Photo: Rain Bird


Photo: Ewing Irrigation & Landscape Supply


SPRINKLERS


“Tis will continue to expand,” Salamone says. Chris Davey, product manager at Toro, Bloomington, Minnesota, has a similar outlook on the future of pressure regulation. “We are seeing greatly increased demand for pressure-


regulated spray heads,” Davey says. “Te increase in de- mand is due to several state ordinances requiring this fea- ture, and there are more states adopting such ordinances in the following years.” But even if a homeowner or contractor’s state doesn’t


require pressure regulation, Case urges they still do some research and check out its benefits. “Change can be overwhelming, but it’s also an op-


portunity to try something new — to see how a product you’ve never used might save you time, water and money,” Case says.


Sprinkler type trends


While this increased need for pressure regulation drives sprinkler design trends upward, irrigation contractor purchases are also in the front seat, says Kelsey Jacquard, mechanical irrigation products manager at Hunter Indus- tries, San Marcos, California. When it comes to trends in sprinklers, the industry is seeing a shift in pop-up heights. Most pop-up sprinkler head heights come in shrub, 2, 3, 4, 6 or 12 inches. Four- inch pop-ups remain the most popular option, Jacquard says, but there’s a shift toward 6-inch pop-ups for both spray bodies and rotors. “Contractors want taller pop-ups as a benefit to clear-


ing taller turfgrass and to prevent sprinklers from settling over time in the ground,” Jacquard says. Tere’s also a continued move toward low precipita-


tion rate, high uniformity nozzles as more states require pressure-regulated spray sprinklers to reduce water flows and optimize system efficiency. “Low precipitation rate,


high-uniformity nozzles


help contractors maximize system efficiency and elimi- nate runoff while allowing more heads per zone for less trenching,” Jacquard says. “Low-precipitation-rate rotary nozzles come in spray nozzle distances to short-radius ro- tor distances, all with low flows to ensure less pressure loss through the system.” Sprinkler types are also seeing new trends, particularly highlighted by a movement toward sprinklers better suit- ed for less surface area, says Brodie Bruner, executive vice president of Weathermatic, Garland, Texas. “Te increasing cost of land is driving developers to


create smaller lots sizes, which has a direct impact on the type of sprinklers being used: less rotors and more sprays and drip irrigation,” Bruner says. On top of sprinkler design and type trends, Bruner


says sprinklers are seeing an increased focus on water con- servation driven by consumer demand, regulations and rebates. Especially in water-starved areas, Bruner notes a shift is underway in buying behavior from “good enough quality at a low price” to “a higher standard of water use efficiency and performance providing a lower, more sus- tainable cost of system ownership.” “Irrigation contractors are more frequently being driven by customer demand for water conservation and


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building code requirements,” Bruner says. “Terefore, pro- fessionals are upgrading traditional sprinkler purchases to more full-featured models with pressure regulation, check valves and low volume drip irrigation and microsprays.” But as the world witness-


es growing water costs and supply and labor shortages, Bruner says that putting in new water-conserving


sys-


tems can alleviate installa- tion and maintenance prices. “As inflation is driving


up the cost of materials and labor, the increased water use efficiency provided by progressive irrigation con- tractors is helping add value that justifies increased prices when viewed in context of rising water costs,” Bruner says.


Also impacted by the


shortage in supplies and work force is how contrac- tors schedule and go about their work, Case says. “Increased demand for ir-


rigation products and supply chain challenges generally have irrigation contractors planning projects further in the future,” says Case.


A promising future


While the pandemic un- leashed a bevy of negatives, the irrigation industry found a renewed, possibly long-lasting niche. “Declared an essential industry, the irrigation industry as a whole continued and continues to work during the pandemic,” Salamone says. “And considering that there is money in the economy being spent on commercial con- struction and in the housing market, with that comes new installation as well as upgrading and repairing existing systems.”


The author is the digital content editor for Irrigation & Lighting and can be reached at mckennacorson@irrigation.org.


Bring it home


Homeowner purchasing trends are making a huge impact on the irrigation market. Read how in the full version of this article at irrigationandlighting.org/ sustainable-sprinklers.


States across the nation are introducing water pressure regulation requirements for irrigation spray bodies. Experts in the irrigation industry predict legislation of this nature to increase as water conser- vancy efforts only grow.


Change can be overwhelming, but it’s also an opportunity to try something new — to see how a product you’ve never used might save you time, water and money.


– Jessica Case, Rain Bird


Spring 2022 Irrigation & Lighting 41


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