Sprinkler Depot Consultation

Getting Started

You'll need a pressure gauge, string and a pencil or pen, a 5 gallon bucket and a tape measure.

What Is Your Water Pressure?

Screw a pressure gauge onto an unregulated outside faucet. Make sure no water is running any where inside or outside your house. Turn on the faucet with the gauge attached. The gauge shows your water pressure in pounds per square inch (psi).

Record: Pounds per square inch (psi) on the worksheet.

What Is Your Water Meter Size?

The meter size ( 5/8",3/4" or 1") is usually stamped on the outside of the meter. If you can’t find the size, just call the water utility company and ask for that information.

Record: Write the meter size (5/8",3/4" or 1") on your worksheet.

On A Well?

Check with your pump owner’s manual to determine its pressure and flow capacity. Or consult a well pump dealer/installer for this information.

How Large Is Your Service Line? 

Find the pipe that runs from the water meter to your house. Wrap a piece of string around the pipe, mark it, then measure how much string it took to go around the pipe. Check your string length on the table below to find your service line size.

Record: 3/4", 1" or 1 1/4" on your worksheet

For example, if your string measures 4" and you have galvanized pipe, your service line is 1 inch.

Determining Size of Service Line:

What Is Your Home's Water Flow?

Get a measurable container, like a 5 gallon bucket, make sure no other water is running in or outside the house, turn the faucet on all the way and time how long it takes to fill the container.

Record: Gallons per minute (GPM) on your worksheet.

Determine gallons per minute (GPM) with the following formula:

Important: retest if less than 7 GPM. Are the two test results different?

Sketch Your Yard

Tip: Use scratch paper first then transfer your final drawing to the graph paper. Use bold, black lines only, no shading.

Divide your lot into sections such as front lawn, side lawn, flower beds, slopes, etc., and label all those areas you want watered. Also be sure to include the house, driveway and sidewalks in proper scale. If you have special watering preference such as bubblers in planting beds or a drip irrigation zone, note that on your drawing as well. Group similar types of plants such as shrubs and ground covers together in the sections. If you have big differences in the amount of sun different areas get, you may want to group those for watering efficiency and indicate “separate valve” on your drawing.

Email your drawing with:

Email: info@sprinklerdepot.ca