Save Money with Your Sprinkler System

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Taken a good look at your water bill lately? If your home has a sprinkler system, you might be able to trim your bill considerably in the lawn-watering season. While an in-ground sprinkler system certainly makes watering more convenient, if you're not careful they can waste water. If you look at your bill, you'll quickly learn that water is money. With some common sense, research and maybe a bit of sweat equity, optimizing the sprinkler system can save water and save money, too. Try these techniques:

Evaluate Sprinkler Heads

Inspect each sprinkler head: does it spray evenly across the entire area it's supposed to cover? Do your pop-up heads pop up? Are there puddles at sprinklers, brown patches where they should be watering, or both? If you can answer any of those questions “Yes,” you should replace any improperly functioning sprinkler with a new one of the same design. Through time, sprinkler heads naturally become clogged with grit and minerals, so periodic checkups help keep the landscaping alive without wasting water (and money).

Watch all the sprinkler heads as the system cycles (your timer should have a TEST function). Are you spraying water on sidewalks, driveways, or the street? In case you didn't know, they're not going to grow! You can re-aim sprinkler heads to reduce wasted water. If some heads waste water in two directions or more, replace them with heads that have narrower spray patterns. It's a no-brainer: sprinkler heads don't cost much!


You can find tools specially-designed to make short work of testing and removing worn-out or malfunctioning spray heads.

Learn to Use the Timer Did the sprinklers run today even though it rained two inches yesterday? You’re wasting water! Check the timer manual (find a copy onnline if the previous owner didn't leave one) to learn how to use the RAIN setting to turn off the sprinklers by hand. Research the grasses that are planted in your lawn. Talk to your county extension agent or a good local garden shop to determine out how much water your grass, flower beds, and other landscaping needs. Don't bother asking the "landscaping company" who mows your lawn, many of them know little or nothing about plants.

Know Your Lawn

Almost everyone overwaters the lawn; watering too much, too often or both. Grass should be watered well and rarely so that it grows strong, deep roots. Almost no grass species requires water daily: if your system runs that often, water simply runs off the lawn and into the gutter, or evaporates in the hot sun. It's a good idea to take a look at your soil as well. Most people can shorten the length of time the system runs and schedule it less frequently.

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Morning is the Best Time to Water

If you water in the hottest part of the day you'll lose water to evaporation, especially if the sprinklers put out a fine mist. Bright sunlight can also burn tender plant leaves when water droplets act like magnifying glasses; sort of like mean little kids burn ants. You shouldn't water late in the evening, either, because plants that are constantly wet at night are more prone to rot and disease.

Follow these simple suggestions, and you could save as much as half of the water your sprinkler system dumps on your lawn. Like it said at the top: "Taken a good look at your water bill lately?"

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