There are mainly two types of sprinkler heads in the market; the pop-up sprinkler heads and the rotor heads. Each of them come with their unique features to help water your garden. Choosing one over the other is a matter of personal preferences and watering requirements.
While the rotor type of sprinkler heads features an adjustable distance and angle spray pattern the pop-up sprinkler heads offer a fixed pattern of spray. However, this fixed pattern of the spray shouldn’t be a problem.
Adjust a Pop-Up Sprinkler Head in 5 Simple Steps
The factory heads of most adjustable sprinklers is 180 degree. To suit your garden watering requirements you can adjust it while the water is on or off. However, we recommend that you make the required adjustments before installation of impact sprinklers or oscillating sprinklers in your garden.
If you are wondering why it’s necessary to adjust the head of your sprinkler system then you have come to the right page. Adjusting the pop-up heads can help you efficiently water your garden and save you water.
Follow the outlined procedure to adjust a pop-up sprinkler head
Step 1 – Take Note of Your Sprinkler Installation
Firstly, you need to take note of how the sprinklers installed in the garden operate. Those at the middle of the garden are always set to rotate 360 degrees while those along the edges rotate at an angle of 50 degrees.
Ideally, sprinkler heads located at corners will be set to rotate at an angle of 50 degrees. This arrangement is best if you don’t want to have overlapping water coverage by the sprinklers.
Step 2 – Adjust the Water Pressure
You should try to adjust the water pressure from the mains water supply before attempting to adjust the sprinkler head. Increasing or reducing the water pressure most often than not helps address sprinkler coverage areas.
Once you are done adjusting the pressure from the main water supply proceed to adjust the sprinkler angles.
Step 3 – Adjust the Angle of Sprinkler
Position the angle of the sprinkler head in such a way that there aren’t any left areas when the sprinklers are in use. If for some reason the coverage distances have been altered, you can adjust the pop-up sprinkler heads to regulate the water flow. By turning the tip of the nozzle and screw located at the top of the head.
Step 4 – Set the Spray Pattern
Turn counter-clockwise to increase the spray pattern, allowing it to effectively reach longer distances. Turn clockwise to reduce the spray pattern to the barest minimum which is usually set to 25 degrees as the case may be.
Step 5 – Fine-tune the Spray Distance
Now that you have adjusted the spray pattern you will need to fine-tune the spray distance. To do this, locate a screw on top of the nozzle head and turn clockwise or anticlockwise to fine-tune the spray pattern.
Adjusting the Arc of a Pop-up Sprinkler
The angle formed by the rotating sprinkler is known as the arc. The angle or area of coverage by the sprinkler determines the arc of rotation. If you want the sprinkler to water a semicircular area then you must adjust the arc to about 180 degrees.
To adjust the sprinkler head arc follow this procedure:
- Locate the adjustment socket at the top of the head and tune it to the right. Hold it firmly in place
- Insert the plastic head of the wench and rotate the socket clockwise to increase the arc.
- Do the opposite to decrease the arc of the pop-up sprinkler head.
Adjusting the Radius of the Pop-Up Sprinkler System
Just as you have in mathematics, the radius of the sprinkler is the distance from the sprinkler head to the furthest point that the water reaches the ground. You need to set the radius of the sprinkler head to determine the size of the area the water reaches.
To adjust the radius, locate the radius adjustment screw at the top of the head. Turn anticlockwise to increase and clockwise to decrease the radius. Bear in mind that using a smaller nozzle can increase the radius of the sprinkler head because of the increased pressure at the nozzle and vice versa.
Final words
From the procedure listed above, it is easy to see that adjusting the pop-up sprinkler head is not much of a hassle. You can adjust the arc, radius and water flow by yourself. You don’t need to pay anyone to do it.
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