How to Calibrate Your Sprinklers
Get several shallow cans of equal size., Arrange the cans (open end up) in the lawn around your sprinkler(s)., Turn on your sprinkler(s) for 15 minutes., Measure the water collected in the cans., Find the average number of inches collected., Figure...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Get several shallow cans of equal size.
Tuna cans work great for this, but just about any flat-bottomed container with a wide opening will work.
The opening of the container should be as large as the bottom (bottles, for example, are not a good choice, because the opening is usually much smaller than the rest of the bottle).
All the cans must be of the same size.
You don't need more than 3 or 4 cans for each sprinkler head, though the more you have the more accurate your measurements will be. -
Step 2: Arrange the cans (open end up) in the lawn around your sprinkler(s).
If you just have one sprinkler, set up the cans in various places within the sprinkler's range.
If you have an irrigation system (sprinkler system) with multiple sprinkler heads, set up several cans within the range of each sprinkler head, avoiding any areas with overlap (places that get water from two or more sprinkler heads).
Try to distribute the cans in such a way as to sample every area the sprinkler waters. , If you have a sprinkler system, just turn it on.
If you use a hose with a spigot, you want to use the same water pressure that would when you normally water.
If you usually just turn the water on full blast, do that.
If not, mark a spot on the handle with a marker or a piece of tape or string, and note what position the mark is in when you turn the handle to achieve the desired flow. , Once you turn the water off, collect the cans and pour all the water into one container.
The container must be exactly the same width as the containers you used to collect the water.
Use a ruler to measure how many inches of water are in the can.
If you're testing more than one sprinkler, measure each set of cans (the cans around each individual sprinkler) separately from the sets of cans around the other sprinkler heads. , Divide the total inches measured in the previous step by the number of cans used to collect the water.
For example, if you arranged four cans around a sprinkler and collected a total of 2"
the average per can is
0.5" (2" / 4 cans).
This is the average amount of water distributed onto your lawn in 15 minutes. , Deep watering is essential to promote healthy, drought-resistant grass.
The amount of water your lawn requires depends on the type of grass you have and the type of soil.
In general, you should water bluegrass so that the water penetrates 6-8" in the soil; for most other types of grass, you should aim for 8-12". 1" of water applied to the surface will generally permeate sandy soil to 12"
loamy soil to 6-8"
and clay soil to 4-5". , Use the measurement you obtained to calculate how long you'll need to water according to the guidelines for your grass and soil type.
For instance, if your measurements indicate that your sprinkler distributes
0.5" of water in 15 minutes, you will need to leave your sprinkler on for 30 minutes if you have bluegrass and loamy soil, since 30 minutes of watering will give your lawn 1" (2 X
0.5") of water, and 1" of water will penetrate loamy soil to a depth of 6-8"
which is exactly the amount required for bluegrass. , If you're checking a sprinkler system and find that one or more sprinkler heads distribute significantly more or less water than the others, you should determine the problem to avoid watering some parts of your lawn more than others.
This can happen for a couple reasons.
If you have different types of sprinkler heads, you should either change the heads to ensure they're all the same, or zone your sprinkler system so that heads with a greater flow are in a separate zone from those with lesser flows.
This way you can turn zones with different flows on and off separately to ensure that each zone is watered only as long as it needs to be.
If your sprinkler heads are all the same and you don't have different zones, you may have a problem with your sprinkler system.
A broken sprinkler head may be distributing too much or too little water, or an obstruction or leak somewhere in the line could reduce the flow to one or more heads. -
Step 3: Turn on your sprinkler(s) for 15 minutes.
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Step 4: Measure the water collected in the cans.
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Step 5: Find the average number of inches collected.
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Step 6: Figure out how much water your lawn needs.
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Step 7: Determine how long to leave your sprinkler(s) on.
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Step 8: Ensure adequate
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Step 9: even coverage.
Detailed Guide
Tuna cans work great for this, but just about any flat-bottomed container with a wide opening will work.
The opening of the container should be as large as the bottom (bottles, for example, are not a good choice, because the opening is usually much smaller than the rest of the bottle).
All the cans must be of the same size.
You don't need more than 3 or 4 cans for each sprinkler head, though the more you have the more accurate your measurements will be.
If you just have one sprinkler, set up the cans in various places within the sprinkler's range.
If you have an irrigation system (sprinkler system) with multiple sprinkler heads, set up several cans within the range of each sprinkler head, avoiding any areas with overlap (places that get water from two or more sprinkler heads).
Try to distribute the cans in such a way as to sample every area the sprinkler waters. , If you have a sprinkler system, just turn it on.
If you use a hose with a spigot, you want to use the same water pressure that would when you normally water.
If you usually just turn the water on full blast, do that.
If not, mark a spot on the handle with a marker or a piece of tape or string, and note what position the mark is in when you turn the handle to achieve the desired flow. , Once you turn the water off, collect the cans and pour all the water into one container.
The container must be exactly the same width as the containers you used to collect the water.
Use a ruler to measure how many inches of water are in the can.
If you're testing more than one sprinkler, measure each set of cans (the cans around each individual sprinkler) separately from the sets of cans around the other sprinkler heads. , Divide the total inches measured in the previous step by the number of cans used to collect the water.
For example, if you arranged four cans around a sprinkler and collected a total of 2"
the average per can is
0.5" (2" / 4 cans).
This is the average amount of water distributed onto your lawn in 15 minutes. , Deep watering is essential to promote healthy, drought-resistant grass.
The amount of water your lawn requires depends on the type of grass you have and the type of soil.
In general, you should water bluegrass so that the water penetrates 6-8" in the soil; for most other types of grass, you should aim for 8-12". 1" of water applied to the surface will generally permeate sandy soil to 12"
loamy soil to 6-8"
and clay soil to 4-5". , Use the measurement you obtained to calculate how long you'll need to water according to the guidelines for your grass and soil type.
For instance, if your measurements indicate that your sprinkler distributes
0.5" of water in 15 minutes, you will need to leave your sprinkler on for 30 minutes if you have bluegrass and loamy soil, since 30 minutes of watering will give your lawn 1" (2 X
0.5") of water, and 1" of water will penetrate loamy soil to a depth of 6-8"
which is exactly the amount required for bluegrass. , If you're checking a sprinkler system and find that one or more sprinkler heads distribute significantly more or less water than the others, you should determine the problem to avoid watering some parts of your lawn more than others.
This can happen for a couple reasons.
If you have different types of sprinkler heads, you should either change the heads to ensure they're all the same, or zone your sprinkler system so that heads with a greater flow are in a separate zone from those with lesser flows.
This way you can turn zones with different flows on and off separately to ensure that each zone is watered only as long as it needs to be.
If your sprinkler heads are all the same and you don't have different zones, you may have a problem with your sprinkler system.
A broken sprinkler head may be distributing too much or too little water, or an obstruction or leak somewhere in the line could reduce the flow to one or more heads.
About the Author
Martha Knight
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in lifestyle and beyond.
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