Short answer
Yes, if your lawn is one fairly level area and your faucet is strong enough: a faucet kit waters one or two zones of buried heads when the faucet meets the kit’s minimum, such as 6 gpm and 40 psi on Rain Bird’s kits. A bigger or sloping yard, separate beds or plans to add zones call for a full system on your water service line, with valves, a controller and a backflow device your town may require to be permitted and tested.
The short answer
- Your faucet decides what a kit can do. One outdoor faucet feeds the whole kit, so measure its flow and pressure before anything else.
- Your lawn decides between a kit and a system. One level lawn of up to about 2,500 sq ft suits a kit; more area, several separate areas or more than 6 ft of rise points to a full system.
- A full system is a bigger job with local rules. It connects to your water service line through valves and a backflow device, needs a wired controller, and in many towns a permit and a certified backflow test.
Every boxed in-ground kit we found runs from a faucet; we compare all five in our sprinkler system kit comparison. The factors below are the ones that decide which way to go.
Flow and pressure at the faucet
What it is: pressure, in psi, is how hard the water pushes; you read it with a gauge on the faucet while nothing else runs in the house. Flow, in gallons per minute, is how much comes out; time how long a fully open faucet takes to fill a 5-gallon bucket and divide 300 by the seconds. Rain Bird suggests measuring at the time of day you plan to water, because pressure changes during the day.
Why it matters: a faucet kit has only that one faucet to work with. Rain Bird’s 32ETI and 32HE need 40 to 75 psi and at least 6 gpm; Orbit asks for at least 50 psi and 5 gpm on its 50020 and 50021 kits. Below that, heads fall short or never fully pop up, the recurring complaint among the 32ETI owners we read. A full system is fed from your water service line instead, so its supply depends on the meter and pipe size: Orbit and Rain Bird both ask for the meter size, usually stamped on the meter, and Rain Bird says most automatic systems need 40 to 60 psi.
What to look for: your gauge and bucket readings against the kit’s printed minimums, with a margin. A hose timer costs some flow, so Rain Bird says to fit the timer and test again if the bucket shows under 8 gpm. Our guide to measuring water pressure and flow has the steps.
Lawn size, shape and slope
What it is: the area you want to water, how it’s laid out and how far it rises from the faucet.
Why it matters: a kit covers one lawn area, and the figure on the box is a best case. Rain Bird’s coverage table for the 32ETI’s six heads runs from about 1,035 sq ft at 6 gpm to about 2,312 sq ft at 10 gpm, and Orbit puts its two-zone 50021 at up to about 2,500 sq ft. Rain Bird also allows no more than 6 ft of rise between the faucet and any head. Front and back lawns, narrow side strips and flower beds each want their own run times: EPA’s WaterSense watering tips suggest grouping plants with similar needs into their own zones. That is what a full system’s separate zones are for.
What to look for: a sketch of your yard with measurements and the rise from the faucet. One fairly level lawn within a kit’s realistic coverage can take a kit. Several areas with different needs, or a lawn much larger than that, is full-system territory.
Zones and room to grow
What it is: a zone is the set of heads that water together. A faucet kit has one zone, or two on the Orbit 50021, whose two-outlet timer gives each its own run time. In a full system each zone has its own valve, the valves sit together in a manifold, and each valve is wired to a station on the controller.
Why it matters: a kit can’t grow. Rain Bird says the 32ETI isn’t designed for expansion: extra tubing or rotors can stop heads turning or popping up. Orbit’s sizing rule is that the heads on one zone must never need more water than the supply gives; in its example, a 12 gpm supply runs four heads with 3 gpm nozzles. A full system grows by adding zones up to the controller’s station count, and Rain Bird advises leaving space between manifold valves so any one can be replaced.
What to look for: for a kit, the heads and zones you need today. For a full system, a controller with spare stations for later beds: the Rachio 3 comes in 4 to 16 zone models and Rain Bird’s ESP-TM2 in 4 to 12 stations. Our guide to how many heads per zone and how many zones you need shows the arithmetic, and our sprinkler controller comparison lists every controller we track.
Safety: the controllers here run valves at 24 volts from a plug-in transformer. Rain Bird’s ESP-TM2 manual says wiring must follow local building codes and that some codes require a licensed electrician to connect power, and Rachio says never to hardwire the Rachio 3 itself, only through its outdoor enclosure with the breaker off. If you’re unsure, use an electrician.
Backflow, permits and who does the work
What it is: a backflow device stops water from your lawn, with any fertilizer, pesticide or animal waste in it, being drawn back into your drinking water when the pressure drops. EPA’s cross-connection control manual lists lawn sprinkler systems among the fixtures that carry this risk.
Why it matters: Rain Bird notes that virtually all US agencies require backflow prevention on irrigation connected to drinking water, and that the rules vary by town. On a faucet kit the protection sits at the faucet: the current 32ETI box includes a backflow preventer, the 32HE has none, and Rain Bird tells you to confirm the faucet has a vacuum breaker and to check local code. A full system needs an assembly on the supply, and many utilities want it testable, permitted and tested by a certified tester. Some examples of how much the rules differ:
- Denver: Denver Water accepts only a pressure vacuum breaker or a reduced pressure assembly on irrigation, tested at installation and every year by a certified tester.
- Calgary: the City requires a plumbing permit for a testable device and a test every year when the system is turned on, by a City-registered tester.
- Greater Victoria: the Capital Regional District needs a permit and a certified plumber to install the device; single-family irrigation without chemicals is tested every three years.
- Texas: a homeowner working at their own home is exempt from the irrigator license rules under 30 TAC 30.129, but must still meet the Chapter 344 design and installation standards, and TCEQ requires a licensed backflow assembly tester to check the assembly when it’s installed.
What to look for: before you buy anything, ask your water utility which device it accepts, whether you need a permit, and who may install and test it. Colorado State University Extension says permits are normally required for systems that need a backflow device, and that the device should be tested at installation and at least yearly. Don’t skip a device, permit or test your utility asks for. Our explainer on whether you need a backflow preventer covers the device types.
Digging, wiring and winter
What it is: the work that doesn’t come in a box, and the care each option needs every fall.
Why it matters: a faucet kit is a shallow job. Rain Bird’s kits sit in slots just deep enough for the heads to be flush, and the 32ETI owners we read took five to eight hours working alone. A full system is a longer project: Rain Bird’s installation guide runs from trenches 6 to 12 in deep through connecting the water supply, building a valve manifold, flushing each valve, wiring the valves to the controller and testing every zone before you bury the pipe. Rain Bird suggests renting a power trencher, or a pipe puller for poly pipe.
Safety: every trench needs a utility locate first, however shallow. In the US, contact 811 a few business days before you dig and wait until every utility has responded. In Canada, Click Before You Dig links to your province’s one-call service. Several provinces say their locates don’t mark private lines, such as an old sprinkler system, so look for those yourself.
Winter differs too. A kit’s buried lines empty through drain valves at the low points, and the timer comes off the faucet and indoors. For a full system, Colorado State University Extension doesn’t trust gravity drains on buried pipe and recommends blowing the lines out with compressed air, and Rain Bird recommends hiring a local irrigation specialist for that.
Safety: if you blow out a system yourself, Colorado State University Extension says to keep the air at no more than 80 psi for rigid PVC and 50 psi for poly pipe, to connect the compressor after the backflow device, and never to blow air through a pressure vacuum breaker or reduced pressure device, because the heat can melt its seals.
What to look for: an honest count of your weekends and tools, and a plan for winter. For depths by pipe type, see how deep to bury sprinkler pipe; for the fall routine, how to winterize a sprinkler system.
What each budget buys
Budget
Under $100
A manual faucet kit with four buried pop-up rotors that you run by clicking in a hose, or a plain hose timer to automate a sprinkler you already own. You give up either automatic watering or buried heads, and anything beyond a small lawn.
Mid-range
$150 to $300
A complete faucet kit with a timer: six buried heads on one zone with a plain or app timer, or twelve heads over two zones. The same money buys a good controller on its own, which is only the first part of a full system.
Full system
Over $300
Where a full system starts, with no fixed ceiling: controller, zone valves and a valve box, pipe, heads, fittings and a backflow assembly, plus any permit, test or licensed trade your town requires. We don’t track prices for those parts or fees, so price a parts list locally before you decide.
Our top picks
Two faucet kits and one controller: the Rain Bird 32ETI if one zone will cover your lawn, the Orbit 50021 if you need two, and the Rain Bird ESP-TM2 as the controller for a full system you program at the wall, with Wi-Fi as a plug-in module later.
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Best overall
Rain Bird 32ETI Self Install Automatic Sprinkler System
Six rotors, a timer and drain valves: a whole lawn system in one box
- Covers 3,000 sq ft
- 1-zone
- Batteries power
No Canada price yet -
Best for large yards
Orbit 50021 2-Zone In-Ground Sprinkler Kit with Hose Faucet Timer
Two zones and 12 sprinklers from one faucet, push-fit tubing
- Covers 2,500 sq ft
- 2-zone
- Batteries power
No Canada price yet -
Best without Wi-Fi
Rain Bird ESP-TM2 8-Station Controller
Dial timer with short detection; Wi-Fi only via the separate LNK2 module
- 8-zone
- 3-yr warranty
- Plug-in transformer power
Want app control on a full system? Our top smart controller, the Rachio 3, comes in 4 to 16 zone models, skips watering for rain with no monthly fee and has buttons on the unit for when your phone isn’t handy. Compare it with the rest in the best smart sprinkler controllers, and see every kit in the best DIY sprinkler system kits.
How we chose these picks
- Started from the decision itself: what one faucet can feed, against what a system on the service line needs.
- Compared the makers’ published specs and install guides for the five boxed kits and eight controllers we track.
- Read official guidance on backflow, permits, digging and winterizing from EPA, state agencies, water utilities and Colorado State University Extension.
- Checked prices at brand stores and specialist retailers, and show the date we checked.
- Revisit the guide when rules, prices or models change.
What we don’t do: lab or yard tests, and we haven’t installed these systems. We don’t give code or legal advice either: your water utility and building department have the final word.
Faucet kit or full system: questions
Can I turn a hose-faucet kit into a full system later?
Not in any way the makers describe. Rain Bird says the 32ETI isn’t designed for expansion, and each kit’s tubing and nozzles are sized for one faucet’s flow. A full system starts at the service line with its own backflow device, valves and pipe, so it is a new build rather than an upgrade. If you expect to want more zones within a few years, plan the full system from the start.
Do I need a permit to install my own sprinkler system?
Often, yes, at least for the backflow device on a full system, and the rules are local. Calgary requires a plumbing permit for a testable device; Greater Victoria requires a permit and a certified plumber; Austin sets the assembly during a plumbing inspection under a building permit. Colorado State University Extension says permits are normally required where a backflow device is. Ask your water utility and building department before you start.
Can a homeowner install a sprinkler system in Texas without a license?
Yes, at a home you own or live in: 30 TAC 30.129 exempts that work from the Texas irrigator license rules. The exemption doesn’t lift the standards. You must still follow Chapter 344, which requires, among other things, a rain or moisture shut-off sensor on new automatic systems in most counties, and TCEQ requires a licensed backflow assembly tester to check the assembly when it’s installed. Your water provider may also require a test every year.
Does a hose-faucet sprinkler kit need a backflow preventer?
It needs backflow protection, and your utility may say which kind. Rain Bird’s June 2025 guide for the 32ETI lists a backflow preventer in the faucet connection; the 32HE includes none, and Rain Bird tells you to make sure the faucet has a hose bibb vacuum breaker or other anti-siphon device. Colorado State University Extension says backflow devices belong on every sprinkler system on drinking water, hose-fed ones included.
Is drip irrigation a third option?
For beds, shrubs and pots, often the best one. A drip kit runs from a faucet through a pressure regulator and filter on far less water than sprinklers, and watering rules can treat it more kindly: Metro Vancouver’s Stage 1 rules, May 1 to October 15, allow drip on trees, shrubs and flowers any day, while lawns get one day a week. Check your own utility’s rules, and remember lawns still need sprinklers. See our drip kit comparison.
