Hello everyone,
We moved into our new house last summer (oh God, that already sounds so long ago). Since then, there has been a lot to do—and there still is. Now, however, the remaining work is increasingly shifting outdoors.
The well has already been drilled. At that spot, I installed a small pit, and the garden shed will be placed on top of it. Now I’ve been thinking about the irrigation system again and realized that it will be difficult to access the pit underground once the garden shed is in place, as I would then be undermining the base slab.
So, I’ve been giving it some thought and reading a lot, but not everything is clear to me yet.
Firstly: before I pour the base slab, I need to run the necessary pipes out of the pit. That means drilling a hole through the pit ring and laying 1 to x PVC pipes (KG pipes) extending 1 to 2 meters (3 to 6.5 feet) beyond the edge of the base slab, so that I can later feed the water line through them when the time comes.
By the way, the garden shed will also house the sub-distribution for the outdoor electrical system. So, I also need to run a cable from the pit through the base slab to the distribution board in the garden shed for the pump. Additionally, I need 2 to 3 PVC pipes from inside where the distribution board is mounted, under the base slab to the outside, for all the electrical wiring on the driveway—such as the gate, lighting, and control cables for the irrigation valves, etc.
Now to the main topic: the automatic irrigation system
In this forum, it seems @rick2018 has good knowledge about this subject. Maybe you could give me some tips as well.
Below is a plan of our property:
Except for the house, none of this has actually been implemented yet. The plants are just planned and may still change. The second terrace on the drawing is currently 10 x 10 meters (33 x 33 feet). It won’t actually be that large; that’s just a placeholder for the approximate future location. However, it definitely won’t be built in the next five years. That brings me to my first point:
1. How do you take that into account now? For example, regarding the second terrace, I would mostly plan the sprinklers as if the terrace will never be built, since it’s still uncertain whether and where exactly it will be placed. What about the trees? If I install the sprinklers now and then plant a tree 1 or 2 meters (3 to 6.5 feet) away next year, there will be shade along the axis behind the tree. In the first few years, this is probably negligible due to the small trunk diameter, but what happens when the trunk gets thicker?
2. What exactly should be irrigated? Lawn, flower beds, and vegetable garden are clear. I’ve read differing opinions about hedges, especially regarding adaptation to watering. What about trees? They should be able to cope on their own, right? Is it really overkill to install irrigation just for the first and maybe the second year?
3. For my large lawn areas, I’m considering Hunter gear-driven rotors. However, these are said to be rather sensitive to wind. Here, it’s usually windy because we’re on a small hill. But once everything around is planted, there shouldn’t be much wind close to the ground, right? @rick2018, why do you prefer rotators like the MP3000 over gear-driven rotors like the I20, for example?
4. My father-in-law took care of the well. I believe a Grundfos SQ2-55 pump is installed “in the hole.” The borehole depth was about 20 meters (66 feet) and the pump hangs at roughly 15 meters (49 feet) depth. The property slopes upwards by almost one meter (3 feet) to the right, so the pump has to push water up about 16 meters (52 feet). The pump is capable of 54 meters (177 feet) total head. So that leaves about 38 meters (125 feet), which corresponds to roughly 3.8 bar (55 psi) and, unfortunately, only about 2 cubic meters per hour (around 880 gallons per hour).
If I understand correctly, I can only operate two gear-driven I20 rotors with the 4.0 nozzle on one zone, since each requires 0.81 m³/h (about 360 gallons/hr) at 2.5 bar (36 psi) with a 11.9-meter (39 feet) radius (planning uses 10.5 meters). That will mean a lot of zones. Alternatively, I could try to return the pump to the well driller (as it wasn’t used before) and get one with 4 m³/h (about 1760 gallons/hr) or more. The question is whether that would make my well wear out faster (clogging?).
5. Let’s say I keep the existing pump and end up with 30 zones. How would that work in practice? Would each lawn irrigation zone run for 30 minutes? And every 3 days? That would cause problems with my planned robotic mower that will almost always be running over the large area. In the end, I won’t have time to enjoy the yard because either the mower is running or the sprinklers are on.
6. It is recommended to start the design in a corner of the property. So, for example, I start at the top right and place the first sprinkler in front of the hedge. The thing is: the hedge is currently very narrow, but will become 1 to 2 meters (3 to 6.5 feet) wide over time.
7. The sprinklers extend during operation and retract afterwards. How durable are these if someone steps on them? It looks like I will eventually have a “carpet” of pop-up sprinklers. The children should, of course, still be able to play freely.
That’s enough for now. Have a nice rest of the Sunday!
We moved into our new house last summer (oh God, that already sounds so long ago). Since then, there has been a lot to do—and there still is. Now, however, the remaining work is increasingly shifting outdoors.
The well has already been drilled. At that spot, I installed a small pit, and the garden shed will be placed on top of it. Now I’ve been thinking about the irrigation system again and realized that it will be difficult to access the pit underground once the garden shed is in place, as I would then be undermining the base slab.
So, I’ve been giving it some thought and reading a lot, but not everything is clear to me yet.
Firstly: before I pour the base slab, I need to run the necessary pipes out of the pit. That means drilling a hole through the pit ring and laying 1 to x PVC pipes (KG pipes) extending 1 to 2 meters (3 to 6.5 feet) beyond the edge of the base slab, so that I can later feed the water line through them when the time comes.
By the way, the garden shed will also house the sub-distribution for the outdoor electrical system. So, I also need to run a cable from the pit through the base slab to the distribution board in the garden shed for the pump. Additionally, I need 2 to 3 PVC pipes from inside where the distribution board is mounted, under the base slab to the outside, for all the electrical wiring on the driveway—such as the gate, lighting, and control cables for the irrigation valves, etc.
Now to the main topic: the automatic irrigation system
In this forum, it seems @rick2018 has good knowledge about this subject. Maybe you could give me some tips as well.
Below is a plan of our property:
Except for the house, none of this has actually been implemented yet. The plants are just planned and may still change. The second terrace on the drawing is currently 10 x 10 meters (33 x 33 feet). It won’t actually be that large; that’s just a placeholder for the approximate future location. However, it definitely won’t be built in the next five years. That brings me to my first point:
1. How do you take that into account now? For example, regarding the second terrace, I would mostly plan the sprinklers as if the terrace will never be built, since it’s still uncertain whether and where exactly it will be placed. What about the trees? If I install the sprinklers now and then plant a tree 1 or 2 meters (3 to 6.5 feet) away next year, there will be shade along the axis behind the tree. In the first few years, this is probably negligible due to the small trunk diameter, but what happens when the trunk gets thicker?
2. What exactly should be irrigated? Lawn, flower beds, and vegetable garden are clear. I’ve read differing opinions about hedges, especially regarding adaptation to watering. What about trees? They should be able to cope on their own, right? Is it really overkill to install irrigation just for the first and maybe the second year?
3. For my large lawn areas, I’m considering Hunter gear-driven rotors. However, these are said to be rather sensitive to wind. Here, it’s usually windy because we’re on a small hill. But once everything around is planted, there shouldn’t be much wind close to the ground, right? @rick2018, why do you prefer rotators like the MP3000 over gear-driven rotors like the I20, for example?
4. My father-in-law took care of the well. I believe a Grundfos SQ2-55 pump is installed “in the hole.” The borehole depth was about 20 meters (66 feet) and the pump hangs at roughly 15 meters (49 feet) depth. The property slopes upwards by almost one meter (3 feet) to the right, so the pump has to push water up about 16 meters (52 feet). The pump is capable of 54 meters (177 feet) total head. So that leaves about 38 meters (125 feet), which corresponds to roughly 3.8 bar (55 psi) and, unfortunately, only about 2 cubic meters per hour (around 880 gallons per hour).
If I understand correctly, I can only operate two gear-driven I20 rotors with the 4.0 nozzle on one zone, since each requires 0.81 m³/h (about 360 gallons/hr) at 2.5 bar (36 psi) with a 11.9-meter (39 feet) radius (planning uses 10.5 meters). That will mean a lot of zones. Alternatively, I could try to return the pump to the well driller (as it wasn’t used before) and get one with 4 m³/h (about 1760 gallons/hr) or more. The question is whether that would make my well wear out faster (clogging?).
5. Let’s say I keep the existing pump and end up with 30 zones. How would that work in practice? Would each lawn irrigation zone run for 30 minutes? And every 3 days? That would cause problems with my planned robotic mower that will almost always be running over the large area. In the end, I won’t have time to enjoy the yard because either the mower is running or the sprinklers are on.
6. It is recommended to start the design in a corner of the property. So, for example, I start at the top right and place the first sprinkler in front of the hedge. The thing is: the hedge is currently very narrow, but will become 1 to 2 meters (3 to 6.5 feet) wide over time.
7. The sprinklers extend during operation and retract afterwards. How durable are these if someone steps on them? It looks like I will eventually have a “carpet” of pop-up sprinklers. The children should, of course, still be able to play freely.
That’s enough for now. Have a nice rest of the Sunday!
The main valve must be installed before all water outlets and valve boxes. A DN40 (1.5 inch) valve is already quite large, so it won’t fit inside a valve box if other valves are also installed there.
With your layout, it won’t work anyway because you would need to run a pipe across the entire property again.
The control unit’s location doesn’t matter; you just need to route a control cable to it.
Pump -> Filter -> Main valve -> T-joint for one line forward and one backward -> valve box(es) and water outlets on each side.
You can connect the tap points in series. The valve boxes also have a through connection. However, only one tap point runs at a time.
You can also connect the water outlets directly to the main line since you can control them via the main valve. This saves pipe length.
If a water outlet is supposed to be located, for example, behind a valve box, you simply run the line out of the box again and then install the water outlet.
However, loops cannot be connected in series because they always have to be supplied from their respective valves in the box.
Inside the valve boxes, use electrical boxes and Wagos (not the usual cheap grease connectors). After successful functional testing, fill them with Aquasit. This way, you can access them later, and they remain sealed.
Up to the valve boxes, always install an empty conduit for pulling the control cables.
With your layout, it won’t work anyway because you would need to run a pipe across the entire property again.
The control unit’s location doesn’t matter; you just need to route a control cable to it.
Pump -> Filter -> Main valve -> T-joint for one line forward and one backward -> valve box(es) and water outlets on each side.
You can connect the tap points in series. The valve boxes also have a through connection. However, only one tap point runs at a time.
You can also connect the water outlets directly to the main line since you can control them via the main valve. This saves pipe length.
If a water outlet is supposed to be located, for example, behind a valve box, you simply run the line out of the box again and then install the water outlet.
However, loops cannot be connected in series because they always have to be supplied from their respective valves in the box.
Inside the valve boxes, use electrical boxes and Wagos (not the usual cheap grease connectors). After successful functional testing, fill them with Aquasit. This way, you can access them later, and they remain sealed.
Up to the valve boxes, always install an empty conduit for pulling the control cables.
H
Hausbaufaehig15 Sep 2022 08:51rick2018 schrieb:
The main valve must be installed before all endpoints. In other words, before all water outlets and all valve boxes. A DN40 valve is already quite large, so it won’t fit inside a valve box if there are additional valves in there....
With your setup, it won’t work anyway because you would have to run a line across the entire property. Understood, thanks!
rick2018 schrieb:
It doesn’t matter where the controller is located. You just have to run a control cable to that spot.
Pump -> Filter -> Main valve -> T-piece splitting once forward and once backward -> respective valve box(es) and water outlets.
You can connect the outlets in series. The valve boxes also have a through connection. Only one outlet runs at a time.
You can also tap the water outlets directly from the main line since you can control them with the main valve, saving pipe length.
If a water outlet, for example, should be located behind a valve box, you simply run out of the box and then install the water outlet.
But you cannot connect zones in series because they always have to be supplied from their respective valve in the box. I have never had a garden or needed irrigation before, so sorry for the silly follow-up questions. But if I place the outlets/water taps behind the main valve, won’t the pump’s pressure switch not react when I tap the water outlet? Unlike irrigation systems with Hydrawise, wouldn’t I have to manually open the valve to allow flow beforehand?
rick2018 schrieb:
Inside the valve boxes, just use electrical junction boxes and Wago connectors (not the usual cheap wire nuts). After a successful function test, fill them with Aquasit. That way, you can access them later and they remain sealed.
Always run empty conduit for the control cables up to the valve boxes so you can pull the control wires through later. Sounds good, noted!
Yes, exactly, you would need to turn on the main valve. This can be done easily with the app. This way, the water boxes can be switched on and off. If the water boxes are located before the valve, water will flow away in case of leaks. Or someone might just switch it on...
H
Hausbaufaehig15 Sep 2022 23:09Hi rick2018,
Thanks again for the advice! I’m putting everything together right now and came across the following:
"For these pipe lengths to the manifolds, I would use DN40. In the circuits, DN32."
The Hunter valves mostly seem to use 1 inch internal threads, so does that mean you always have to use adapters (DN32 to DN25) at the box’s inlets and outlets? If so, does that reduce the overall flow back down to the 1 inch level? I don’t think so (it’s not like a LAN cable), but I want to understand the reasoning behind it 🙁
Good luck,
Hausbaufaehig
Thanks again for the advice! I’m putting everything together right now and came across the following:
"For these pipe lengths to the manifolds, I would use DN40. In the circuits, DN32."
The Hunter valves mostly seem to use 1 inch internal threads, so does that mean you always have to use adapters (DN32 to DN25) at the box’s inlets and outlets? If so, does that reduce the overall flow back down to the 1 inch level? I don’t think so (it’s not like a LAN cable), but I want to understand the reasoning behind it 🙁
Good luck,
Hausbaufaehig
The 1" valves have a maximum flow rate of 9 m³/h (11.8 yd³/h), so they are not really a bottleneck.
Ideally, valves in 1 1/2 inches would be best, but they are not that easy to find. 2 inches would be excessive.
With larger pipes, you have significantly less pressure loss in the lines.
The boxes are also available pre-assembled for DN32 (about 1 1/4 inches).
Use the pressure-regulated housings. This way, the pressure at the sprinkler head remains constant, and you don’t have to worry about balanced distribution in the loop.
Drip tubing from Rainbird XFS.
For the filter, add a main shut-off valve and an air compressor connection.
In autumn, simply close the main shut-off valve, connect the compressor, and run the irrigation system once.
Ideally, valves in 1 1/2 inches would be best, but they are not that easy to find. 2 inches would be excessive.
With larger pipes, you have significantly less pressure loss in the lines.
The boxes are also available pre-assembled for DN32 (about 1 1/4 inches).
Use the pressure-regulated housings. This way, the pressure at the sprinkler head remains constant, and you don’t have to worry about balanced distribution in the loop.
Drip tubing from Rainbird XFS.
For the filter, add a main shut-off valve and an air compressor connection.
In autumn, simply close the main shut-off valve, connect the compressor, and run the irrigation system once.
H
Hausbaufaehig16 Sep 2022 09:47rick2018 schrieb:
The 1" valves have a maximum flow rate of 9 m³/h (320 cfm), so they’re not really a bottleneck.
Ideally, valves in 1 1/2" would be best, but they are not so easy to find. 2" would be overkill.
With larger pipes, you have significantly less pressure loss in the lines.
The valve boxes are also available pre-assembled for DN32 (1 1/4").
Use pressure-regulated housings. That way, the pressure at the sprinkler head is always consistent, and you don’t have to worry about balanced distribution around the zone.
Drip tubing from Rainbird XFS. Sorry, I don’t quite understand this yet 🙁
“The valve boxes are also available pre-assembled for DN32.”
For the inlet, I would actually need DN40 = 1 1/2". What exactly does DN32 refer to then?
When I look at pre-assembled valve boxes, it seems the maximum size for inlet/outlet/valves is 1" = DN25 = 32 mm, often only 3/4" = DN20 = 25 mm.
Hence my question about the couplings: The sprinklers/rotors apparently also have a maximum connection size of 1", so I would have a DN25 outlet on the box connected to a DN32 pipe, which in turn is connected to a DN25 sprinkler.
Does this really work that way? Maybe I’m mixing up the units?
rick2018 schrieb:
For the filter, install a main shut-off valve and an air connection.
In autumn, simply close the main valve, connect a compressor, and run one irrigation cycle to blow out the system. Good idea! What do you actually do with the last section of pipe, from the pump to the main shut-off valve?
There isn’t any opening there to blow out the remaining water, is there?
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