5 Reasons To Add A Moisture Shutoff To Your Irrigation System

Posted on: 17 March 2022

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You can take your automatic irrigation system to the next level by installing a rain or moisture shutoff system. These systems ensure that your sprinklers are only running when the water is actually needed by the lawn. Read on to discover five reasons why adding a moisture shutoff is a good idea.

1. Water Conservation

In many regions, water conservation efforts are in full swing, and with them may come irrigation limitations and fines for using too much water on your landscape. Installing a rain shutoff system means you will only be watering when it is absolutely necessary, which makes it much easier to maintain a healthy lawn even if you are under fairly restrictive conservation measures. 

2. Cost Savings

Municipal water isn't free, so reducing water usage is one way to drastically cut your home maintenance and lawn care expenses. A shutoff system hooked into a real-time moisture meter ensures you only provide the specific amount of water that is needed, so you aren't wasting any money on excess irrigation that's just going to run off into a storm drain or evaporate away. 

3. Disease Prevention

Diseases are another real concern if your lawn gets too much water. Fungus in particular thrives on overly damp grass blades, but certain types of bacterial blights can also be an issue with overwatering. Plus, over-saturated soil drowns grassroots and can lead to widespread lawn decline. By using sensors to manage irrigation, you can reduce the chances of diseases that are caused by overwatering and overly wet conditions. 

4. Reduced Erosion

In some lawns, especially those on slopes, erosion can be an issue. If the lawn is watered too heavily, the soil can give out and washouts can occur on the lawn. This is especially an issue in areas with sparse grass or where the lawn grass abuts against garden beds and other areas that aren't heavily planted. Watering just as much as necessary reduces the surface flow of water, thus preventing unwanted erosion.

5. Installation Versatility

Although a simple rain sensor can be placed outside to detect rain and shut down the system when it is raining, a more versatile system that consists of soil moisture probes installed in each irrigation zone is more ideal. The probes can be set to detect varying levels of moisture, which is handy since some parts of the landscaping may require more irrigation than others. With this system in place, the irrigation system will automatically shut off only when there is already sufficient moisture in the soil of the zone containing a probe.

Contact an irrigation service such as Pacific  Sunscapes if you would like to learn more about adding moisture sensors and rain shut-off devices to your system.