25ways.rainbird.comRain Bird - 25 Ways to Reduce Water Usage by 25%

25 Ways to Save Water. One Source to Make It Happen. While conservation of water is now everyone’s responsibility, Rain Bird has been committed to the Intelligent Use of Water™ for more than 80 years. Whether you’re working to meet a mandate such as California’s 25% reduction, or simply lower your monthly bill, we offer the education and water-efficient products you need to make better use of our most precious resource. A Message from the rain bird president What Tips Would You Like to View? See Residential Tips See Commercial Tips See Golf Tips See Agriculture Tips Improve Your Existing System Install a New Drip System Install a New Water Efficient System Common Water Restrictions Improve Your Existing System Install a New Water Efficient System Install a New Drip System Common Water Restrictions Golf Upgrade System Improve Your Existing System Water Only At The Right Times Don’t Overwater Use The Right Products Keep Your Water In Place Update Your Landscape Design Your Yard with Water Savings in Mind Manage Your Water Source Select The Right Products Water Only at the Right Times Don’t Overwater Maintain Your System Know Your Yard Design Your System With Efficiency In Mind Select The Right Products Water only at the Right Times Water Only When Your Yard Needs It Maintain your new system How To Deal With Common Water Restrictions. Watering Days Limitations Watering Time Restrictions Common Exclusions to Watering Times Evaluate Your Existing System Water Only at the Right Times Don’t Overwater Use the right products Keep Your Water In Place Update Your Landscape Use Recycled Water Know Your Property Install a new water efficient system Select the right products Water at the right times Water only when your landscape needs it Maintain your new system Design Your Landscape with Water Efficiency in Mind Design Your System with Water Conservation in Mind Select the right products for your property Set your controller to water at the right times Use Recycled Water How To Deal With Common Water Restrictions. Watering Days Limitations Watering Time Restrictions Common Exclusions to Watering Times Maintain your system Manage water application Utilize Central Control Technology Water Management Evaluate Your Existing System Water Only at the Right Times Use the Right Products Don’t Overwater Take Control of Your System Improve Your Existing System 1 Conduct a System Inspection. Evaluate your system and yard for potential issues to make sure your automatic sprinkler system is ready for another season. Just a few simple steps will go a long way towards saving water and preventing costly fines. Resources Springtime Sprinkler Tune-Up Checklist Common Irrigation System Design Problems Understanding Your Soil Water Saving and Lawn Care Tips Videos Spring Yard Appraisal 2 Review Your Water Bill. Always look at your water bills. If you have a spike, you may have a leak. Leaky sprinkler systems waste millions of gallons each year. The EPA estimates that a leak about the thickness of a dime can cause water waste of 6,300 gallons per month! Fixing leaks can make a big difference in your water usage and your bill. Resources Springtime Sprinkler Tune-Up Checklist Common Irrigation System Design Problems Understanding Your Soil Water Saving and Lawn Care Tips Videos Spring Yard Appraisal 3 Schedule a Professional Audit. Contact a local Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor (CLIA) contractor to evaluate your system. Resources FREE Referrals to Professional Irrigation Contractors Irrigation System Audit Videos Spring Yard Appraisal 4 Conduct Monthly System Checkups. Keep your sprinkler system in top shape all season long by checking for breaks, leaks and damage at least once a month. Resources Springtime Sprinkler Tune-Up Checklist Common Irrigation System Design Problems Understanding Your Soil Water Saving and Lawn Care Tips Videos Spring Yard AppraisalWater Only At The Right Times 5 Water in the Morning. Water between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m.—when the sun is low, winds are calm and temperatures are cool. Midday watering tends to be less efficient because of water loss due to evaporation and windy conditions. Watering in the evening isn’t a good idea either because leaves can remain wet overnight—an open invitation for fungus to grow. By watering in the morning, you give the leaves a chance to dry out. You can set all Rain Bird clocks to water exactly when you want. Recommended Products ESP-RZX Controller ESP-Me Controller ESP-SMTe Controller Videos Rain Bird ESP-RZX - Setting Zone Watering Times Rain Bird® ESP-Me: Watering Start Times Rain Bird ESP-SMTe Smart Irrigation Control System 6 Follow Local Rules. Check with your local water provider to see what days and times you are allowed to water your yard and then change your Rain Bird clock to avoid costly fines. Recommended Products ESP-RZX Controller ESP-Me Controller ESP-SMTe Controller Videos Rain Bird ESP-RZX - Seasonal Adjustment Rain Bird® ESP-Me - Select Days to Water Rain Bird ESP-SMTe - Configure Controller 7 Don’t Water in the Rain. There is nothing worse than seeing a sprinkler running in the rain. Using a rain sensor (like the Rain Bird® WR2 Wireless Rain Sensor) will automatically shut off your sprinkler system when it rains, so you never have to worry about watering during rainstorms. Recommended Products WR2 Series Wireless Rain & Rain/Freeze Sensors RSD Series Rain Sensor ESP-SMTe Controller Videos Rain Bird WR2 Wireless Sensor Programming Demo 8 Overcome Wind Drift. Ever seen sprinklers running in the middle of the day and watering everything but the yard? Even small amounts of wind can cause water to drift. Avoid midday watering, when winds are the highest. Rain Bird pressure regulating sprinklers and thick streamed HE-VAN or Rain Bird Rotary and R-VAN nozzles can also help reduce wind drift. Resources 5000 Series PRS Brochure PRS-Dial Tech Specs Recommended Products HE-VAN Nozzles 1800® Series PRS Sprays Rotary Nozzles R-VAN Series Variable Arc Rotary Nozzles 5000 Series PRS Rotors PRS-Dial Videos HE-VAN Nozzles Saving Water by Retrofitting with Rain Bird HE-VAN High Efficiency Nozzles 1800 Series PRS Sprays Rotary Nozzles R-VAN Hand Adjustable Variable Arc Rotary Nozzles 5000 Series PRS RotorsDon’t Overwater 9 Turn Your Watering Time Down. Many sprinkler systems are set to water too much, leading to soggy soil, excess runoff and unhealthy landscapes. Turn your watering times down on your Rain Bird clock as seasons and weather change. Recommended Products ESP-Me Controller ESP-RZX Controller ESP-SMTe Controller Videos ESP-Me - Seasonal Adjustment ESP-RZX - Seasonal Adjustment ESP-SMTe - Fine Tune Watering 10 Replace Older nozzles with New High-Efficiency nozzles. Today’s sprinkler nozzles are more efficient that those of years past. The key is to pick the right nozzle for your landscape needs. For slopes and hills, use lower-flow rotary nozzles like Rain Bird’s Rotary nozzles and R-VANs. If you have watering time restrictions, use Rain Bird’s HE-VAN and Dual Spray™ nozzles. Resources HE-VAN Nozzles Sell Sheet 1800® Series Sprays Real World Wind Test 1800® Series Sprays Even Coverage Test Recommended Products HE-VAN Nozzles R-VAN Series Variable Arc Rotary Nozzles 1800® Series PRS Sprays Rotary Nozzle Dual Spray™ Nozzles Videos Saving Water by Retrofitting with Rain Bird HE-VAN High Efficiency nozzles HE-VAN Nozzles Spraynalysis - Even Coverage Test Spraynalysis - Real World Wind Test 11 Break Up Your Watering Times Into Shorter Segments. The greatest water waste comes from applying too much water at one time, since much of it runs off and is never absorbed. Instead of watering for one long continuous session, use your Rain Bird clock to split your watering time into shorter periods and take 15-minute breaks in between each session. This will let the water soak in, while minimizing runoff. Resources Avoid Runoff with Cycle + Soak Watering Recommended Products ESP-RZX...