Introduction

I love gardening, but I don’t like the time it takes to water my plants. That’s why I built a self-watering system for my garden. If you want to make your own sprinkler system, this blog will show you how!

Overview

A sprinkler system is a type of irrigation system that uses an intricate network of pipes, valves, and sprinklers to distribute water around your yard. This can be either manually or automatically controlled by sensors that detect soil moisture levels. A drip irrigation system works in a similar way but uses small openings or holes along the pipe to literally “drip” water directly onto the soil surface. Because they’re less wasteful than traditional sprinklers, drip systems are considered more environmentally friendly.

While there are lots of benefits to having either type of system, here are some key differences between them:

• Sprinklers deliver more water at once than drip systems do (although this depends on what kind you use).
• Drip systems are better for plants with deep roots like trees because they can reach farther down into the ground than overhead watering methods like hoses could ever hope for.

Step 1: Start with a Plan

• Draw a map of your garden.
• Decide how many zones you need—you can use the same number of zones as you do sprinklers, or more if you want more control over where water is delivered
• Decide how many sprinklers per zone: one per 100 square feet of lawn will usually be enough, but if you have some especially large areas, it might take two or three to cover the space evenly and thoroughly
• Finally, determine how many sprinklers are needed for the entire garden

Step 2: Sprinkler Type

Before you can choose the right sprinkler for your yard, it’s important to understand the different types of sprinklers and how they work.

• Drip – Drip systems deliver water directly on top of the soil using small drippers or emitters spaced at intervals along a lateral line. They’re often used in vegetable gardens where you only need water to reach the seeds and plants rather than the entire surface area of your garden bed.
• Spray – These sprinklers use jets or nozzles to spray water onto a target area. Some sprayers are fixed (stationary) while others are portable (movable). Fixed sprayers are used for smaller areas such as flower beds and lawns; portable models can be moved around as needed if, say, you want to water your vegetable garden but don’t want it watered every day since it could drown out some tender young plants that need less frequent watering during their first year of growth.
• Rotor & Oscillating – Rotor-type sprinklers rotate horizontally while oscillating types rotate vertically; both types throw out large amounts of water over wide areas more effectively than other styles like drip systems do because they cover twice as much ground per minute compared with other kinds of equipment like pop-ups which only cover half as much ground when compared with rotors/oscillators due to having fewer cycles per minute (CPM).

Step 3: Sprinkler Heads

Once you know how many zones you’ll need, it’s time to start thinking about sprinkler heads. You need one sprinkler head for every zone. (If your yard is 30 feet wide by 60 feet long and has eight zones, that means 20 sprinklers.)

You also want to separate them so they don’t all go off at once. This is called “dwell time.” The longer a sprinkler head stays on, the more water it will use up—and if there are too many heads going off at once, they could damage your lawn or garden beds.

The average dwell time is 40 seconds; that means if you have 8 zones with 4 different types of plants—like flowers in one area, vegetables in another and grasses in yet another—you should think about spacing those out as much as possible so each type gets roughly 20 seconds of water per pass over their area.

Step 4: Water Source

The next step is to determine your water source. This could be a hose, a tank or maybe even a well. Here are some things to consider:

• Hoses are the most common type of sprinkler system and can be purchased at any home improvement store.
• Always use hoses rated for use with pressure washers or other high-pressure devices (you don’t want to blow out your pipes!).
• For longer distances between where you have your irrigation valves and where you want the water to go, you may want to consider using a tank instead of hoses.

Step 5: Plan Your Valves

Now that you have your pipes in place, it’s time to add the valves. Valves are what control the water flow in your sprinkler system. There are many different types of valves and they all serve a different function:

• Check valves prevent water from flowing backward through the pipe
• Gate valves open and close quickly, allowing for on/off operation
• Globe or globe-style are self-latching, which means they stay closed unless physically opened by hand or by an outside force like gravity (if installed upside down)
• Butterfly valves can be opened manually with a lever or handle; but when not in use, they shut tightly into themselves to form an oval shape at each end of their valve body—making them ideal for preventing water from leaking out through open ends while still allowing access when needed

Step 6: Hose and Pipe Connections

Hose and pipe connections are important for a sprinkler system. They help to distribute the water evenly, ensuring that it flows to each of your sprinkler heads.

The most common way to connect hoses and pipes is with 90° elbows. However, you can also use 45° or 180° elbows in whatever configuration is required to make the necessary connections with ease.

Finally, you can water your garden without wasting time and water.

Finally, you can water your garden without wasting time and water. You can save money by installing a sprinkler system. You can water your garden when you want to and for as long as you want to. You can even make adjustments if the weather changes!

Build one with the right tools and materials, then use it to make gardening more efficient—and more fun!

Conclusion

Now that you know how to build a sprinkler system, it’s time to get started! There are many benefits to having your own sprinkler system, from saving money on water and fertilizer expenses all the way up to keeping your garden healthy and green.