There is a wide range of sprinklers you can use from modern waterwise, to more basic traditional sprays as well as larger rotary sprinkler typically used off bore systems.
Although choosing the right type of irrigation is important, nothing will make up for a poorly laid out and installed system. Here are a few basics when planning & installing your sprinklers.
Make sure that you allow adequate pressure. If you are planning 3 stations, put in 5. This allows for a ‘margin of error’ and means if the pressure in the suburb drops the irrigation will still work well. Don’t try to stretch the system to its maximum capability as this increases the chances of future problems.
Ensure sprinklers are ‘head to head’. This is when one sprinkler overlaps to another one. Very important especially when installing reticulation in Perth where the weather is dry and hot. In the hottest months systems, it can be scorching hot here and this is a basic tenet of good reticulation planning.
Ensure that sprinklers in lawn areas are beneath the lawn so a lawn mower, car or foot traffic does not hit and break them. Sounds simple right. Unfortunately, many systems are not set out like this and the result is constant frustration and broken sprinklers.
Sprinklers in lawn areas should be off the edges as well. There is nothing more frustrating than edging your lawn and hitting a sprinkler placed hard up against the pavement. Allow a small gap for the edger to pass through. Be kind to the edger and its owner.
If in a garden bed, plan for the plants to grow and make sure enough sprinklers are added. More is always better. You can always turn down the watering time, but you cannot make sprinklers reach dry areas by turning up the watering time. Be thoughtful where and how you place sprinklers.
For lawn sprinklers we would always recommend using articulated swing joint risers to protect the pipe work and sprinklers from getting broken. This helps to absorb the pressure from downward force applied to the sprinklers from cars to people stepping on them. They minimise damage.