Your Sprinkler System’s Gear-Driven Rotors and Common Coverage Problems

There are several types of spray heads that are common in sprinkler systems, and each serve a different purpose. For larger landscapes, gear-driven rotors are the best option. With adjustable rotation and varying spray distances, rotors provide the best coverage options for large landscapes.

A standard gear-driven rotor operates by utilizing the PSI of the incoming water flowto “power” the gears, creating rotation, and delivering water to your yard. While this mechanism is fairly straight-forward, the internal gears can become misaligned, or break, resulting in water loss to that area of your landscape. If your rotors are not regularly adjusted and properly maintained, you may experience portions of your lawn becoming over or under watered.

The adjustability of a rotor head allows homeowners the option of making key adjustments to get the most out of their sprinkler system, including the ability to adapt their system to a changing landscape. Common adjustmentsinclude: changing the size of the nozzle (to reduce or increase water delivery), adjusting the radius reduction screw to change the spray pattern, or raising/lowering the head itself for maximum coverage.

Performing these types of adjustments yourself may appear to be easy, but it’s important to keep in mind the impact those adjustments have on the rest of your system. The water pressure load of a sprinkler system is critical to proper operation, and changing that pressure by forcing more, or less, water through a particular head will impact that entire zone. Additionally, the delicate balance of coverage area and water delivery to your landscape must be considered whenever making adjustments. Too much, or too little, water can mean the difference between a healthy lawn and deadspots.

The licensed pros at Andy’s Sprinkler, Drainage & Lighting are highly experienced in irrigation systems, and how to achieve the maximum performance out of your system.For any sprinkler repair need you may have, call Andy’s at 972-418-6998 today!