If you’re hoping to be the envy of all the neighbors, then your yard needs to be a top priority. One of the best ways to ensure your yard looks its best is by giving it the TLC it needs. While you could stand outside watering your lawn or use a sprinkler, an easier and less resource-intensive solution is to install a lawn irrigation system.
Why Use a Lawn Irrigation System?
Even though there is an upfront cost to installing an irrigation system, in the long run, you’ll realize substantial savings in time, water, and money. With a lawn irrigation system, your lawn will get the precise amount of water it needs, ultimately using less water, which, in turn, can help reduce your overall water bill. Additionally, since the system waters the lawn automatically, you no longer have to waste time watering your lawn by hand or repeatedly setting up a sprinkler.
Using a lawn irrigation system as part of your lawn maintenance will result in a lush green lawn that adds value to your home. The irrigation system will use only the water needed to keep your yard healthy, helping prevent nutrients from being washed away and reducing weeds, plant diseases, etc.
The Best Easy-to-Install Lawn Irrigation Systems
When installing a lawn irrigation system, you want to choose one that is high-quality and easy to install. There are plenty of options on the market that you can install yourself, saving you substantially on installation costs. We’ve made it simple and have found the best easy-to-install lawn irrigation systems for you to get the yard you’ve always wanted – faster.
Rain Bird 32 ETI
Rain Bird is one of the top brands of irrigation systems that are easy for homeowners to install. While the brand is renowned for its quality, the 32 ETI model is one of its best. The 32 ETI easily connects to your home’s outside faucet to automatically water your yard throughout the warm season without any hassle. The system comes with six high-efficiency rotary sprinklers and all necessary tubing and connectors to cover yards ranging from 1000 – 3000 sq ft. The sprinklers are designed to retract into the yard to make using the system to make mowing easy.
Additionally, the system utilizes wind-resistant nozzle technology to reduce overspray. Between this feature and the uniform coverage, you’ll use less water and reduce your watering time. Another powerful feature is the flexible scheduling and timer that lets you stay in compliance with neighborhood regulations. One downfall of the 32 ETI is that it cannot be expanded and does not work with yards over six feet of elevation from the faucet to any sprinkler head. You can pick up the Rain Bird 32 ETI online or from your local hardware store for $128.
Rain Bird 32 HE
If the Rain Bird 32 ETI system is a bit too robust or out of your budget, the Rain Bird 32 HE irrigation system may be the perfect solution. The 32 HE comes in at only $80 yet is still quick and easy to install with its featured Click-n-Go hose connections and attaching your to outdoor faucet. This kit comes with four high-efficiency pop-up sprinklers, the Click-n-Go hose connection, and 90 feet of distribution tubing. The high-efficiency sprinklers retract into the lawn to eliminate future hassle with lawn maintenance and have a spray distance of 16 to 24 feet.
Depending on the layout of your sprinklers, you can cover a lawn of up to 3,000 sq ft. It’s important to note that installing this system does require some digging and trenching to bury the sprinklers and tubing, so you’ll want to take extra precautions with any buried utilities. However, this process is simple and can easily be completed over a weekend.
Orbit 50021 Large Area All-In-One Automatic Sprinkler System Kit
The Orbit 50021 sprinkler system is a more robust option that is still easy for homeowners to install. The system comes complete with twelve high-efficiency sprinklers, tubing, fittings, a pressure gauge, and a smart timer. One of the unique features of the Orbit irrigation system is its Blu-Lock technology. Blu-Lock uses a stainless steel retaining ring that is easy to slide on, helping reduce installation time, eliminate the need for solvents or sealant tape, and minimize leaks – all features that help protect the environment.
The Orbit 50021 system offers a coverage area of up to 2,250 sq ft, with each sprinkler offering a 15-25 ft radius. The smart timer is easily attached to your outdoor faucet, letting you program when your irrigation system runs with a flexible schedule. Again, the sprinkler heads in this system can retract to make it easy to mow and do other yard maintenance. The Orbit 50021 is more expensive than others on our list, coming in at $217.
Quick-Snap QSK-745 In-Ground Pop-Up Adjustable Sprinkler Pack
Another easy solution for yard irrigation is to simply invest in retractable sprinklers that hook up to your existing hoses. The QSK-745 is a pack of easy-to-install pop-up sprinklers that let you turn your ordinary hose into an irrigation system. This specific pack comes with five individual sprinklers along with hose connectors, hose line Y splitters, manual connectors, and a nozzle set. To install all you need to do is dig a hole, insert the sprinkler, and attach your hose.
However, this is not a complete system and will require additional materials such as the required hoses. Additionally, this type of system, while easy to install, does not come with any kind of timer or automation, which will be another feature you will have to install and integrate on your own. Even though this is an easy-to-install solution, it is on the pricier side coming in at $169, despite not being a complete system.
Eden 98063 Multi-Adjustable Flex Design
If you’re looking for something more basic and less high-tech, the Eden 98063 irrigation system may be just what you need. The system comes with four adjustable sprinklers, a three-way hose connector, a single hose connector, extensions, and a 50 ft standard hose. Each individual sprinkler can be adjusted to control the spray angle, direction, and water flow. Combined, this set can cover an area of up to 1,638 sq ft, which does make this coverage limited compared to others on our list.
One of the advantages of the Eden 98063 is that its coverage area can be expanded up to three times by adding additional systems on a single water circuit. While this system can be expanded, it’s important to note that these are not retractable sprinklers. This means future yard maintenance must be kept in mind when installing the system to minimize frustration and hassle. However, this slight inconvenience can be easily offset by its significantly lower price, coming in at only $50.
Before You Install Your Own Lawn Irrigation System
While this is a list of six of the easiest-to-install lawn irrigation systems, it is important to remember the basics of any DIY project in your lawn. Many of these listed systems have retractable sprinklers, meaning you will need to do some amount of digging to install them. Before you start any digging in your yard you need to check for any buried utilities such as water, sewage, natural gas, telephone/internet lines, etc. To easily accomplish this simply dial 811 to reach the national call-before-you-dig toll-free phone number that will connect you with your state’s operator that can assist you in identifying any utilities you need to avoid when installing your lawn irrigation system.