It's the middle of July and depending on where you live, you may be experiencing a drought. For example, your turf looks crispy and brown, while the soil feels like concrete under your feet over days or weeks.

If you have a pressure-regulated, in-ground sprinkler system and driplines, your beds and lawn may be doing pretty well. Some states now require that lawn sprinkler systems, driplines, and tree bubblers have pressure regulators built into them.

Your outdoor irrigation system needs pressure regulators per state mandate if you live in one of these states:

• California
• Colorado
• Hawaii
• Maine
• Massachusetts
• Washington
• Washington, D.C.

Other states, such as New York, Oregon and Rhode Island, will require homeowners to put pressure regulators on their outdoor sprinkler systems starting in 2023.

What Are Water Pressure Regulators?

In a nutshell, water pressure regulators lower the water pressure in your sprinkler system to conserve water, but they also prevent

• Erosion
• Leaking
• Irregular water flow
• Water waste.

Water pressure regulators maintain even water pressure throughout the watering cycle. The pressure stays regulated no matter if the water pressure from inside the home fluctuates.

Pressure regulators are usually found in tree bubblers and drip irrigation systems.

At K-Rain, we’ve added spray heads with pressure compensating technology built into the nozzles. Here are six pressure compensating spray heads from K-Rain:

1. Pro S Spray 4” with male riser and flush cap with 40 PSI pressure regulator
2. NSI, Pro S Spray 6” with male riser and flush cap – CV- 40 PSI pressure regulator
3. NSI, Pro S Spray 6” with male riser and flush cap with 40 PSI pressure regulator
4. NSI, Pro S spray 6” with male riser and flush cap with 30 PSI pressure regulator
5. Pro S spray 6” with male riser, flush cap, CV, and 40 PSI pressure regulator-guard
6. Pro S spray 2” with male riser and flush cap RCW.

How Pressure Regulators Work on Spray Heads, Bubblers, and Dripline Systems

A pressure regulator works like a diaphragm to control fluctuating water pressure. Pressure regulators use the outflow and the back pressure to control the irrigation system.
When you’re buying irrigation products with water regulators, look for

• The system’s flow rate, in addition to the water source
• The water source’s PSI and the spray head’s PSI requirements 
• The pressure regulator thread type and installation.

You can learn more about K-Rain’s pressure regulators on our website. If you need to retrofit your K-Rain dripline, then you need our Drip Control Zone Kit. Our current bubblers, driplines, and certain spray heads already have pressure regulators.

Use K-Rain’s Drip Control Zone Kit to Recalibrate an Older Dripline System

K-Rain's Drip Control Zone Kit contains all the components needed for automatic filtration and pressure-regulated control of a low-volume drip irrigation zone when connected to a controller.

What do you gain from installing K-Rain's Drip Control Zone Kit to your drip irrigation system? You'll get a longer-lasting dripline system.

K-Rain's Drip Control Zone Kit protects your drip irrigation system from high-pressure water sources and debris. The heavy-duty ProSeries100 valves fit with a durable stainless-steel filter.

You can pair the valve and filter with a 30PSI or a 40PSI pressure regulator that covers various applications. Our Drip Control Zone Kit is factory-assembled, so you can quickly and easily install it on your drip irrigation system.

Here are three benefits of our new Drip Control Zone Kit:

• It's pre-assembled for easy installation 
• It's made with heavy-duty, corrosion-resistant materials 
• It's available in two models, the PR30KP7001-FPR30-kit and the PR40KP7001-FPR40-kit.

We stay ahead of water mandates at K-Rain, so you stay compliant with your local municipality. All new K-Rain irrigation products have pressure regulators already built in them, so you’re prepared when your state requires homeowners to add pressure regulators.

If you’re a DIYer, you can find manuals for K-Rain sprinkler systems on our website. Alternately, if you're new to installing in-ground irrigation systems, you can find an irrigation contractor to install your K-Rain pressure-regulated spray heads, bubblers, and driplines.

You can buy your K-Rain dripline, bubbler, and lawn sprinkler parts at our online store or your local Home Depot and Lowe’s. If you have questions about your K-Rain pressure-regulated spray heads, dripline, and tree bubblers, call our customer service at 800-735-7246 or fill out our contact form.

Sources:
DripDepot.com, Irrigation Pressure Regulator Buying Guide.
IrrigationandLighting.org, Putting Pressure on California’s Landscape Irrigation.