Our design philosophy

Water conservation has been the driving force behind our companies evolution for the past 15 years.

Our goal is to make the most out of every drop of water that we use. This is achieved via proper design, usage of water-efficient products, and a quality installation.

The past two decades have taught us three very important lessons.

  1. Water is a precious commodity not to be wasted.
  2. The quality and efficiency of an irrigation system have a significant impact on its long-term operating costs.
  3. Most irrigation companies haven’t learned #1 and #2 yet.

The better an irrigation system is the more it costs up front, and the less it costs long term.

A superior system will have lower water bills, healthier landscape, and lower repair costs, while the opposite is true for an inferior system. For a more detailed explanation, read Long-Term Benefits of High-Quality Irrigation Systems.

 

It is important to note that Quebec does not regulate the irrigation industry, and therefore there is no minimum requirement for how efficient an irrigation system must be.

This has left a void in the irrigation industry, which we have been happily filling for the past 15 years. It is important to note that Quebec does not regulate the irrigation industry, and therefore there is no minimum requirement for how efficient an irrigation system must be. While most irrigation companies have used this fact to offer the lowest price possible with little regard for quality and efficiency, we have gone in a different direction.

Design

A quality, highly efficient irrigation system begins with a proper design. Having designed and installed irrigation systems for over 20 years, we have a solution to virtually any of your landscape water needs. Here are some of the factors we account for during the design process.

Source:

The amount of water available is determined via 3 variables which are unique to each location.

    • Pressure guageStatic water pressure
    • Size and type of water supply line
    • Size of water meter (if present)

Determining the available flow (GPM), separately and pressure (PSI) is crucial to a proper design. Calculating the correct flow and pressure means the sprinklers operate the way they are designed to. Getting these wrong results in poor performance by the sprinklers, and worst case scenario, the sprinklers don’t function at all due to insufficient pressure.

Zoning:

A sprinkler system is broken up into sections, commonly referred to as zones.

A zone is comprised of a grouping of sprinklers which run at the same time. Different areas on a given property will have differing watering needs. Because of this, how an irrigation systems zones are set up has the largest impact on overall performance of the system. As a general rule, the more zones you have, the overall efficiency of the system increases. Here are some of the factors we take into account while determining the zones.

    • Precipitation rate: Sprinklers which apply water at different precipitation rates will be zoned separately. This ensures a matched precipitation rate across each zone.
    • The amount of sunlight: Areas on the property that receive roughly the same amount of sunlight over the course of a day will be grouped together.
    • Type of vegetation: Different types of vegetation will be grouped together. Grass requires a different amount and frequency of water than perennials do, for example.
    • Slope: Depending on the grade of the slope, zones may be influenced. The soil on a slope cannot absorb water at the same rate as soil on a flat surface.

Sprinkler spacing:

Sprinklers are designed by their manufacturer so that one sprinkler always reaches the next.

This is called “Head to Head” spacing. This condition is required to reach the evenest distribution of water possible for any given sprinkler. The technique most often used is rectangular spacing.
For an in-depth explanation: Sprinkler Spacing by Hunter Industries. Sprinkler spacing has the second biggest impact on an irrigation system’s overall efficiency.

Triangular sprinkler spacing
Triangular sprinkler spacing
Square spacing
Square sprinkler spacing

Summary

With the combination of water-efficient products, proper design, and a quality installation, you can rest assured that if you choose Johnson Irrigation, you will have an efficient water delivery system for all your landscape needs for years to come.