Could Your Landscape Benefit From Smart Irrigation?
Posted on: 18 July 2017
During the hot days of summer, drought can be one of the most damaging things to your landscape. Not only will it stress or kill your plants, but it will also make them more susceptible to insect infestations and damage. The only way to rescue your landscape is to put an irrigation plan in place, but if you do not put the right plan in place, you run the risk of over-watering, which in turn can equate to wasting water. Smart irrigation can help solve your problems and save you money, but exactly what is smart irrigation, and how can you put a plan in place? Here is some information to help you.
What Is Smart Irrigation?
Did you know that the month of July, which is normally one of the hottest and driest months of the year, is Smart Irrigation Month? This is because the best time to talk about the best way to use water is when water is in short supply.
Each year, Americans use approximately 7 billion gallons of water per day on landscape irrigation. What many people would be surprised to find out is that approximately 50% of this water is being wasted. This is due to the following:
- Evaporation caused by watering at the wrong times
- Run-off due to overspray
- Overspray onto paved areas
- Over-watering
- And more
Smart irrigation systems help to correct the majority of these habits that are causing the waste. Smart systems are designed to tailor your watering schedules automatically to meet your specific landscape needs. Unlike their predecessors that were designed to run on a pre-programmed schedule and timers, these systems are designed to monitor various variables that dictate how much water your landscape will need. These include:
- Weather conditions
- Soil conditions
- Amount of evaporation
- Amount of water used
- And others
The systems will then calculate the exact amount of water your actual landscaping conditions will need. They do this by using a wide variety of tools, which include a microprocessor and antenna which is able to download real-time weather information directly from the weather satellite. Because they only use water when the landscape needs it, these systems have been shown to substantially save water, which in turn saves most homeowners and businesses money. Once the system is installed and programmed, there is very little left to do except log in and monitor it.
How To Install A Smart Irrigation System?
There are numerous manufacturers of smart irrigation systems. Each of these have various optional components that you may or may not need, depending on your specific landscape design. The exact installation will be dependent on what type of, if any, irrigation system you already have installed in your landscape.
If you already have sprinklers and timers installed, you may only have to replace your traditional controller with the controller of your smart watering system. Once it is set up and connected to your Wi-Fi, you will be ready to begin to use the system of your choice. Most can be monitored and controlled from your laptop or smartphone.
Other systems may be a little more difficult to set up, especially if you do not have the basic components in place. If this is the case, you may want to call a landscape contractor at a company like Powers Landscape & Irrigation to install one for you. They will have the knowledge of how and where your sprinkler heads will be the most effective, as well as the height and positioning that will best reduce overspray and runoff. A local landscape contractor in your community will be glad to help you to install the system of your choice. Call one to get an appointment today.
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