How Much Does A Sprinkler System Cost?

Sprinkler System Cost

Wondering how much a sprinkler system costs? There are a few things to consider first. On average, here in Columbus Ohio the average sprinkler system cost between 1,850 and $9,756.

There are a lot of factors that go into the cost of a sprinkler system, so we made a list to give you a better understanding of how we, here at Hydro Tech Irrigation give estimates.

The cost of the sprinkler system itself

The most expensive part of the sprinkler system in most cases in the sprinkler system itself. The cost of the parts themselves can also depend on a few things such how big is the area you want to cover with your irrigation? The more area you have, the more sprinkler heads need to be installed.

When it comes to the product itself here are some things to consider that could factor in your cost.

Do you want a rainwater collection system?

With a rainwater collection system, the biggest benefit is that you can reuse water that isn’t absorbed by your lawn.

The other benefit to adding on a rainwater collection system is that if there were to be local bans on water usage for your lawn, you can reuse the water you have collected over the season.

If you decide to add on a rainwater collection system you can expect to pay in the ballpark of $2,500.

Do you need a drip irrigation system or an in-ground sprinkler system?

The most common type of sprinkler system is an inground one. Having an inground irrigation system means that under the surface of the lawn there are a system of pipes that sit in trenches and connect to the sprinkler heads. These sprinkler heads lay flush with the ground until water pressure is applied to the system.

While this is the most common, it is also the most expensive, coming in at an average cost of $9,500 an acre.

A drip irrigation system is typically reserved for gardens, or vast open areas where foot traffic isn’t a concern. The main difference is that the hoses (not pipes like inground sprinkler systems), site either right on top of the grass, or just a few inches below the surface. This is much less invasive of an installation; however it is much more susceptible to damage if you’re not careful.

The average cost of a drip irrigation is about $2,000 per acre.

Do you want a smart Wi-Fi automatic sprinkler system?

If you are designing a new sprinkler system, this is a part you may want to include. A smart irrigation controller allows for the system to be connect to the Wi-Fi and ultimately your phone. This is a huge added benefit for both homeowners and commercial property managers. Here at Hydro Tech Irrigation our smart controllers can read weather patterns and schedule watering at the most ideal times. This way you never have to worry about underwatering or overwatering your lawn. The smart controller takes care of it for you.

The other added benefit is water monitoring, which leads to seeing potential issues in your sprinkler system before they become big problems. When you have the ability to monitor the water usage of your irrigation system on your phone, you will notice if the system is using more than expected or less than expected amounts of water. If this is the case you can give us a call and one of our technicians can come out to confirm if there is an issue or not.

You can expect to add anywhere from $500 to $1,000 if you to upgrade your system with a smart controller.

Sprinkler System Cost – The cost of labor

The next cost to consider is the labor associated with installing the sprinkler system. Like we mentioned above, the larger area you need to cover, the more sprinkler heads, thus more labor to install those irrigation lines, and sprinkler heads. Here at Hydro Tech Irrigation our team is family, and we have always taken care of them. With rising labor costs in today’s economy, we are always adjusting our teams pay. That comes with an adjusted labor cost when installing new sprinkler systems.

How much does it cost to maintain a sprinkler system?

Living here in Ohio has its pros and cons, your professional sprinkler system’s maintenance cost could be one of those cons. The first maintenance cost associated with a sprinkler system is sprinkler system winterization. Because we have winters where we are often below freezing, you need to have your system winterized. This is a process where our team comes to your home and clears the lines of all excess water, as well as a general maintenance check up to ensure proper start up in the spring. The average cost for winterization of a sprinkler system is anywhere from $50 – $250.

Following the wintertime, you also have costs associated with spring start up service. This is the process of doing what we did in the winter, but in reverse and the average cost of an irrigation spring start up service is between $50 – $250.

In Ohio we are also required to get a backflow test done every year. This is the process where we come out to your home and test your sprinkler system to make sure no water is being fed back into the public water source. Upon passing the back flow test, you will receive a certificate that you can show the city. The average cost for a back flow test is $100 – $500

The last maintenance related cost associated with owning a sprinkler system is sprinkler repair service. Unfortunately, at times your system can fail. You can end up with only some of the sprinkler heads working, the smart system failing, underground leaks and much more. It doesn’t happen often with our sprinkler systems, but eventually everything will need repaired or replaced.

How many water zones do you need?

A well built sprinkler system needs to have water zones. The reason you want to have zones is because you don’t want to give your entire lawn the same amount of water. For example a zone with no shade may need water twice a day, where as a zone on a hill or in shade may only need it once every two days. Here is the average cost of a sprinkler system based on zones.