How to Determine Where to Put Underground Sprinklers

Roughly sketch out an aerial view of your property. Include the building, driveways, walkways, decks and, most importantly, the lawn. If you get a professional survey of your property you can skip the process of drawing and measuring the land.

Measure the length and width of all of the objects on your property in a way that allows you to draw an accurate aerial picture. Mark these measurements on your drawing.

Decide on a scale for your property drawing. One square on the graph paper should equal a uniform measurement. Mark this scale on the graph paper for reference.

Draw out the dimensions of your property using the lines on the graph paper and the scale as your reference point. Draw the building and other objects in their appropriate locations. Mark any location on the drawing that is sensitive to water, such as low windows on the building.

Adjust the compass so that it equals the spray distance of the sprinkler heads in relation to the scale on your drawing. This is used to sketch the sprinkler head coverage on the drawing.

Position your first heads in the 90 degree corners of the property. Draw the quarter circles on your property drawing using the compass. Sprinklers are typically placed along the property line and other fixed edges like the driveway and walkways. This avoids watering past these points.

Position your next sprinkler heads beside the corner sprinklers, along the property line, in a position that allows the water to overlap by a foot or two.

Position your final sprinkler heads in the center of the property so that the lawn is covered evenly. It is wise to spread the sprinklers out an even distance from the straight edges for ease of installation.