Depending on the size of your property and whether you have both a drip system and a sprinkler system, your system will have one, several, or many zones, each controlled by a valve connected to a manifold. As an example of the minimum number of zones your system might require, 5-6 sprinkler rotor heads or 8-10 spray heads are generally the limit for one zone. Most of the systems we install have more than 10 rotor heads, with some zones having only a few heads to cover smaller areas or to accommodate longer or shorter watering intervals.

The manifold and valves are often located in a valve box placed in a planting bed near the foundation. Larger systems may have several valve boxes.