I just recently purchased a new home and it’s the first time I am actually responsible for the upkeep of the lawn. After a few weeks of dragging out the sprinkler, hose, and having to move it constantly to make sure I got every inch of the yard, I started to ponder about a Sprinkler System.
Can a sprinkler system save water and money? A sprinkler system is designed to cover every inch of the yard that needs to be watered in the most efficient way possible using 20% – 50% less water than normal watering. This will result in less water waste and the best use of funds that are dedicated to your water use. In the end, saving water and money.
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Lawn Care Facts
- A healthy lawn needs 1 inch of water per week in the summer
- For every 10sq feet of lawn you will need 84 gallons per week
- Average cost per 1,000 gallons of water = $1.50
Example below is of a 1000 Square Foot Lawn that needs 8400 gallons of water a week. You can expect to save between the two examples below:
| No Sprinkler System | Automatic Sprinkler System |
| Per Week = $12.60 | Per Week = $10.08 |
| Per Month = $50.40 | Per Month = $40.32 |
| Per Year = $604.80 | Per Year = $483.84 |
Total Savings = $120.96 per year!
| No Sprinkler System | Automatic Sprinkler System |
| Per Week = $12.60 | Per Week = $6.30 |
| Per Month = $50.40 | Per Month = $25.20 |
| Per Year = $604.80 | Per Year = $302.40 |
Total Savings = $302.40 per year!
Issues of Not Using a Sprinkler System
If you are not using an automatic in-ground sprinkler system (irrigation system), the odds are you using a hose or a single sprinkler to water the lawn. Watering your lawn this way can be harmful to the health of your lawn because of a few reasons:
1. Delivering Water to the Ground to Quickly
Using a hose or some off the shelf sprinkler that links to a hose can deliver water to the ground faster than it is able to absorb. This will lead to water run off and plenty of water being wasted and not used efficiently. Resulting in wasted water and money. Not too mention you will have to deal with puddles being created in the yard. This is a definite no no, we do not want the pet dog running through puddles and making the house a mess.
2. Over Watering
It is extremely easy to over water your lawn and garden using a hose and sprinkler. Before you know it you forgot that your sprinkler was on and it’s now way over watered.
You only want to water the lawn long enough to saturate the ground, not any longer, not any shorter. It is easy to forget the sprinkler is running, thus over watering will lead to wasting water and money.
3. Watering at the Wrong Time of Day
The absolute best time of day to water your lawn is early in the morning, before it’s hotter than Hades outside. This can be hard to accomplish without an automatic in-ground sprinkler system.
I mean, who wants to wake up early on the weekend and then make sure the hose and sprinkler can catch all the corners of the lawn efficiently. Then again, if you do not wake up early you will be out in the heat of the day making sure your lawn is taken care of.
4. Annoyance
Let’s be honest, having to lug around a hose and sprinkler is just annoying. They are long and get caught on everything, not too mention you have to constantly make sure they are straight and not twisted on anything.
After setting everything up and turning the water on, you notice that nothing is coming out of the sprinkler or hose. Well guess what… the hose is in a knot and now you have to deal with fixing that. This just happens over and over, everyday, dealing with the situation of lugging the hose around.
5. Wasting Money
Unless you watch your hose and sprinkler 100% of the time you will eventually over water or water areas that do not need to be watered. This is going to result in you digging into your checking account for more money than is necessary.
This is probably the biggest issue with not having an automatic sprinkler system. It is just not feasible to watch your sprinkler 100% of the time. Therefore you WILL waste water and you WILL waste money!
Benefits of a Sprinkler System
There are many benefits of a sprinkler system. So let’s dig into the specifics of said benefits now that you do not have to spend your days dragging around the one sprinkler that you have at home.
1. More Time
This is something that didn’t take me long to learn. When I didn’t have a sprinkler system I was constantly worried about the lawn getting enough water, and getting it in the right places. A sprinkler system will make it so it is a “set it and forget” it solution. You will set the system up optimally one time and, besides maintenance every once in a while, you won’t have to worry about your yard getting watered anymore.
I would spend my days making sure the sprinkler was placed in the exact right spot and configured correctly. Then I would watch the sprinkler water the lawn only to realize it wasn’t reaching all the areas that needed to be watered.
What this meant was that I was spending over an hour each day watching the watering of the lawn, that way I could make sure the lawn was getting watered everywhere.
2. Healthier Lawn and Garden
With a sprinkler system you can make sure every single inch of the lawn and garden are able to get water. Not only that, you can set a timer to make sure that each inch gets the exact amount of water that is needed.
Without a sprinkler system it’s a constant struggle making sure the whole lawn is getting watered and with the right amount of water.
3. Watering at the Most Optimal Time of Day
Did you know there is an optimal time to water your lawn? Well there is…. and it is the first thing in the morning. The reason being it’s not too hot outside and the water won’t evaporate too fast and is used efficiently to water your grass. This, over time, could save you a lot of money… who knew that if you water your lawn in the heat of the day you are literally having money evaporate into thin air.
Not only is your money evaporating, but you aren’t even using the water for its intended purpose, and if we havent learned anything from the west coast the last few years…. YOU DON’T WASTE WATER!
So if you have a sprinkler system, you can set a timer on your system to water first thing in the morning. This means you will never forget, you won’t have to get out of bed, you save money, and you save water. This is a total game changer in the lawn care game.
4. Aesthetically Pleasing
Ever look at your neighbors lawn and just see hoses everywhere? It just looks cluttered and lacks in some serious curb appeal. This is something you will never have to worry about with a sprinkler system.
A sprinkler system is underground and the heads of the sprinklers pop up and then back down when they are done watering the yard. Its almost as if they do not even exist. Out of sight, out of mind. It is very pleasing to the look of anyone’s lawn.
Final Thoughts
If you have a yard that you truly care about and want it to look it’s all around best all year round, the decision to get a sprinkler system is an absolute no brainer.
A sprinkler system makes life easier, it‘s a “set it and forget it” solution. Once it is set then sit back and watch your lawn looks its best, your schedule gets more open, and your wallet starts growing and saving money from using water more efficiently.
