Frequently Asked Questions
How does No More Geysers (NMG) conserve water?
Why will using NMG ensure compliance with water use restrictions?
How does NMG reduce erosion and runoff?
Will using NMG lower my risk of incurring liability?
Is NMG easy to install on my existing landscape irrigation system?
How does NMG take the emergency out of the repair?
Is NMG the most cost-effective solution on the market?
Q1: How does No More Geysers (NMG) conserve water?
NMG conserves water by stopping the flow of water through broken landscape irrigation systems. Systems with NMG installed do not pour precious water down the drain every time they experience a break.
We have all seen those “geysers” that occur when a sprinkler head gets broken off. In irrigation systems with NMG installed, when a sprinkler head gets broken off or a head gets impacted so that the riser breaks, the NMG valve is engaged and the water shuts off.
Many landscape irrigation systems are set on automatic timers to turn on early in the morning or late at night. In these systems, a “geyser” may go unnoticed for days or weeks or even longer. When breaks go unnoticed, water flows freely from the system. This free flow of water may runs off of your property and into the storm drain at the end of the street. An undetected break often wastes as much as 750 gallons every time the system turns on.
In our testing, we showed that systems with NMG installed experienced a 65% savings in water over systems without NMG.
Q2: Why will using NMG ensure compliance with water use restrictions?
Installing NMG on your landscape irrigation system will help ensure you do not get fined for “lawn geysers” caused by broken sprinkler heads.
Water authorities, cities, counties, municipalities, and other government entities around the world are enacting and enforcing stricter water use restrictions as our global water crisis becomes more apparent.
Violations of these rules can cost you, the property owner, thousands of dollars a year. Government agencies are stepping up their enforcement efforts because the need to cut down on water use is so critical. So-called “Water Cops” are patrolling looking for water flowing off of your property from broken landscape irrigation systems, and they are issuing citations which can cost up to $1,000.00 per violation.
For government agencies responsible for ensuring compliance with water quality rules, installing NMG on your public properties will help reduce non-point source pollution which can contribute directly to your agency’s ability to keep its storm water permits.
Q3: Why does NMG reduce erosion and runoff?
When the NMG valve engages and stops the flow of water from a broken sprinkler, it ensures that no erosion will occur as a result of the break. With no water flowing from the break, no unnatural erosion will occur in the area and no runoff will flow from the area.
An eroded hillside or other landscape feature can cost many thousands of dollars to repair each time a landscape irrigation system breaks. Even relatively minor erosion can be costly to repair. If you repair your broken irrigation system with anything other than NMG, you are ensuring that you will incur the costs involved in that repair again next time the system breaks.
When erosion occurs and damages your landscape features, the sediment that is eroded gets carried downstream by the water. This runoff can carry fertilizers and other soil treatments off of your property and into storm water treatment systems. Excessive runoff contributes to storm drain silting and non-point source pollution, both of which are expensive to remediate and can jeopardize local storm water permits.
Q4: Will using NMG lower my risk of incurring liability?
Because NMG shuts off the water at the break, the risk of flooding adjacent property is reduced significantly.
Flowing surface water can be the source of liability for property owners when it causes damage directly to another’s property, as in the case of water flooding of adjacent property, or pooling water creating a hazardous condition on or near your property, as in the case of flooded travel lanes of a highway or street. In such conditions, the property owner whose water caused the hazard or the damage will often be held liable for any injuries which occur as a result of the excess water.
Q5: Is NMG easy to install on my existing landscape irrigation system?
NMG is a simple retrofit for existing landscape irrigation systems. Installation does not require major excavation, just remove the existing sprinkler head and riser, screw in the NMG valve and riser, then re-install the sprinkler head and your system is ready for normal operations. The NMG fits directly below the sprinkler head and is as easy to install as changing a light bulb.
Q6: How does NMG take the emergency out of the repair?
In landscape irrigation systems without NMG installed, when a break occurs it results in a “lawn geyser,” which requires immediate attention to avoid losing water and causing property damage. With NMG installed, when a break occurs, the water shuts off automatically, so no water is lost and no property damage occurs from the free-flow of water. When breaks occur during non-business hours, repairs often require the use of overtime and on-call labor.
In contrast, repairs to broken landscape irrigation systems with NMG installed can be conducted during normal business hours in the normal course of system maintenance because there is no risk of property damage or water loss when breaks occur.
Q7: Is NMG the most cost-effective solution on the market?
In landscape irrigation systems without NMG installed, when a break occurs it results in a “lawn geyser,” which requires immediate attention to avoid losing water and causing property damage.
Water flowing freely from breaks in your landscape irrigation system can cost you money from 1) citations for violation of water use rules, 2) property damage from the water that flowed out of your system, and 3) increased liability costs from damages caused by the water flowing off your property.
Each of these potential costs can easily run into thousands of dollars per break, even before you factor in the cost of the repair to the system. Paying for a single system repair during overtime or on-call hours is often more costly than installing NMG on an entire system.
There are other solutions on the market which shut off the water when a break occurs, but the majority of these systems cost thousands of dollars to purchase and install. NMG costs far less to purchase (less than $6 each), and is far easier to install, so the cost of installing NMG on your system is recouped over a shorter period and the cost-savings start sooner for the property owner.
US and International patent pending