If you have to maintain large landscaped areas, rotor sprinklers—as opposed to spray-type sprinklers—are your best investment. Rotor sprinklers deliver a rotating stream or in some cases, multiple streams of water to the ground: sprays, on the other hand, spray water in the kind of fixed pattern you would expect from a showerhead.
The most common type of rotor sprinkler is called an impact sprinkler. The sprinkler itself is mounted on bearing that permits the entire sprinkler body to move in a circular fashion. Rotation occurs when the swinging arm hits the sprinkler body, causing the impact sprinkler to rotate slightly.
Other rotor-type sprinklers go by different names: two examples are cam drives and ball drives. These are also considered impact sprinklers; what makes them different from a regular impact sprinkler is that the impact is caused by either a cam or a ball bearing inside the sprinkler body. You’re less likely to find these types of rotor sprinklers in stores, although a few manufacturers like Rainbird still make them.
Impact sprinklers typically do a decent job of irrigating landscapes. But the jerky motion of the impact drive does tend to affect the uniformity of sprinkler rotation. For the most part, impact rotors have been almost completely replaced by gear-driven ones. These types of rotors are smaller and lower maintenance: they also rotate more smoothly and with much less noise.
Only the nozzle moves on gear-driven rotors. The water in the sprinkler spins a turbine which then turns a set of gears that spin the nozzle. These rotors can have one or more streams of water that rotate across a given area. Unlike single-stream rotors, multi-stream ones usually require more maintenance.
If you’re unsure about the kind of sprinkler that would work best for your needs, South Austin Irrigation can offer advice on choices that suit the both the landscapes you maintain as well as your budget. We can also repair existing sprinklers to help you get the most out of your water allotments during these times of restricted water usage. Contact us today!
