Automatic Lawn Sprinkler

Whichever automatic lawn sprinkler you choose really depends on just how ‘automatic’ you want it to be, and of course on your budget!

The Underground Automatic Sprinklers

The ultimate in automatic sprinkler systems is an underground irrigation system. For convenience, these systems really rule supreme! Once you get over the initial expense (several thousand dollars usually), and the hassle involved in installing them, you don’t need to worry about ever getting your hose pipe out again! Of course, there will be maintenance to think about, but you shouldn’t have to worry about doing this too often.

Underground automatic sprinkler systems can be operated via a computer system which can be programmed with basic commands, such as what days of the week to turn on and at what times, or some can be programmed with far more complex tasks, such as regulating the flow of water and turning off some valves so that only certain heads sprinkle water. This means that you can easily control the amount of water your lawn is given from the comfort of your home, just by pushing some buttons. You can also set the system to work whilst you’re on vacation so there’s no need to worry about a dead lawn when you return!

Traveling Automatic Sprinklers

For a little more user interaction, but at a fraction of the cost, you could consider buying a traveling automatic lawn sprinkler. These would need you to set up the hose pipe around your lawn prior to starting. The sprinkler then follows the path you’ve set around your lawn and stops at the point where you put the automatic shut-off. The beauty with these systems is that they move very slowly and so they should make sure that your lawn is getting well irrigated. You can start it off in the morning, go out for the day and it should be finished by the time you return as they are well suited to large lots and are also great for irregularly shaped lawns too because you set the path it travels.

Make your own Automatic Lawn Sprinkler

Another good idea for people with smaller lots is an automatic timer which can be connected to your faucet and used as an automatic sprinkler. You set these to the time of day you want the water to start and finish and when it gets to that time it starts the water flow.

These are commonly used with hose pipes attached to one sprinkler, such as an oscillating sprinkler or a pulsating sprinkler. This is the cheapest way of getting an automatic lawn sprinkler and although they’re great for smaller lawns, they’re not quite as ‘automatic’ when it comes to larger lawns! With a small lawn, if you have a sprinkler which covers the whole area you can leave one of these attached when you go away on vacation, but if you have a larger lawn, you would need to be there to move the sprinkler head every so often, otherwise only one patch of your lawn will ever get watered!