Sprinkler system water consumption

[Tony Olivero]

Is there an average rate of consumption for a typical lawn sprinkler system (gallons per minute)? I have a new home with a sprinkler system installed, and I'm concerned that there may be a leak somewhere despite no obvious signs of broken PVC, and no busted heads. Maybe I'm just watering too much.

I'm going to clock the water consumption tonight at the meter to see how much is flowing through per minute, and I would appreciate any sage advice on what constitutes a reasonable flow rate.

I know little about sprinkler systems, so I hope that this is a reasonable question...

Thanks,

Tony O-

[David J Bockman]

Hi Tony,

It depends upon what type of heads you're using, and (obviously) the duration of sprinkling time. In my municipality, you can go to the Water Department and have them do a comparison on your water consumption vs. your neighbors' water consumption. If it's really spiked perhaps you do have a leak.

Dave