Types of Irrigation Systems
New Systems
There are two primary types of irrigation systems to provide the right amount of water in the right place at the right time: one system (drip irrigation) is for gardens and planting areas, and the other (stream and/or rotor sprinkler irrigation) is for lawn areas. Irrigation systems for gardens, planting areas, and lawns can be installed at the same time, or over time as determined by your wants, needs and budget. Depending on their layout and the types of plantings used, gardens and planting areas can be watered with a drip system placed under the mulch, or by spray heads placed around the perimeter of the planting area, or some combination of each. Large or open lawn areas can be watered entirely with rotor sprinkler heads or, for more challenging areas, a combination of spray and rotor sprinkler heads.
If you are planning to enlarge your system over time, it’s best to have the future plan developed at the onset so that the system layout and controller selected can be designed and sized to accommodate future expansion.
Irrigation systems require a minimum ¾” water supply with a pressure of approximately 100 psi sourced from a public water supply, well, pond, or lake. If your water supply is very old and made of cast iron, you will probably need a new water supply installed before you can install a landscape irrigation system. If your water pressure is too low, we can install a booster pump. Similarly, if you want to supply your system from a pond or lake, we can provide a submersible pump to make it work. All systems fed from the same source as the potable water supply must have a New York State (NYS) required backflow prevention device installed before the irrigation system can be installed. We can provide a backflow prevention device (and the annual NYS-required testing report) if it is required and one has not already been installed for another reason.
All irrigation systems are operated by automatic controllers. We use two types of controllers: Smart Digital Controllers, and Smarter WiFi Controllers Connected to a Weather Service. The size of the controller selected is determined by the maximum number of watering zones that the system will have initially, and over time. All controllers are easy to operate and reset. WiFi controllers connected can be operated remotely from your phone. Additionally, with a WiFi controller we can access your system remotely for troubleshooting and to be sure that all components are functioning properly. Smart digital systems rely on an automatic controller liked to a gutter-mounted rain sensor can signal if it’s raining (or if it rained recently) and is smart enough not to water the lawn when it’s not needed. State-of-the-art WiFi controlled systems connected to local weather stations are even smarter because they can know when it’s going to rain or adjust watering schedules to account for the amount of rain received.
Existing Systems
Existing systems can be reconfigured over time to accommodate changes or additions to building footprints, landscaping, hard surfaced areas, and amenities such as pools, tennis courts, pickleball courts, etc. And, existing systems can also be upgraded to WiFi controllers or more efficient layouts or heads that can improve the health of your landscape and save water too!
Water-Saving Technologies
What if there were ways for you to use less water on your lawn – and what if using less water actually made your lawn healthier? Would you be interested?
Here are four ways to have a healthier lawn, conserve water – and reduce maintenance:
- Replace your old controller. If you have an old controller with wheels and push pins, you upgrade to a new computerized controller. You will have far more control and flexibility in your programming enabling many opportunities to save water.
- Replace old rotor heads. If you have old-style impact rotors (the head that makes the Tst Tst Tst sound), you can replace them with the newer gear-driven rotors. Gear-driven rotors save water and need less frequent adjusting and cleaning than impact rotors because pieces of mulch and grass roots will not stop them from rotating.
- Replace mist or spray heads with stream rotors. Older, small radius, non-rotating misting or spray heads are a big water waster. This style of sprinkler head applies too much water too fast and very unevenly. New stream rotors are an inexpensive and easy solution to save water – and have a healthier landscape.
- Switch to a smart WiFi controller connected to a local weather service and programmed for your zip code. These controllers continually monitor rainfall and temperatures in your area and use this information to decide whether the system will turn on and for how long. They can also be accessed remotely by us for system troubleshooting and reprogramming.