Irrigation and sprinklers
What is an efficient irrigation system?
This is a system that uses water efficient products and devices that are operated in an efficient manner and are used in conjunction with good gardening practices.
How can efficient irrigation conserve water and save you money?
By complying with SEQ’s permanent water conservation measures you can conserve water and save money on your water bill. Under these measures a system must:
- emit less than 9 litres a minute
- have a timer with 30 minute capability (electronic timers must be used with either a rain or moisture sensor)
Efficient irrigation products and devices
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| Dripper |
Drip-line pressure compensated |
Fixed sprinkler head |
Micro-sprayer |
Your guide to efficient irrigation
Sprinklers - frequently asked questions
Can I now use a sprinkler?
You can, but only if it omits up to nine litres a minute and only during set watering times – every day between 4pm and 10am, excluding Mondays.
What type of sprinkler can I use?
Dripper, pop up, microspray or drip line sprinklers can be used, but only with a manual timer or an electric timer, with a rain sensor or moisture sensor for a total of 30 minutes.
How do I know if my current irrigation system complies?
Contact your local certified irrigation professional to check if it complies.
You can also run the following check yourself:
1. Read you water meter.
2. Run your irrigation system for five minutes using a timer to make sure no other water is being used on the premises.
3. Read your meter again and subtract the first reading from the second reading. This will give you the total number of litres used by your irrigation system within the five minutes.
4. Divide this number by five (five minutes running time) and then divide this number again by the total number of emitters you have connected to your system. This is the average output of your emitters in litres per minutes.
For example:
- 200 litres used divided by 5 (five minutes running time) = 40 ltrs/min
- 40 ltrs/min divided by number of devices, eg 10 = average of 4ltrs/min/device
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