Sprinklers are out, irrigation systems are in. But are they really worth what you’ll end up paying for one?
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How Much Does It Cost To Run A Sprinkler For An Hour?
In addition to the (potentially rather hefty) initial upfront payment that you would need to put down on an irrigation sprinkler system, there are also the running costs to think about when you’re deciding whether or not to have one installed in your home.
Drought and society’s efforts to conserve more water have led to more people wanting to know exactly how much water they’re using in an hour and how much it is costing them.
Luckily, before deciding if it’s worth investing in an irrigation sprinkler system, there is a way that you can work out what the estimated cost of running it for an hour will be, as this will depend on the size of your yard and how much water you’re choosing to sprinkle it with.
Calculating The Water Usage
You can calculate how much your sprinklers cost to run for an hour quite easily by multiplying the width times the length of your yard in order to find the number of square feet of landscaping area. Once you know this, you can work out how much water is used.
One inch of water for your lawn would equate to around half a gallon per square foot or precisely 1.623 gallons of water. A 10” x 10” yard would therefore need 62 gallons of water, for example, or you’d require a whopping 6,230 gallons of water for a 100” x 100” size yard.
So, the amount of water you will use is the figure you get from multiplying the area square footage from the first calculation by 0.623. It can be as simple as this for square-shaped yards, but otherwise, you might want to grab the compass from your old school pencil case.
Calculating The Cost of Water
This is where things get a little bit more complicated, as it’s easy to forget that for every 100 gallons of water that you use, you’ve also got to include the sewerage charges.
One way to reduce running costs is to install a separate meter to measure the water used for your irrigation system, but these can be pricey, so it will be a while before it’s cost-effective.
To calculate the cost of running your sprinkler system, divide the number of gallons you use by 1,000, then multiply this by how much you pay per gallon from your earlier calculations.
Once you’ve discovered how much water is being used and how much the water costs, you can then work out how much it’s costing to run the sprinklers for an hour.
Does A Sprinkler System Add Value To Your Home?
When you’re weighing up the pros and cons of having an irrigation sprinkler system installed in your home, it’s fair to wonder if there is any way you might be able to recoup some of the upfront costs, as the initial investment can put a reasonable dent in your bank balance.
Provided you’ve chosen a quality sprinkler system, the improvement in your landscaping definitely has the potential to add value to your home. It can do this in a few different ways.
1. Aesthetic Appeal
An irrigation system can help to improve the value of your home by improving the landscaping on and around your property. With regular watering, plants and foliage can live for much longer and will be healthier with fewer diseases and rotting leaves.
Your yard can always benefit from a little more maintenance, and having a beautiful front and/or back yard to show off on any future house listings can drive the total value up.
2. Convenience
Everything is all about convenience in today’s society, with each day bringing us new technology, tools, and gadgets that are designed to make our lives easier in some way.
An irrigation system could add value to your home because of the extremely convenient method it provides for landscaping and maintaining the greenery around your property.
Provided it is in good condition and is working effectively, the amount of time you’ll need to dedicate to landscape maintenance will be drastically reduced, as will the amount of effort that you’ll be required to put into it. As a result, it can add slightly more value to your home.
3. Professional Quality
Any type of improvement that you decide to make to your home will add a little value, but a high-quality, professional standard irrigation system can add a lot more than just a little.
On the other side of things, having an irrigation system that is cheap or of poor quality, especially if it has a poor design also, can actually detract value from your home according to some real estate agents.
If in doubt, always go for the most professional system you can afford, as this is what will add the most value to your home should you decide to sell it.
4. Water Conservation
Certain irrigation systems feature automatic switch on and off functions that ensure you’re only using as much water as you need to mitigate the amount of water waste you produce.
Being able to cut back on water usage is a pretty big bonus to having an irrigation system as it will lead to future savings through a reduction in your water bill. This will be an attractive selling point for your home and it can potentially increase the overall value.
What Is The Best Lawn Irrigation System?
When carrying out our research on irrigation and sprinklers, we came across two systems that we believe are particularly worth looking into if you’re on the market for a new one.
The Flantor garden irrigation system is a great choice, so much so that it has over 2,000 reviews and has been named ‘Amazon’s choice’ too. If you have a bigger budget then the second irrigation lawn system we would recommend is the MIXC full sprinkler system.
