Pop-up Sprinkler Head Adjustment

Tap to Read ➤ Mukulika Mukherjee

If you are wondering why you might need to adjust the head of the pop-up sprinkler in your garden, then you'll be glad to know that by doing so you can save water and effectively and economically water your garden or lawn. Keep reading to know how to adjust a pop-up sprinkler head.

Installing a sprinkler head in your garden is a good idea, especially during the hot summers when the plants in your garden or the grass in your lawn need more frequent watering to survive.

While installing a sprinkler system, in the first place, isn't easy and is best done by a professional, adjusting the head of a sprinkler is something that you can do by yourself.

If we observe closely, we shall see that sprinkler heads are installed in a garden or lawn, following a distinct pattern, according to which the ones installed at the center of the garden rotate at 360°, the ones that are installed along the edges rotate at an angle of 50° and those in the corners, at 45°.

This arrangement is preferred because it ensures that there is no overlapping in the coverage areas of the sprinklers. There are different kinds of sprinkler heads but a pop-up sprinkler head is the most common.

The mechanism and design of this sprinkler is such that you can adjust its head to regulate the water flow. A pop-up sprinkler head can be easily adjusted by turning the tip of the nozzle and the screw.

How to Adjust a Pop-up Sprinkler Head

The first step in adjusting a sprinkler head is to adjust the pressure of water from the source. By doing so, you can either decrease the area covered by the sprinkler head or increase it by increasing the pressure. Once the pressure of water has been determined, it is time to set the position of the head of the sprinklers at a particular angle.

Adjust the direction of the head of each sprinkler such that there is no barrier in the path of water ejected by the sprinklers, when they are in use. Here we shall learn how to adjust a pop-up sprinkler head to change the radius and height of the arc and more.

Adjusting the Fixed Side (Stop end)

One side of the sprinkler head needs to be fixed, while the other side rotates to form the set arc angle, every time. Whether you choose to fix the right side or the left, it's up to you to decide and there are two ways to go about it.

The first method is to remove the soil around the sprinkler head, firmly grasp the entire sprinkler assembly and turn it to the desired position. Another way to do this is to turn the nozzle turret to the desired position after removing the internal assembly completely from the body of the sprinkler and then putting it back.

Adjusting the Arc

The arc of a sprinkler is defined as the angle formed by the rotating sprinkler. If you consider the sprinkler is installed within a circle, then the part of the circular area to be covered by the sprinkler determines its arc of rotation.

Say, you want the sprinkler to spray water to a semicircular area, then the angle of rotation should be 180°. In other words, the angle formed by the rotating sprinkler between the two stop ends, is the angle of rotation and the path thus covered is the arc.

To adjust the arc of the sprinkler, do the following: Locate the adjustment socket on the top of the sprinkler head. Turn the turret to the right stop and hold it firmly.

To increase the angle of the arc, insert the plastic head of the wrench into the adjustment socket and rotate it in clockwise direction. You can rotate it to a maximum angle of 360°. To decrease the arc angle, use the plastic head of the wrench to turn the adjustment socket in the anticlockwise direction. Note that the minimum arc angle is 40°.

Adjusting the Radius

The radius of the sprinkler is the distance from the sprinkler head to the farthest point up to which the water reaches. Consider that the sprinkler is at the center of a circle and you have chosen to set the arc of the sprinkler head so that it irrigates a semicircular area. To determine the size of semicircle, you need to set the radius of the sprinkler.

Locate the radius adjustment screw on the top of the sprinkler head. To increase the radius, turn the screw in counterclockwise direction. To decrease the radius, turn the screw in clockwise direction. Also, using a smaller nozzle decreases the radius while using a larger one means the sprinkler will spray water over a larger radius.

So, we see that adjusting a pop-up sprinkler head isn't that difficult after all. You can even install a timer to ensure that your garden or lawn is watered at regular intervals even at your absence. Happy gardening!