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<br />distribution, pressure, and a soil analysis. These tests are used do develop a site specific <br />watering schedule, identify malfunctions in the system, and to determine <br />recommendations for improvement that will achieve optimal use of the irrigation system. <br />The auditor treats each appointment as a one-on-one opportunity to educate on landscape <br />best management practices and irrigation practices that will result in on-going reduced <br />water use. <br /> <br />( <br /> <br />'----- <br /> <br />A detailed description of the audit procedure follows: <br /> <br />Perform a visual inspection: A visual inspection of all sprinkler heads within <br />functioning zones is performed during operation to 1) identify head type such as <br />rotor, fixed, or drip; 2) list damaged, misaligned, or other malfunctioning heads; <br />3) note any other issue that negatively impacts efficiency or creates waste. <br />Control systems, such as timer clocks, are also inspected. <br /> <br />An immediate water savings can be realized by system owners by fixing leaking, <br />misaligned or broken heads. An auditor will also point out if different types of <br />heads (for example, a spray and rotor) are installed on the same zone. The system <br />owner will be informed that "mixed zones" are inherently inefficient as the <br />outputs of different types of heads vary greatly. They are encouraged to retrofit <br />the entire zone with a uniform head that is appropriate for the area. During the <br />visual inspection the auditor encourages the system owner to perform the same <br />type of walk-through monthly as many problems go unnoticed if run by a timer or <br />during non-waking hours. <br /> <br />(- <br /> <br />Perform Catch Cup Tests: Catch cup tests are performed on designated zones. <br />A catch cup test utilizes calibrated cups, set in a grid pattern on the landscape, to <br />collect water from an irrigation system. The amount of water collected can be <br />used to determine distribution uniformity and precipitation rates. <br /> <br />Distribution uniformity (DU) is a measurement of an irrigation system's ability to <br />apply water uniformly over the surface of a landscape and directly influences the <br />amount of water required to keep the landscape green. If the amount of water put <br />out by an irrigation system is not completely uniform, some parts of the landscape <br />will receive more water than others. Efficient systems operate at a DU of 70% or <br />greater and minor adjustments to most systems can improve the DU which will <br />reduce the amount of water needed to keep an entire zone of turf healthy. Clients <br />are informed of the individual zone's DU and are provided with recommendations <br />on ways to improve the uniformity and prevent over-watering of many areas of <br />the landscape. <br /> <br />Precipitation rate (PR) is the amount of water emitted from an irrigation system <br />measured in inches of water per hour. Different head types have different <br />precipitation rates. The precipitation rate determines how long a sprinkler system <br />needs to be run. A spray head usually puts out 1-2 " (on average 104") of water per <br />hour while a rotor head puts out .5 - 1" (on average .9") of water per hour. It is <br />typical to see PR's that vary greatly between manufacturers. <br /> <br />( <br />~ <br /> <br />5 <br />