ᐅ Irrigation with a well – too much for an area of about 650 m²
Created on: 19 Mar 2022 12:38
A
ArthHausHello everyone,
First of all, I want to apologize for not sharing the house building process with you in my other thread. Time flew by incredibly fast, and we moved in already in October 2021. So far, the construction went smoothly, and we now want to start working on the garden in May. Specifically, it’s about irrigation using a well. I have read other threads and I’m completely overwhelmed trying to figure out if the pump we had installed is even sufficient for our property, and if so, how we should plan the system.
Can you help me get started with the planning? This is the current situation:
Groundwater at around 2 m (6.5 feet). Drilled well about 7 m (23 feet) deep.
The installed pump is:
iWater eco3 4-60 62 m (203 feet), 3.6 m³/h (includes pressure switch, dry-run protection etc.)
Connected with PE pipe, 32 x 3.0 mm (1.25 x 0.12 inches)
I’ve attached a drawing of the current installation. The plan is also to use the well water for 2 toilets, the washing machine, and 2 outdoor water outlets. The installation can be expanded inside the garage if needed. Attached is also a site plan, with the paved areas marked in gray and the planting beds in green. The backyard will initially be fully lawn for the next few years.
As a complete beginner, I thought I’d simply take the 35 mm (1.38 inch) pipe and put enough rotators on it to cover the entire area. Now, after reading other threads, I’m struggling to imagine how we can do this with the current pump capacity. The initial plan with one zone (as intended) would require a total of 11.83 m³/h, but my pump can only deliver 3.6 m³/h. If I understand correctly, I’d have to split it into 3 zones, right?
These are the rotators I’ve planned so far. This leaves some gaps in the middle — is it acceptable to leave these and hope the water reaches there somehow?
11 x MP 3500 (10 m (33 feet) radius, 180°) 8.22 m³/h
4 x MP 3000 (9.1 m (30 feet) radius, 360°) 3.30 m³/h
6 x MP 800 SR (3 m (10 feet) radius, 180°) 0.31 m³/h
As soon as I need multiple zones, the pipe entry probably won’t be sufficient anymore. I’ll have to try to get 4 x 35 mm (1.38 inch) pipes through the KG pipe. Mathematically that should work… Otherwise, the zone distribution would have to be moved outside. But I’d prefer to keep everything inside the garage.
I hope you can point me in the right direction.
Thank you!
First of all, I want to apologize for not sharing the house building process with you in my other thread. Time flew by incredibly fast, and we moved in already in October 2021. So far, the construction went smoothly, and we now want to start working on the garden in May. Specifically, it’s about irrigation using a well. I have read other threads and I’m completely overwhelmed trying to figure out if the pump we had installed is even sufficient for our property, and if so, how we should plan the system.
Can you help me get started with the planning? This is the current situation:
Groundwater at around 2 m (6.5 feet). Drilled well about 7 m (23 feet) deep.
The installed pump is:
iWater eco3 4-60 62 m (203 feet), 3.6 m³/h (includes pressure switch, dry-run protection etc.)
Connected with PE pipe, 32 x 3.0 mm (1.25 x 0.12 inches)
I’ve attached a drawing of the current installation. The plan is also to use the well water for 2 toilets, the washing machine, and 2 outdoor water outlets. The installation can be expanded inside the garage if needed. Attached is also a site plan, with the paved areas marked in gray and the planting beds in green. The backyard will initially be fully lawn for the next few years.
As a complete beginner, I thought I’d simply take the 35 mm (1.38 inch) pipe and put enough rotators on it to cover the entire area. Now, after reading other threads, I’m struggling to imagine how we can do this with the current pump capacity. The initial plan with one zone (as intended) would require a total of 11.83 m³/h, but my pump can only deliver 3.6 m³/h. If I understand correctly, I’d have to split it into 3 zones, right?
These are the rotators I’ve planned so far. This leaves some gaps in the middle — is it acceptable to leave these and hope the water reaches there somehow?
11 x MP 3500 (10 m (33 feet) radius, 180°) 8.22 m³/h
4 x MP 3000 (9.1 m (30 feet) radius, 360°) 3.30 m³/h
6 x MP 800 SR (3 m (10 feet) radius, 180°) 0.31 m³/h
As soon as I need multiple zones, the pipe entry probably won’t be sufficient anymore. I’ll have to try to get 4 x 35 mm (1.38 inch) pipes through the KG pipe. Mathematically that should work… Otherwise, the zone distribution would have to be moved outside. But I’d prefer to keep everything inside the garage.
I hope you can point me in the right direction.
Thank you!
M
motorradsilke19 Mar 2022 18:37I can’t comment on your planning, but are you allowed to use well water for the toilet flush and washing machine where you live? The water then goes into the wastewater system, and you don’t pay any fees for it.
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WilderSueden19 Mar 2022 20:00In this case, a separate meter for wastewater is required.
For the water source, I would recommend using a deep well. Deep well pumps simply have more power.
If the ground conditions are good (sand, gravel), a 3" (about 7.6 cm) diameter is sufficient.
There are good 2" (about 5 cm) pumps capable of delivering an effective flow of 7-8 m³ (7.7-8.8 yd³).
I have a 5" (about 12.7 cm) well with a 4" (about 10 cm) pump, which provides 8 bar (116 psi) and roughly 12 m³/h (13 yd³/h) with an open line.
I also use 1.5" (about 3.8 cm) PE tubing for the significantly lower pressure loss—at least for the main line.
Before running washing machines and similar appliances with well water, please have a water analysis done in a laboratory first.
You don’t want to damage your devices.
You also don’t want the well water to have an odor that makes your bathroom unpleasant.
Initially, I also wanted to save on wastewater costs.
But spending €15 / month just wasn’t worth it for me.
Or do you also want to shower with well water? 😀
If the ground conditions are good (sand, gravel), a 3" (about 7.6 cm) diameter is sufficient.
There are good 2" (about 5 cm) pumps capable of delivering an effective flow of 7-8 m³ (7.7-8.8 yd³).
I have a 5" (about 12.7 cm) well with a 4" (about 10 cm) pump, which provides 8 bar (116 psi) and roughly 12 m³/h (13 yd³/h) with an open line.
I also use 1.5" (about 3.8 cm) PE tubing for the significantly lower pressure loss—at least for the main line.
Before running washing machines and similar appliances with well water, please have a water analysis done in a laboratory first.
You don’t want to damage your devices.
You also don’t want the well water to have an odor that makes your bathroom unpleasant.
Initially, I also wanted to save on wastewater costs.
But spending €15 / month just wasn’t worth it for me.
Or do you also want to shower with well water? 😀
The installed pump is a deep well pump.
The initial plan is to use it only for garden irrigation – the washing machine and toilets will be operated normally at first until we know what kind of water comes from the well; you don’t want to risk damaging anything right away. Thanks for the advice!
I will check the fees again.
The initial plan is to use it only for garden irrigation – the washing machine and toilets will be operated normally at first until we know what kind of water comes from the well; you don’t want to risk damaging anything right away. Thanks for the advice!
I will check the fees again.
There are already many irrigation threads.
1. You have already made the biggest mistake. The sprinklers need to overlap—head to head. Plan it again from scratch.
2. You will need several zones. You can bury the valve box in the garden, so no additional wall or floor openings are necessary.
3. Considering your pump and pipe losses, do not plan for more than 2.8 m³/h (cubic meters per hour).
4. Does the well even have enough yield to irrigate the garden?
1. You have already made the biggest mistake. The sprinklers need to overlap—head to head. Plan it again from scratch.
2. You will need several zones. You can bury the valve box in the garden, so no additional wall or floor openings are necessary.
3. Considering your pump and pipe losses, do not plan for more than 2.8 m³/h (cubic meters per hour).
4. Does the well even have enough yield to irrigate the garden?
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