Investing in an irrigation system for your lawn can be a timesaving and mind-easing purchase.  Not only can an irrigation system take the brunt of lawn maintenance stress away, it can also help save you money in the long run and aids in water conservation. Installing a sprinkler system for your yard improves the efficiency and consistency of lawn watering, and a well-watered lawn makes your yard less vulnerable to pests, weeds, and other negative results of over and under watered grass.

Before installing an irrigation system, you should call your local utility company and check for neighborhood ordinances to ensure you have the means and the permission to install an irrigation system. Then you should map out your property and account for any structures, trees, shrubbery, or landscaping that may alter the path of water projection from your sprinkler. The best irrigation system designs places sprinkler heads along the perimeter of your property, so you won’t have to worry about damaging the sprinkler heads when mowing your lawn.

The next step is to figure out your home’s water pressure and how much water flows through your pipes. Your local water company may have this information available for you, or you can enlist the help of an irrigation specialist. Your irrigation equipment supplier can also help you design your irrigation system design and advise on the proper sprinkler heads to use in various areas of your lawn.

Some other tips to consider when designing your irrigation system are:

• Overlap your sprinkler-spraying pattern by 50%. This will ensure even watering and guarantee your entire lawn is receiving the necessary precipitation.
• When drawing up your design plan, measure the sprinkler coverage in circles to measure the maximum watering potential
• Divide clusters of your spray heads among multiple circuits. If you don’t have enough circuits, the water pressure won’t reach the power you want and need it.
• Not only should you sketch out where the sprinkler heads will go, but also sketch where the pipelines will be to ensure you have enough valves, pipes, and controllers for your project.

Once you have done the necessary research, you can decide if you want to install the sprinkler system yourself or hire a lawn irrigation specialist. Irrigation professionals have experience dealing with public works and proper lawn design, so if you are unsure about installing an irrigation system yourself, consider calling a professional to make sure everything is done correctly.