As summer comes to the Colorado front range the focus on lawn and garden heats up. Water Wars in our house focuses on the yearly activation of lawn sprinkler and drip system on the gardens. This year found me focusing on the cost of water and the thrill of new plants.
History: We have experienced several failures of Sprinkler System: PVC, hoses exploding, and the latest Sprinkler fog. The sprinkler fog is really mist that turns out to be caused by excessive pressure. The Drip system also lost pressure reducer fittings. The fix:Step 1. Rebuild the broken PVC with a focus on new glue and clean pipes.Step 2. Step back and measure the water pressure: 100 lbs – Ouch Should be ~50 lbs. Pressure Gauge is a tool used in routine Home Inspections.Step 3. Trace water line to determine if there is a Pressure Regulator. NoneStep 4. Hire a plumber to install a pressure regulator with an eye toward fall shut down. We needed a way to drain water away from the Sprinkler.Step 5. Tune up the drip system for new gardens and plantsStep 6. Add a Rain sensor that will deactivate Irrigation if it rains more than 1/2 inch The water sensor was an easy to add enhancement to our Rain Bird Sprinkler Controller. Final Step is to relax in the gazebo and admire the garden. Rain Bird Rain Sensor
Water Gauge after Pressure Regulator
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