How to Plan Rainbird Irrigation

Screw a water pressure gauge onto an outside faucet. Turn off all other water supply lines in the house. Turn on the faucet with the pressure gauge attached. Write down the pounds per square inch, or psi.

Locate the meter size on the water meter. It'll either be 5/8, 3/4 or 1 inch in size. Write the number down.

Find the pipe that runs from your water meter to the house. Wrap a piece of string around the pipe and mark the string where the end touches. For copper, 2 3/4 inch is a 3/4-inch pipe, 3 1/2 inches is a 1-inch pipe and 4 3/8 inches is a 1 1/4-inch pipe. For galvanized and PVC 3 1/4 inch string is a 3/4-inch pipe, 4 inches is 1 inch pipe and 5 inches is 1 1/4-inch pipe. Write the number down.

Place a 5-gallon bucket under your outdoor spigot. Ensure all other water is turned off. Turn on the faucet all the way and time how long the bucket takes to fill up. Divide 5 gallons by how long it took to fill up in seconds, multiply by 60 to get gallons per minute. Write it down.

Make a sketch of your yard, drawing your house, walkways and any other features using a 1/4 inch to 1 foot scale. Mark where the water meter is located.

Send all the information collected to the Rain Bird Sprinkler Design Service, 2498 Roll Drive, Suite 925, San Diego, CA 92154USA or email at [email protected] to have your irrigation system planned by a Rain Bird professional. The service is free.