Shopping for an irrigation system can be quite easy or quite difficult. That fact won’t surprise most people. But what will come as a surprise is the fact that the difficulty has little to do with the system which actually needs irrigation. Instead, the shopping issues tend to be more a matter of planning. People often put together irrigation systems in a somewhat haphazard manner. But following a few tips can make this process far easier.

Before any sort of planning one should find a local store to handle irrigation needs. One would, for example, look for irrigation stores near me. When one looks for an irrigation store near me it means that there won’t be any large distance to transport materials once purchased.

The first thing one needs to consider is the overall layout of one’s home. This might seem obvious at first. But most people only consider their home from a very rough or fuzzy viewpoint. It’s not enough to have a general idea of one’s lawn and backyard. One should instead have a full and to scale map of the environment. It’s usually a good idea to sketch one’s property out using a standardized design form.

From here one should be able to get a better idea of scale and what the system will look like when installed. One can also inquire about zoning issues and mark that as well. Most homes will be in the same general zone for watering. But there are instances where one’s properly is split and needs to be considered as such. While checking zoning issues one should also check for installation requirements. Some areas allow for DIY installations and others insist on professionals handling it. Of course one will still need to work with permits in either instance.

The final part of this step is going over what one actually intends to do with any available space. For example, the needs of a simple lawn and a backyard garden will be quite different. This impacts dispersal of a sprinkler system and the volume of water which needs to be moved through it.

The next step is to consider which type of irrigation system to buy. The two main types are drip irrigation and underground sprinkler systems. An underground sprinkler system is the type most people are familiar with. It consists of a system of pipes connected beneath one’s lawn. Smaller sprinkler heads are then distributed around the lawn itself. The primary advantage of this type of system is that it can spray a large amount of water. This makes it ideal for situations where one needs to irrigate a larger yard.

The other type of irrigation system to consider is called drip irrigation. Drip irrigation consists of a similar type of underground layout. However, the output is where one can see a dramatic difference. Water isn’t pushed through a sprinkler system on the surface. Instead, water is distributed in a more localized manner by irrigating within local dribbles underground. This keeps the visual presence of the irrigation system virtually unnoticed. But it also decreases the area one will irrigate with it.

Next, one should go back to the earlier chart. The lawn can now be divided into zones. One should determine the flow rate for the water and how much pipe or tubing is needed. The final amount needed can be determined by extrapolating from the layout on the chart. This is also why it’s important to decide what one wants to put on that land. Obviously a garden will require more water than a lawn. This will determine how much material is needed as well as whether or not one will want to go with a sprinkler or drip system.

Paul Petersen