How to Adjust Sprinkler Heads – Detail Guide

If you have a front and backyard at your home, then you must know how difficult and time consuming it can be to water the grass yourself every day. But if you want your green areas to look good, then it is very important to water them on time every day. Thankfully, you do not have to do anything due to the inventions of sprinklers.

The sprinkler system is a bit complex, but we need more knowledge about the heads and how to adjust it because there are times we would want to change them. This is mainly more important if you want to change the pattern in which it sprinkles water, which will have an impact on the whole landscape.

So, let’s get to learn how to adjust sprinkler heads.

Methods of Adjustment

There are different types of sprinklers you can avail for your lawn or backyard, some have different features from others, so you will need to know ways you can adjust various types of these attachments, so you have an easier time if you encounter something out of the ordinary.

How to Adjust the Head of a Basic Sprinkler

Let us start out with the easiest one, which is the basic sprinklers that are very commonly used.

Step 1: Understand What Adjustments Are Needed

Before you go ahead and take on a job, you must first understand what kind of adjustments are required in the first place. Analyze where the water is needed, how much of the water needs to be distributed in different parts of the lawn, see which area comes under the coverage of the sprinkler.

Turn the sprinkler on and observe for a few minutes, so you have the opportunity to note everything down.

Step 2: Move the Arc Clockwise or Anti-Clockwise

Now, you might want a different amount of water on various parts of your lawn. In some areas, there might be a need for more water coverage, while in others, you need to reduce the amount supplied.

You can get this done by rotating the arc either clockwise or anti-clockwise. If you want to reduce the water supply, then you have to rotate it to the right, whereas, for more water, you have to rotate it to the left. You can decide how much to increase or decrease by the extent of the rotation.

Step 3: Change the Radius of the Sprinkler

Just as you might want to adjust the amount of water distributed in your landscape, you might also want to change how far the sprinkler will cover. You might want concentration in some areas, while in others, you might want the sprinklers to reach far.

To shorten the distance of the sprinkler, you have to turn the screw in the nozzle head to the right or clockwise. And if you want to increase the distance, then you have to do the opposite, rotate the screw to the left, and the sprinkler will deposit the water farther away. When you can’t rotate it anymore, you’ll know it has reached its limit.

This is the most simple ‘how to adjust sprinkler head’ you will find.

How to Adjust Pop-Up Sprinkler Heads

Nowadays, we see pop-up sprinklers in most households. They are convenient, and for the most part, are not visible all around your yard. It comes out whenever it is able to detect the water pressure.

Step 1: Make Sure the System Is On

The very first thing you have to do is make sure the sprinkler system is on. Otherwise, they will not pop up, and you will not be able to make any kind of changes or adjustments to the head. Here as well, you have to make a note of how it is working.

Step 2: Rotate the Arc to Adjust Water Supply

This step we already covered before, which is pretty much the same as a basic sprinkler, if you want to reduce the amount of water coming through the sprinkler, then you would rotate the arc in a clockwise direction. And in order to increase the flow, you must rotate it in an anti-clockwise direction.

That is all you have to do to change up how much water is sprinkled in each of the areas. But you need to access and identify where the socket is.

Step 3: The Nozzle Determines the Radius

The radius is a way of understanding how far the water from the sprinkler would go. In this case, you will know based on the size of the nozzle on the head. If it is large, then you shall know that the water is being sprayed far away, and the smaller it is, the closer it is to the body of the sprinkler.

How to Adjust Rotor Sprinkler Heads

The basic, pop-up, and the rotor sprinkler do the same thing, but they have different features and characteristics for which people choose one over the other.

Step 1: Install a Wrench for Adjusting the Spray

Rotor sprinklers should come with a two-sided wrench. This is going to enable you to make all types of adjustments to the head. There is a raised arrow at the top of the nozzle, that is where the wrench is going to go. When you twist the wrench clockwise, you will shorten the distance of the spray.

And you would do the opposite if you want to increase the distance of the spray. You might want to change the setting based on which part of the lawn you want the water to reach.

Step 2: Adjust the Arc

All you need to do for this step is to flip the wrench and use the ‘Plastic T’ on the other whole on the top. There is a plus and minus sign of either side if you rotate it toward the plus then the coverage increases, and it decreases if it is rotated towards the minus.

Final Words

As you can see, in all of these, the mechanism is pretty much the same. There are a few differences, but the direction of the rotation and nozzles mean the same.

And now you know all there is to know about adjusting sprinkler heads.