The Components Of An Automatic Lawn Sprinkler And How They Work

When installing a lawn sprinkler system on your property, there are a number of things to be aware of. You must consider the size or area that will be receiving irrigation firstly. Once you have decided upon the areas that will be receiving water, you must analyze the needs of the area. This includes everything from the type of soil to amount of sunlight received. However, the amount of water and direction of spray will come after the major issues have been addressed. Deciding the physical location of the heads and planning out the plumbing is a task best left to the professionals. While you may not understand the reasoning behind the installation process, you can begin by knowing all of the components of an automated lawn sprinkler system.

An automatic lawn sprinkler system should really be thought of as an ‘on demand’ system, as nothing is truly automatic. These systems can be programmed to supply water on demand or at specified times because the water system is connected to a timer that is computerized. It is used to give the owner in a particular home the abilities to program exactly when the system will activate and for how long it will run. Just like other sprinklers, the automatic lawn sprinkler system has some standard components that are very basic and necessary for the purpose of irrigation. These parts include valves, supply lines, sprinkler heads as well as timers. The few basic components stated above are necessary for an automatic lawn sprinkler to function. The following paragraphs contain information on how the components work.

Automatic irrigation systems are generally made of plastic, which will not allow the system to rust as it sits just below the surface of the ground. There is always a control centre, which will be buried with an access panel. The valves are the heart of the system (usually a solenoid type valve), which physically control water flow. They use an electronic signal (with the help of the timer) to be able to push down the plunger on a plastic diaphragm. This builds up pressure, which releases a vacuum as well as the flow of water thorough the valve and straight into the supple line on route to the sprinkler heads themselves.

Remember that the system has a constant supply of water, and the system is programmed to allow water flow to the sprinkler heads only once the valves are open. This is normally done with the help of the pipes that are connected, in series, creating what is known as the supply lines. Modern sprinkler supply lines are mostly made of the PVC. This is because the PVC molded plastic is very affordable, durable and cannot rust. The supply lines are arranged in sections where they are connected to one another with the help of the PVC joints as well as fittings that are glued together with a special solvent.

Lastly the water is distributed by the heads, which will extend above the lawn only when the water pressure builds up in the supply line. Heads can be constantly adjusted if needed. Just ensure when they are retracted (no water is flowing and therefor no pressure in the supply line) they are below the height at which you cut your grass. Otherwise you will find out all about replacing automated sprinkler system heads.