Irrigation & Sprinkler (F07)

Irrigation systems keep Utah lawns and landscapes green despite our arid climate – but water waste and freeze damage cost thousands without proper design and maintenance.

This BidScope guides you through irrigation system types: traditional spray head systems (pop-up heads for grass, shrub heads for planting beds, simple but inefficient), rotor systems (rotating heads for larger areas, better efficiency), drip irrigation (most water-efficient, ideal for gardens and xeriscape), and smart controllers with weather sensing.

Learn zone design: grouping plants by water needs (hydrozones), accounting for sun exposure and soil type, proper head spacing for coverage without overspray, slope considerations for drainage.

Understand backflow prevention – Utah requires backflow preventers to protect drinking water from contamination, with annual testing and certification.

Master controller programming: watering duration by season, start times to avoid evaporation (night/early morning), rain sensors to prevent watering in storms, smart controllers that adjust based on weather data.

Navigate pipe sizing and materials: PVC Schedule 40 for mainline, polyethylene for laterals, proper wire sizing for valves.

Learn proper installation depth (8-12 inches to protect from freeze).

Understand Utah’s unique challenges: hard water causing mineral buildup in heads, alkaline soil affecting coverage, short growing season (May-September typically), mandatory winterization to prevent freeze damage.

Know winterization procedures: blowout with compressed air (most common, requires proper PSI), manual drain valves, automatic drain valves.

Calculate water usage and costs.

Plan for smart water management with ET-based controllers.

Budget realistically: basic spray system $2,500-5,000 for average yard, drip conversion $3-8 per linear foot, smart controller upgrade $200-600.

Master drip irrigation components and design: drip runs at roughly 90% efficiency versus about 65% for spray heads (30-50% less water) by delivering water straight to the root zone. Emitter types include inline drip (emitters molded into the tubing at fixed spacing), button or spot emitters (adjustable 0.5-4 GPH for precise placement), micro-sprinklers (wider coverage for shrubs and groundcover), and bubblers (fast flow for trees and large plants). A drip zone uses 1/2-inch poly distribution tubing feeding 1/4-inch micro (spaghetti) tubing to each emitter, barbed fittings (tees, elbows, couplings), an inline filter and pressure regulator at the valve (drip runs at a low 10-30 PSI), flush caps at the end of each line, and tree drip rings for deep root watering. Flush the drip zones annually to clear sediment and biofilm.

This tool ensures your irrigation system conserves water while keeping landscapes healthy.

What’s Included:

• Irrigation system types (spray heads, rotors, drip, smart controllers)
• Traditional spray head systems (pop-up heads, shrub heads, fixed spray)
• Spray head coverage and patterns
• Rotor systems (rotating heads, larger areas, better efficiency)
• Rotor coverage (15-50 foot radius typical)
• Drip irrigation (most efficient, gardens, shrubs, xeriscape)
• Drip emitter types and flow rates
• Smart irrigation controllers (weather-based, ET adjustment)
• Zone design and planning (hydrozones, grouping by water needs)
• Sun exposure and soil type considerations
• Head spacing for proper coverage
• Avoiding overspray onto hardscape
• Slope and drainage considerations
• Backflow prevention requirements in Utah
• Backflow preventer types (PVB, RPZ, AVB)
• Annual backflow testing and certification
• Controller programming (duration, start times, seasonal adjustment)
• Watering schedules by season
• Start times to minimize evaporation (night/early morning)
• Rain sensors and freeze sensors
• Smart controller weather integration
• Pipe materials and sizing (PVC Schedule 40, polyethylene)
• Mainline vs lateral line sizing
• Valve sizing and placement
• Wire sizing for valve control (typically 18-gauge multi-strand)
• Installation depth (8-12 inches for freeze protection)
• Trenching and boring
• Proper slope for drainage
• Sprinkler head types (spray, rotors, bubblers, drip)
• Head-to-head coverage design
• Pressure regulation
• Utah irrigation challenges (hard water, alkaline soil, short season, freeze)
• Hard water mineral buildup in heads
• Alkaline soil and coverage patterns
• Winterization requirements (mandatory in Utah)
• Blowout with compressed air (proper PSI 40-80)
• Manual drain valves
• Automatic drain valves
• Timing for winterization (late October/early November)
• Spring startup procedures
• Water conservation and smart watering
• ET-based controllers and water savings
• Calculating water usage
• Water budgets and restrictions
• Repair and maintenance (head replacement, valve repair, controller troubleshooting)
• Drip components (1/2-inch poly + 1/4-inch micro tubing, barbed fittings, inline filter, pressure regulator 10-30 PSI, flush caps, tree drip rings)
• Drip emitter types (inline, button/spot 0.5-4 GPH, micro-sprinklers, bubblers)
• Annual drip flushing (clear sediment and biofilm from zones)
• Cost factors ($2,500-5,000 basic system, $3-8/ft drip, $200-600 smart controller, drip beds $2-4/sf, tree drip rings $50-150 each, $500-2,000 per drip zone)
• Finding qualified irrigators
• Utah licensing for irrigators