps you to figure out when and how long to water in order to create a healthy landscape in North Texas. In the summer consider setting 2 watering days a week (still utilizing the Cycle and Soak method).

Question: How can I figure out how much water my lawn sprinkler uses?

You can record the water meter use before and after running a station/zone for 10 minutes. That will give the actual gallons used for 10 minutes, divide by 10 to get the gallons per minute or gpm. [On average a pop-up station uses approximately 15 to 16 gpm.]

Here’s an easy formula to calculate your approximate amount of monthly irrigation water use.

Let's say your system has 8 stations, you water 2 twice a week, and each station runs for 15 minutes.

Question: What is an irrigation re-route?

An irrigation re-route involves making temporary or permanent changes to the existing sprinkler system. For temporary purposes, re-routes tend to deal with pre-construction activities. Permanent re-routes are needed to accommodate construction projects including swimming pool installation, new fencing, expanding or installing a new patio, etc.

It is never a good idea to build a construction project over an existing irrigation system. For instance pouring a concrete pad over existing irrigation pipes may mean expensive repairs to the patio and pipes should a post-construction leak occur under the concrete slab.

A re-route simply relocates sprinkler heads, valves, wiring, main lines and lateral lines, assesses the best relocation scenario to deliver needed coverage for the end project landscape. Not rerouting may mean delays to restoring the system, jeopardizing existing plant material and turf during the project, or after everything is completed. In the State of Texas, irrigation is a licensed profession and only you or licensed professionals can work on your sprinkler system. Ask to see a license number prior to engaging a contractor to work on your sprinklers.

Question: Why won’t the sprinklers shut off, the controller is off and unplugged? Now the water to the house is shut off. What???

Probably a valve is not closing and water continued to be released in one station/zone. State law requires every sprinkler system to have a backflow device. The sprinkler system can be shut off using one of the two handles on the backflow device.

Often the backflow device is installed close to the water meter in a rectangular shaped box. Either handle can be turned to shut off the water to the entire irrigation system without affecting the water to your home. See our Do-It-Yourself page for detailed instructions.

Question: Can I purchase sprinkler parts at a big box store and have you install these parts for me?

Yes, but be aware that these parts are not professional grade and will not be covered under warranty. Heads Up Sprinkler Company uses professional grade products that meet strict standards of performance and durability.

Question: How often should I have my sprinkler system checked? My water bill seems much higher this year.

We recommend checking your system monthly by just watching it while it runs in a test mode. Have a thorough seasonal check-up twice a year. Remember your landscape still needs supplemental water in the winter months even when it is brown. Run the system controller and check each head in each sprinkler zone to make sure it is operating properly and spraying the area it needs to cover. This is called coverage, and typically the spray from one head should hit the head next to it with head to head coverage.

Check to see that shrubs are not blocking the heads or heads are not spraying the house. Pop up heads need enough height clearance to work properly. Check around the property for areas that appear habitually wet, and areas that seem excessively wet after the system runs. You may have a leak that's wasting a large volume of irrigation water.

Many times leaks are difficult to pinpoint, the area where the water collects may not be the area where the leak is. Digging is the only way to find a sprinkler leak.

Repair parts for most systems can be found at the big box home stores. Heads Up Sprinkler Company is licensed to perform all inspection and repair services. Our repairs are by appointment only; we book a one hour appointment and do not charge for travel time. We always check the entire system even when we are called to make a repair only on part of it. We warranty our work,

Question: What else do I need to know about getting help for my sprinklers?

When choosing a contractor you should be wary of those who offer to charge you significantly less than others. Low bidders may not be licensed or insured and may often use cost-cutting techniques that can jeopardize your lawn and shorten the life of your irrigation system.

Watch out for these commonly used, undesirable short-cuts:

• Only addressing the issue you reported: Not checking everything in your system after a repair means problems may reveal themselves later due to water pressure changes, causing you to incur a second service call.
• Using inferior products: Just like every electrical gadget in our technological world, some last longer than others—ask about warranties.
• Mixing sprinklers with different application rates in the same station: This causes one area to be overwatered in order to sufficiently water another area
• Not using special waterproof connectors and a protective valve box: These components are necessary to safeguard the electrical elements, protect against short circuits and prevent corrosion.

Contact us if you need assistance --- 214-837-1553

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