There’s only one way to keep your lawn green during the summer. Without sprinkler systems, every lawn in the San Antonio region would turn brown, and there would be nothing but weeds and dust to mow. Your irrigation system uses water from the San Antonio Water System, and at current rates, you pay up to 0.6 cents per gallon.
That might not sound like a lot, but your sprinkler system uses about 12 gallons of water per minute, which works out to 2,160 gallons or $13 over three hours. A leak in the system will spike your water bill even higher.
Check Your Meter
To check for a leak, locate your water meter box outside—it’s most likely located near your road or sidewalk. Simply pop open the metal lid, and brush off any dirt or sand with a broom. Turn off all indoor and outdoor water faucets on your property, and take another look at the water meter. Is it still spinning? If it is, you have a leak somewhere, and you’ll want to call a plumber to identify the exact location of the leak.
Test the Irrigation System
For a more thorough inspection, manually run all of your irrigation zones. Take a few minutes to walk outside and look for any irregularities. If sprinkler heads fail to pop up, they might be buried underground, or a leak might be reducing the water pressure. Irrigation leaks in the middle of your yard can be difficult to spot, but they most commonly appear as rising puddles of water or runoff on driveways and sidewalks.
Upgrade All Sprinkler Heads to Use Less Water
Older irrigation systems use inefficient sprinkler heads, which often suffer from wind dispersal and other problems. Replacement sprinkler heads are extremely affordable—a typical rotor model costs $5 to $25, so you can retrofit your entire irrigation system with new sprinkler heads for under $500. If you cut water usage by just 20% and irrigate once a week, the upgrade will pay for itself in about three years.
Adjust the Controls
It’s difficult to know exactly how much and how often you should irrigate, and no two yards are the same. However, you can save water by adjusting your system to provide less water to the lawn and drought-hardy plants. Your control panel should give you zone-specific options, so you can water your water-intensive plants for longer periods of time than turf and trees.
Does your irrigation system need a professional inspection? ABC Home & Commercial Services in San Antonio can help with all of your lawn care needs. Give us a call today at 210-599-9500, and we’ll help reduce your water consumption overnight.