Calculate Your Outdoor Sprayhead Usage

The following diagrams can be used to calculate how much water is used in Gallons per MInute for the various types of sprayheads typically used for irrigation.

Spray head throw distances

This Illustration shows the arc and range of various sprayheads, which generally come in 5', 8', 12', and 15' "throw". Each spray head should spray water just far enough to reach the next spray head. If all the spray heads are set correctly, the etire yard should get relatively even watering.

 

Spray head angles and flow

This chart shows water use in Gallons per Minute (GPM) for the different types of spray heads used:

 

Sample yard irrigation layout for calculating water usage

This illustration is an example of a fairly standard 3-valve sprinkler system. To calculate the total water usage, simply count the number of each type of spray head and multiply by the Gallon per Minute usage for each station. Add the totals for all three stations to get the total water usage per minute for the entire yard.

Download a printable version (pdf)