Toronto & the GTA
How Many Sprinkler Zones Does Your Yard Need?
The number of zones depends mainly on how much water your service can supply at once and how your yard is laid out. On a typical 3/4" GTA water service each zone is kept to about 10 gallons per minute, so a typical home with front, back and side yards and a garden bed needs about 5 zones.
Updated
Rule 1: stay within your water supply
Every head on a zone runs at the same time, so the zone's total flow must stay within what your service can deliver while keeping pressure at the last head. We keep zones to about 10 GPM on a 3/4" service and about 13 GPM on a 1" service, and water speed in every pipe at or below 5 ft/s.
Rule 2: never mix head types
Rotary nozzles, rotors, side strips and drip put down water at very different rates. Mixing them on one zone means some areas flood while others stay dry, so each type gets its own zones.
Rule 3: separate lawn, beds, sun and shade
Garden beds need less water than turf, and shaded lawn needs less than lawn in full sun. Giving them separate zones lets each one run on its own schedule.
Examples from our calculator
- Front yard 25 × 15 ft: 1 zone
- Typical home with front, back, side yard and a bed: 5 zones
- Large lot with wide lawns: 10 or more zones
What zone count means for your controller
Controllers come in sizes such as 6, 12, 16 and 24 stations. We size the controller to your zones with room for one or two more later.