How To Adjust Sprinkler Head Rotation?
By Most American homes have a lawn. If you wish to see your lawn be lush and green, then you have to water it every single day. However, your lawn sprinklers have watering arcs that are not uniform. Therefore, you must learn how to adjust sprinkler head rotation to water your lawn uniformly.
Depending on which type of sprinkler head you have, there are different ways to adjust the nozzle heads. Therefore, start reading this guide now to learn how to do so by yourself.
How To Adjust Sprinkler Heads?
Learning how to adjust sprinkler heads is not very difficult. You can do so by following the process below:
1. Identifying What Type Of Sprinkler You Use
First, you need to identify which type of sprinkler you use. There are three types of sprinkler heads that you should know about. They are:
- Gear-Driven Rotor Sprinklers: These sprinklers shoot out a single stream of water. The sprinkler head rotates back and forth to cover the entire area of your lawn in all directions.
- Impact Sprinklers: These sprinklers sprinkle water in multiple trajectories, which is why they are also known as multi-trajectory sprinklers. The head of the sprinkler moves in multiple directions to cover multiple directions.
- Pop-Up Sprinklers: When you see a sprinkler that shorts out water all over in a circular motion, it’s a pop-up sprinkler. They are called pop-up sprinklers because they pop up from the ground when activated. In addition, the sprinkler heads do not rotate or move.
2. Assess How Much Water Your Lawn Needs
After you have identified what sprinkler you use, your next step should be assessing the watering needs for your lawn. To do so, simply have a look at your lawn. Your sprinklers should be fitted in places that need water. Therefore, it’s best to have them set up at places so that they can cover as much ground as possible.
In this step, you must check which parts of your lawn have too much water in them or too less. Therefore, if you see parts of your lawn having brown-colored grass, it means those parts are dry, requiring more water. On the contrary, if parts of your lawn appear swampy and muddy, those parts require less water.
3. Gather All Your Tools
If you wish to adjust the sprinkler head rotation, you cannot do so without the right tools. However, many manufacturers sell adjustment and repair skits for their sprinklers, which will always be my first preference. They will contain all the tools that you will require.
However, if you don’t know, then here are some universally used sprinkler adjustment tools that you must have:
- Hex wrench
- Rotor screwdriver
- Slotted screwdriver
- Rotor nozzle adjustment tool
4. Adjusting The Heads Of Your Sprinklers
Now that you know which type of sprinkler you have and your watering requirements, it’s time to get your toolbox. Now head out into your lawn and start adjusting the sprinkler heads. You do so by following the instructions explained below, depending on which type of sprinkler you have.
I. Adjusting Rotor Sprinkler Heads
To adjust the rotation of rotor sprinkler heads, you have to:
- First, turn on your irrigation system. Ensure that you are standing begging it unless you wish to get drenched.
- If the sprinkler cycle has started, rotate your sprinkler head all the way to the left.
- Next, you need to look for a tiny keyhole in the sprinkler. This will be near the “+” and “-” signs located at the top of the rotor.
- Now, insert your rotor adjusting key into the keyhole.
- If you wish to increase the arc of the rotation, then turn the rotor towards the left. On the other hand, if you wish to decrease the rotational arc, turn the rotor towards the right.
- After you are done turning, simply stand back and observe the sprinkler. Then, adjust the sprinkler head until you get the desired water flow and rotation.
II. Adjusting Pop-Up Sprinkler Heads
Adjusting pop-up sprinklers is a bit different from the last. Here, the first thing that you need to do is identify the type of nozzle spray your sprinkler has. Pop-up sprinklers have two heads – fixed and variable. If it’s fixed, then you need to replace the nozzle entirely. Therefore, you can only go to the next step if you have a variable nozzle sprayer.
- To adjust the sprayer, you must use a flathead screwdriver to turn the screw on the top of the nozzle. Tightening this screw on top will increase and decrease the rotational arc of the spray.
- If you wish to adjust the position of the sprinkler and its arc, you just have to adjust the stem below the nozzle sprayer.
III. Adjusting Impact Sprinkler Heads
When it comes to impact sprinkler heads, learning how to adjust sprinkler head rotation is the easiest. You need to use an adjustment ring to turn the nozzle head clockwise (increase rotation) or counterclockwise (decrease rotation).
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs):
Many homemakers and gardeners have asked various questions regarding how to adjust sprinkler heads. Here are many answers to some of their queries:
Ans: If you wish to adjust your sprinkler head’s direction, then it’s pretty easy to do so. All you need to do is rotate the head of the sprinkler. When you are rotating, turning them both ways have two different functions. One way decreases the arc of the sprinkler, while the other way increases it.
Ans: Depending on the type of sprinkler heads that you have, you might need a special adjusting tool. However, almost all sprinkler adjustments can be made by simply using a flathead screwdriver. But you might need the help of specialized rotor tools as well.
Ans: The overall costs of adjusting sprinkler heads boil down to the tools and parts that are needed, plus labor charges. In the USA, the average cost of adjusting sprinkler heads using professionals ranges from $70 to $140. This includes all costs involving service calls, additional parts, and hourly landscaping rates.
Conclusion
There are three ways you must learn if you wish to know how to adjust sprinkler head rotation. The three sprinkler head types are gear-based rotor sprinklers, pop-up sprinklers, and multi-trajectory sprinklers. Reading this guide till here will give you a good representation of how to adjust them accordingly.
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