By Bill Sullivan

Collin County homeowners curious about how to maximize the economy and effectiveness of their yard sprinkler systems were able to pick up on all kinds of useful information in the course of a day-long “SprinklerSmarts” presentation at McKinney Green Gardens on Saturday, June 4.  Allen, Frisco and McKinney collaborated to host the free event, designed to educate the public about proper use of systems as part of smart landscape watering practices.

Visitors moved through a series of stations, learning about where their water comes from, how irrigation systems function, ways to execute simple repairs, how pressure can be regulated, how water can be distributed uniformly, options in controllers, and more.  Experts from area irrigation system  companies joined manufacturer representatives and city water education officials in the inaugural presentation.

A sampling of helpful hints:

– In repairing a damaged sprinkler head, make sure you install the proper nozzle. Replacing a 10-foot nozzle with a 15-footer will completely throw off the distribution within a zone.

– A rotor puts out about 1/2 the amount of water as a spray head, so don’t mix and match them in the same zone.

– Worried about even distribution? Place buckets or small cans in the middle of  potential problem areas. If your system is working properly, they should fill pretty much evenly.

– Test your system regularly. If you don’t mind getting a little wet, the up close and personal approach is as effective as any.

– Excessive moisture in one area may be a sign of an underground leak or a broken pipe.

– You can make minor adjustments to the range of a given nozzle, but the process is unreliable. Usually, it’s better simply to change sizes.

The City of Frisco offers free sprinkler system evaluations to residents. Click here for details and contact information.

The City of Frisco was well represented at SprinklerSmarts. Image: friscogreenliving.com

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