Effective irrigation design and scheduling help you save water in your landscape. You can estimate how much water your yard receives by doing a simple irrigation checkup. Many homeowners wonder how long to run their sprinklers, but time alone does not measure water use. A basic irrigation audit can give you an estimate of how much water your system applies in inches per hour.
Regularly run each sprinkler zone and write down any problems you see. This helps keep your system working well through the summer. Use the Sprinkler System Checkup(PDF, 1MB) guide to get started.
Avoid using a "set it and forget it" approach when you run or maintain your sprinkler system. Check out our guide on sprinkler head and nozzle retrofits(PDF, 5MB) to learn how to fix common issues like high water pressure and sunken heads. Visit additional resources at the links below.
WaterSense Labeled Irrigation Controllers
Oklahoma State University Fact Sheets