The biggest concern when discussing irrigation is water conservation. No one wants to over-use water, it costs money, and it could drown the plants. As a company who prides themselves in using products that help the environment, we would love to address why we use the products we use, even after Water Conservation Month ends.
Starting with the Hunter Dripline (HDL), we use this high-efficiency and ultra-durable upgrade to accommodate a range of drip needs. The HDL comes in 3 varieties: HDL-PC for standard installation, HDL-CV for sloping or subsurface applications that require a check valve, and HDL-R when using reclaimed water. There are more than a few key benefits:
- Pressure-compensating emitters for consistent flow and uniform coverage
- UV resistant facilitates product longevity
- Non-draining check valve prevents low-point pooling and allows all emitters to open/close at the same time for greater system efficiency
- Full-sized emitter outlet pool and raised wall inhibit debris and roots from entering the emitter
- And more!
Our company sets up irrigation systems with MP Rotary zones. These sprinkler heads have the slowest precipitation rate for pop-ups in the industry. A slow precipitation rate across a larger area leads to less pressure loss and allows more heads to run on one valve. More heads on each valve makes for simpler design layouts and less pressure loss makes for increase in pressure for the system itself. Along with this, they are formed with a double-pop feature, unlike some competitors. Other nozzles have open orifices that may get clogged, especially after a few cycles. The MP Rotator Series are made to protect the nozzle from debris, making them more durable and less wasteful.
Paired with the MP Rotator Series, we also use Hunter Pro-Spray bodies. These bodies can function not only with a loosened cap, unlike some competitors, but can function properly when the cap is turned 360° at 50 PSI. The Pro-Spray bodies allow less accidents to happen, which saves you water, time, and money.
Another Hunter product we use would be the Hunter Check Valve (HCV). We use the HCV for systems that requires ups and downs due to the landscape, so the water does not seek out low points when the system is not being used. When this does happen, it results in puddling at the heads and ultimately wasted water. The check valves stop this issue by only allowing water to flow in one direction so it cannot fall back towards the lower points of the pipes.
Although it is not a Hunter product, we are also excited about the Rachio Wireless Flow Meter. This meter provides insight to your outdoor water use. It can detect broken heads, ruptured pipes, and low flow leaks! We also prefer this flow sensors to others because it is completely wireless. Installation and handling are both easier than the other brands we have tried.
We do have a product that we can install and service but is not a very popular product: the Hunter Accu-Sync. The Accu-Sync is a pressure regulator that saves water and extends the life of the irrigation system. This is achieved by the regulating the pressure for each zone. It takes into consideration the equipment and the type of irrigation needed for each zone and adjusts the pressure for efficient coverage.
Next, we have one of the easiest ways to save water for your irrigation is by installing a Rain Sensor. Many people forget to turn off their sprinklers when the weather turns bad. The Hunter Rain-Clik has an instant quick response rain shutoff and freeze shutoff at 37°F, adjustability for shorter or longer reset periods, and compatibility with most normally open or normally closed irrigation controllers. This product is a set it and forget it type. If you’re the type of person who is likely to forget to check the weather to make sure you wouldn’t be wasting water or overwatering your lawn, this is a must have!
Lastly, we have two recommended timers: the Hunter Hydrawise and the Rachio Wifi Controller. Both have an app that you and your trusted irrigation professionals can have access to adjust the timer from anywhere if you have connection. There are benefits to both systems, as we have outlined below.
- Virtual Weather Station (VWS) in built into the controller itself. The VWS uses complex algorithms, satellite data, physical weather stations, atmospheric data from airplanes and pressure readings from cellphones to calculate a highly accurate weather reading for the area. This is impressive, but is not as accurate as an on-site weather sensor
- Remote Access through phone, tablet, or computer
- Works with smart technology, such as Alexa, HomeSeer and Control4
- Runs reports on water usage and savings
- Automatic reports for broken pipes and leaks
- You and your contractor receive flow and electrical system alerts
- Watering program based on what makes your lawn unique
- Fine tunes water schedule by plant type, soil conditions, zone specification and more
- Weather Intelligence predicts weather changes and adjusts your schedules automatically
- Remote Access through phone, tablet, or computer
Lastly, this is not necessarily a product, but an assistance. When we necessarily have all the above products placed within a system, we can perform a water audit. This consists of laying cups out and letting the system run for 30 minutes and then assessing the pressure and lawn coverage accordingly. With this, we can see what zones have too much water and the others not enough. We can adjust the schedules and make sure we are saving water, while taking care of your lawn.
We hope to show that irrigation can conserve water and make a landscape beautiful and manageable.