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4 Things You Should Know About Installing Sprinklers

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Whether you are planning to do the job yourself or get a pro to handle it, there are a handful of issues that will determine how well a sprinkler installation effort will turn out. You'll want to take a look at four things to figure out before starting a sprinkler system installation.

Coverage

Purchase some graph paper. Also, get the measurements for the area where you want the water to go. Using one square on the graph paper, determine where the coverage will be required. Try to roughly work in where key features like flower beds and trees are on your property.

A good ballpark estimate of the spray from a sprinkler's head is about 15 feet. If you're using a high-efficiency system, this figure might be lower. Whatever the number is, you should account for about a foot of overlap between the two sprinklers.

You can space these accordingly on the graph paper to get a rough idea of where things will go. This will be useful when talking with a pro. If you have an oddly shaped property, a unique pattern can be used to provide sufficient coverage.

Evaporation

Another concern you'll have to address is evaporation. Even if you don't live in a dry region, many properties have microclimates that can behave differently. If you know you live in a very dry spot, you may need to account for this problem with a sprinkler installation that can monitor the humidity and soil dampness levels. Many systems can now kick on once the soil dries out to a certain point.

Overwatering

At the opposite end of the scale, you can also end up providing too much water. Take the time to identify what type of grass you have on your property. If necessary, contact a landscaping pro. They can tell you how hard the grass is and how much water it will require.

Drainage

If the property ends up with too much water, it can promote plant-borne diseases. Worse, some bugs like pooled water, too.

Leftover water will need to go somewhere. The drainage requirements of a property will be determined by how dry the environment is and whether there is a slope. In some cases, it may be wise to have a company redo the slope and put in new grass to provide the best drainage. Ideally, everything should run downhill toward a culvert or drain that will collect the overflow.

To learn more about sprinkler installation, reach out to a local landscaping company.


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