Lee Engineering - Wired Online

Not all lawn sprinklers are created equally. Water conservation sprinkler heads are not just a more eco-friendly option to your irrigation system needs, they are also a smart financial decision as they can actually save you money. While you may think a professionally installed lawn irrigation system is a luxury, if you are watering your lawn with a hose and sprayer or using portable sprinklers that you constantly need to move, you are losing money over the long run.

It sounds crazy, but there are actually rational answers behind why it is better to use a professionally installed water conservation head sprinkler system than a stopgap option which only appears cheaper. The technology behind water conservation head sprinklers is such that the sprinkler heads are designed to maintain a constant pressure at the sprinkler head. When you have consistent pressure you are able to produce larger water droplets. With larger water droplets you realize better coverage because you are no longer dealing with less accuracy due to over-spray.

Another way that the larger droplets produced by a water conservation head sprinkler make a difference is in the evaporation time. Larger water droplets are less susceptible to rapid evaporation than small droplets and fine spray type mists many sprinklers produce by default. Larger water droplets that are less prone to rapid evaporation seep into the soil at a higher rate which helps keep your grass green and healthy. That in turn means that you can run your sprinklers for a shorter period of time. A shorter run cycle combined with water conservation sprinkler heads saves water which saves money.

Typically, a normal sprinkler system will cost about $1,000 to operate annually. According to Lee Engineering in the Arlington/DFW region of Texas, a conservation water head sprinkler only costs about a third of that sum to operate annually. Something else worth mentioning is that in areas with water use restrictions and caps, a water conservation head sprinkler system can often help keep you within the usage caps while saving your lawn from an early brown-out.