The market offers a very wide range of garden sprinklers, from retractable models for the lawn to surface sprinklers. In this guide we will help you choose the best sprinkler for your garden , allowing you to find your way around models, brands and prices .
Searching the web for the word garden sprinklers we will probably be struck by the enormous variety of models and shapes, some bizarre and incomprehensible operation, and with very variable prices. Garden sprinklers perform a fundamental function, watering our lawn or plants correctly, which is why it is important to choose correctly and, thanks to the advice in this guide, save money .
How garden sprinklers work
Let’s start with the basics: what a sprinkler is and how it works . Sprinklers are a device that allows you to deliver water using pressure. They allow you to irrigate correctly and save the effort of watering manually.
They are used in residential and agricultural fields to irrigate lawns, sports fields, plants, and even in fire-fighting systems.
The first sprinkler was invented by Rain Bird in 1935 , it was an impact sprinkler for agriculture.
The pop up garden sprinklers for underground systems
The retractable garden sprinklers , also called Pop-Up , are the classic sprinklers that we find in lawn irrigation systems and in green spaces of all sizes. They consist of a cylindrical plastic body and have a piston inside that rises to irrigate. The jet is emitted from a nozzle, called a head.
They are installed flush and level with the lawn, and rise under pressure when the system is running .
Pop up garden sprinklers have several advantages that make them the best choice for lawns and gardens:
- The aesthetic effect is remarkable, the lawn appears as a single green mantle, as the retractable sprinklers are, as the name suggests, “disappeared”, hidden flush with the level of the lawn.
- The system is absolutely comfortable: we will not have to move or move pipes, accessory sprinklers: just start the system to see the Pop-Up sprinklers “appear” thanks to the pressure. Imagine the effort of having to move a sprinkler along the lawn or water it by hand, and having to do it every night… The pleasure of the lawn will turn into a nightmare!
- Irrigation is uniform, the lawn is healthy. The rules for positioning the sprinklers must be respected, but once the system has been correctly set up and the garden sprinklers have been correctly chosen according to your garden, the irrigation will be extremely homogeneous.
- Water and energy savings: we can irrigate well and only for the time necessary, without wasting water and energy, respecting the environment.
Retractable sprinklers are divided into two families:
Static sprinklers (Sprinkler Sprays)
Static sprinklers are the most popular pop up garden sprinkler models, ideal for small and medium-sized lawns. They are economical and robust and irrigate “like an umbrella” over the entire arc.
The main features of the static sprinklers are:
- Indicated to cover ranges up to 17 feet (width of the sprinkler jet)
- Robust, construction is simple as there are no moving parts
- Adjustable in the arc, usually from 0 ° to 365 °
- Interchangeable heads
- Cheap, with very affordable prices
Dynamic turbine sprinklers (Rotary Sprinklers)
They appear the same as the static ones, but the dynamic sprinklers are equipped with an internal turbine rotation mechanism (rotary), which causes the piston to rotate, progressively irrigating the entire set arc. Models and prices vary according to the width of the jet, just think that the dynamic sprinklers are also used in sports football and golf fields , and the piston is so large that it must be covered with a clod of synthetic grass.
The characteristics of the dynamic sprinklers are:
- Designed for wide ranges , starting from 15 feet up to 70 and more meters per side
- Variable arc in almost all models, larger sprinklers usually provide two versions, one variable sector and the other full circle
- Interchangeable nozzles and heads , usually dynamic sprinklers are already supplied with a whole set of heads for every need, without having to buy additional heads
- Lubricated turbine, the rotation takes place through gears that must be lubricated, usually with water or oil
Above ground and swing sprinklers for surface systems
Above ground or surface garden sprinklers are used in surface irrigation systems. They are positioned above the lawn and connected directly to the irrigation hose. The most popular models are garden and swing sprinklers .
They are ideal for small lawns, gardens and flower beds , where the area to be irrigated is not small and you do not want to invest in an underground irrigation system.
Normally they connect to a tripod that lifts them off the ground line or to a ferrule and the irrigation hose is wrapped for convenience in a hose reel to make moving operations easier.
The mechanism of operation of a hinged sprinkler is simple: these sprinklers are equipped with a spring hammer, which “bounces” on the water jet, causing the irrigation to rotate.
Main features of swing sprinklers:
- Economical and practical, the surface installation can be made in a few minutes
- Adjustable arc , the sector can be adjusted
- They also allow long ranges , allowing to irrigate open green spaces, without major obstacles
Garden sprinklers: best brands and prices
We advise you to choose reliable garden sprinklers of well- known brands with good value for money . TheGardenFestival recommends buying garden sprinklers from the best brands in the industry, Hunter or Rain Bird . These are two historical American brands of professional irrigation, companies that have invented automatic residential irrigation and have been investing in research and development for decades.
Hunter and Rain Bird offer great value garden sprinklers :
- The static sprinklers (spray sprinklers) are priced around 2-4 $
- The dynamic turbine sprinklers (rotary sprinklers) for residential use, to be clear, those with ranges between 14 and 45 feet, have a price range that starts from 14 euros up to 18 $.
These are very affordable prices, within everyone’s reach , with the security of buying a Hunter or Rain Bird brand sprinkler. These prices make it clear how useless it is to buy poor products , which may even cost more.
