High Pressure Sprinkler Systems

Pearson Sprinkler Company has found numerous sprinkler systems Plano that have excessive pressure, especially in west Plano.  Pearson Sprinkler Company cannot emphasize enough how important it is to check the pressure on your sprinkler system.  A homeowner can do this simply by attaching a pressure gauge that can be purchased at your local hardware store, to your house’s water system.  Attach the gauge to a hose bib at your house and turn the water on.  If the pressure exceeds 80 pounds per square inch (psi) on the gauge, you will need to regulate the pressure to your sprinkler system.  If the pressure is below 80 psi at the hose bib; however, you notice excessive misting or fogging at the spray heads, determine if your house has a pressure regulator.  A pressure regulator on a house typically corrects the high pressure water entering the house, but not the high pressure water entering the sprinkler system.  In this case, you would need to attach the pressure gauge to a component of the sprinkler system.  Pressure regulation will save wear and tear on the various components of the sprinkler system as well as minimize misting from the spray heads.  If the actual spray head pressure is higher than the manufacturer’s operating range for that particular spray head, then some form of pressure regulation would be required.

Another easy way to tell if pressure regulation is required is to observe the system in operation and see if there is excessive misting or fogging at the spray heads.  If the sprinkler system is operating at optimum pressure, then the water being emitted from the spray head will be in a droplet form, resembling rain.  The droplets will have enough weight to fall to the ground, to penetrate the soil and to reach the outer edges of the spray head’s radius before being evaporated by the sun and/or light wind.  By regulating the pressure of the sprinkler system, you will also be saving a substantial amount of water.  With the rates of water rising, the cost of pressure regulation will be quickly off-set.  In west Plano and Frisco, Pearson Sprinkler Company has encountered numerous areas where pressure levels can range from approximately 110 psi up to 125 psi.  The average manufacture’s optimum pressure at the base of the spray head is 35 psi and the maximum recommended pressure is 50 psi.  In many areas in west Plano and Frisco, the pressure is almost four times greater than the manufacture’s recommendation.  For every 5 psi above the manufacturer’s recommended pressure, there is an 8% increase in water use.  The result, a higher water bill and an inefficient sprinkler system that requires frequent repairs.

With water restrictions in effect for sprinkler systems Plano, and no sign of them easing in the near future, it is vital to check your system thoroughly to maximize each watering cycle.  The majority of newer controller models have a test function that you can utilize to check the sprinkler system.  Most are preset to run for two minutes per station.  You can simply walk through your property as each station runs and look for geysers or low pressure areas.  If you have a station that has very low pressure and the spray heads are not popping up completely, this could indicate that you have a leak.  The leak is robbing the pressure to adequately run the station properly.  You would be surprised by how often a spray head or shrub riser gets broken.