Irrigation is the supply of water through a system to land or crops to help growth. Irrigation maintenance costs can build up, being affected by and involving a few things, including – but not limited to – piping systems, electrical systems, water sprinkler heads, and seasonal checks. Let’s have a look at six factors affecting your irrigation system maintenance cost.
Frequently Broken Parts
Broken parts are bound to affect your maintenance costs, with this needing instant attention to getting your system up and running again. Probably the most common broken part in the system is broken sprinkler heads. At first look, you may think a sprinkler head is broken if it is dribbling, however, this may be the result of the head being clogged, which is much less expensive than a repair. However, if it is broken, you need to get it inspected, finding a compatible head with the same flow rate as your previous one. It might be worth hiring a professional so that the head is fitted and adjusted properly.
Additionally, broken water lines could be another issue. Punctures or pressure problems cause broken water lines, and this problem needs immediate attention.
Watering Program Setting
You could save so much money with your irrigation system just by setting a timer for your water. You’ll need to consider the stage of your plants’ growth, exposure, weather, and seasons when deciding what setting to use. Furthermore, you may want to group similar plants with similar needs together so that your water system can cater for them all properly. You’ll need to have a more frequent setting on those hot summer days, whilst you could turn the setting off when it rains. Don’t have the sprinklers constantly working when they don’t need to be – turning them off will save you money as well as being eco-friendly.
Water Leaks
You can save money on maintenance costs by checking for and fixing those common water leaks. You can use a water meter to check for underground leaks, and also, if an area of grass is greener or muddier than the rest, this may indicate a leak. A sudden spike in your water bill may also suggest that you have a problem with your irrigation system, so hiring a professional can easily resolve this.
Hard Water
Hard water can cause problems for your irrigation system – the high levels of limescale and salt can build up in your soil, making it hard and unsuitable for use. The salt and minerals in hard water can also clog up your irrigation system and make things difficult for plant growth. Unclogging your system can really pile up those maintenance costs, so you may want to consider an eco-friendly water softener, you can find more information about this technology from next paragraph(cost-saving technology) to address this problem.
A Cost-Saving Technology
You can cut back on money with up-to-date technology. For example, you can get sensors that monitor the moisture in soil and rain sensors which can switch off the sprinklers when it is raining, working for both garden and agricultural irrigation. 
For larger areas, pivotal irrigation systems are sometimes used. An engine pivots the sprinkler arms in a circle, evenly irrigating the spread of soil, making it more water-efficient and precise. Impact sprinklers are also commonly used, with a singular sprinkler head spinning in a circle to water lawns. This is also an efficient method as only one sprinkler is used, and it covers the same ground.
If the water is of bad quality, your maintenance costs are bound to go up with the costs of cleaning and repair being pretty high. With hard water being a common problem and limescale building up in pipes. Or iron in the water to corrode them, Merus rings can make your irrigation system free from limescale and corrosion. This is a sustainable solution for water systems, keeping foreign substances solved in the water. This is great physical water treatment, being both simple and eco-friendly.
Season Changes
Of course, the different seasons are going to affect your irrigation system maintenance costs. Whilst in summer you’ll need to supply more water for your plants on those scorching days, winter can cause damage to your sprinklers and pipes with its icy coldness. It’s important to have professionals shut down your sprinklers, this season, especially since any water getting stuck in the pipes can do serious damage to your system.
Conclusion
So, hopefully, you’ve learned a thing or two about the factors that can affect your irrigation maintenance costs. If you want to keep costs low, look out for leaks, and put a couple of eco-friendly tips to use.
