Save time by not needing to watch and adjust the settings. Save money by not having to purchase and install additional manual sprinklers. Keep your sprinklers cleaner by having water only go where you want it! Protect your investment by ensuring the sprinklers are running properly all day.
The controller turns the water on only when it needs to go on to conserve water and save money, but it does not know when it can turn the water off since there are no valves to do this. Therefore, the user must continually watch the sprinklers to ensure they are turned off at the right time.
When surface irrigation is set up, the user can be assured that when the controller goes on or off, the sprinklers are being run as needed. It is now possible to have multiple sprinklers running at once. This means that instead of watching them continuously, you can do other tasks during periods when the irrigation system is not being used (e.g., take a nap!).
There are five main types of sprinklers:
Sprinkler heads are generally available in two varieties: solid brass and PVC/plastic. If a metal nozzle is required to be installed on top of a metal sprinkler head, it will most likely be either solid brass or copper/steel/zinc alloy.
Solid brass: The sprinkler head is made from solid brass, nickel-plated for corrosion resistance. Sometimes, there is a small inset seal on the bottom called an O-ring. These are not intended to be disassembled by the end user but rather replaced in case of a major malfunction. Brass sprinklers will last the longest and provide the best performance (especially in harsh water conditions). They are typically more expensive than PVC/plastic models.
PVC/plastic: The sprinkler head is made from PVC plastic with brass internals for increased performance compared to plastic alone. The plastic portion of the sprinkler may contain an O-ring. Some model PVC sprinklers are intended to be taken apart for cleaning, and some cannot be disassembled without breaking them. If a metal nozzle is required to be installed into the top of a plastic model, it will most likely need to be screwed on using two Philips head screws.
Two types of nozzles can attach to a wet-set or vertical-set sprinkler:
These nozzles have internal check valves that prevent backflow when they are turned off.
A spray nozzle will have a small hole in the top, allowing water to be sprayed out rather than sprayed in. Spraying in allows for better ground coverage, and water sprays into the air and does not run off at an angle.
This type of sprinkler overlaps very little, if any when it turns off. This ensures that water is only going where you want it to.
Many sprinklers have a valve or simple lever so they can be shut-off manually and automatically (in other words, they can be switched on or off by a person).