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 Pressure too high - misting sprinkler
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Keeping your irrigation system in good working condition will help keep your overall water use down. Periodically, consider running the irrigation system manually on a morning that you’re home. Grab your favorite morning beverage and take a walk around your property while the irrigation system is running. Use this checklist as a guide on your walkabout to help identify areas for improvement. If the items on the checklist are unfamiliar to you, consider attending the City's free irrigation workshops.
An irrigation system is only as efficient as its weakest link! Weak links can be caused by damaged sprinkler heads, missing emitters, or by mismatched equipment with different watering application rates. For example, if an area of the irrigation system is under-delivering water due to a lack of emitters, turning up the whole irrigation system to compensate will cause an over-delivery of water in areas where a sufficient number of emitters were placed. Or if you have high-water-use plants being watered at the same rate as low-water-use plants, the low-water-use plants will be overwatered. Fixing the problem areas versus turning up the irrigation system will allow you to save water through increased system efficiency. Remember, “don’t crank it up to cover it up!”
Leaks in an irrigation system can also cause an increase in water use. Find them by looking for areas that are wet but should not be.
For more outdoor water efficiency, don’t forget to check hose spigots for leaks. If you have a pool, use a simple bucket test to check for leaking.
Additionally, do-it-yourself homeowners or business owners will want to use the meter to test for leaks several times a year in conjunction with an irrigation audit. Landscapers should test for leaks as part of the routine system maintenance.
Mini Morning Audit Checklist
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