There are a nearly 65,000 acres of irrigated land in the United States. Even if a mere ten percent of that figure is residential irrigation, that is thousands upon thousands of yards with residential irrigation systems. However, many homeowners, especially in Florida, rely on those systems without really understanding them. This month, we are aiming to resolve that issue. Read on to learn about the essential residential irrigation system components and the various parts that they play.
Water Pump
The water pump is the beating heart of any irrigation system. For a smaller home system, a single pump is fine. However, homeowners with a significant Amount of land require multiple irrigation pumps.
Water pumps or what actually pushes the water through the irrigation system. The pump pulls from either a private water well or a municipal system. Essentially, it is the device that actually enables the entire irrigation system to work.
Pump Controller
If the water pump is the heart of an irrigation system, the pump controller is the brain. The controller monitors both pressure and flow to ensure that the system is running smoothly. It makes sure that every part of your yard receives the correct amount of water. It also has the ability to alert homeowners to possible malfunctions, or even shut down the irrigation system if necessary.
Water Meter
The water meter monitors how much water the irrigation system uses. It serves quite a few different important functions. For homeowners using municipal water sources, the water meter determines how much you owe for the water that you use. However, the water meter is also important for homeowners with wells. These residential irrigation system components let’s homeowners determine an average amount of water used by the system. If that amount of water varies wildly, it is a good indication that something is wrong.
Shut-Off Valve
The shut off valve is essentially the emergency protection system for irrigation. If the system senses an issue with lower water pressure. The shut off valve shut the system off full stop. For homeowners with large irrigation systems, multiple shut off valves might be required. Systems with multiple valves are actually very useful. If there is nothing wrong, specific portions of the system keep functioning. However, it shuts down the area that has a problem, preventing further issues.
Sprinkler Heads
While a majority of irrigation systems are underground, sprinkler heads are the above ground representation for the entire system. In fact, when most homeowners think of irrigation they don’t think of the pipes under their yard. They just think of the sprinkler head that does the actual watering.
There are many different types of sprinkler heads. However, they all ultimately have the same job. They convey the water from the underground pipe system to the plants that need it.