What type of Sprinkler Nozzles should I use?

Boise Idaho is a beautiful state where we are lucky to experience all 4 seasons year-round. Unfortunately for us and our yard, one of those seasons is summer where temperatures can regularly get into the triple digits.

Having a robust sprinkler system that can keep your grass and plants hydrated during those hot summer days is essential to a home’s landscape.

 

One of the main components of a sprinkler system are sprinkler head nozzles. Sprinkler nozzles are responsible for ensuring proper head-to-head coverage on your yard and clients have different styles to choose from:

 

·         Spray Heads- Fixed spray heads that uniformly spray a fan shaped pattern of water across the area that they are installed. These types of spray heads are designed for smaller areas since they tend to use almost 3 times as much water as rotator heads.

 

·         Rotators- Rotator heads move from left to right and vice versa and are generally used for larger areas as they can water at longer distances, making them more beneficial to use on larger lawns. Some of these rotators can spray water up to 50 ft+ depending on the PSI available on a sprinkler system.

 

·         MP Rotators- This rotator head was designed with efficiency in mind. Because they use less water than a spray head, they allow for fewer zones needed, therefore saving the client money. Proper head-to-head coverage is a must when using this type of sprinkler head, otherwise dry spots can potentially appear.

Clients have options when it comes to sprinkler heads. Here at Mr. Chipp, we like to provide the client with all 3 options but ultimately you will be the one that makes the final decision. The sprinkler head used will depend on your specific situation. Some things we have noticed out in the field are mentioned below:

 

·         We have talked to other companies, and some have complained that MP Rotators sometimes don’t do so well in windy areas or when proper head-to-head coverage isn’t obtained.

 

·         Spray heads use more water so if you want to save money on your water bill every month and you have a smaller yard, then MP Rotators might be an option for you.

 

·         Rotator sprinkler heads are more expensive and can cost up to 20+ dollars per rotator compared to 11 dollars for an MP Rotator or 2-3 dollars for a spray nozzle. They can also take longer to install as our sprinkler specialists have to set and recheck them after installing them, therefore making the project more expensive as this is a labor-intensive task. However, since they do spray at larger distances, they typically require less heads per zone and less zones in general.

 

These are some of the things we have noted while installing sprinklers, but we encourage you to ask us any additional questions you may have. We would be more than happy to educate you on the various options that are available to you.

 

Give us a call/text at (208) 450-3695 or shoot us an email at support@mrchipp.com if you’re thinking of getting a quote on a new irrigation system.