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!
Yes, sometimes I tend to be a bit too precise...
Which connectors do you use for the cables?
For two conductors, I still have some Scotchlok UY2 connectors, but I can connect the ground cables directly in the valve box and then use just one conductor to the control unit. That means I need to connect six conductors. I only found the DBRY-6 connectors, which apparently are used for several conductors in practice. However, according to the manufacturer, only a maximum of three conductors is allowed?
Which connectors do you use for the cables?
For two conductors, I still have some Scotchlok UY2 connectors, but I can connect the ground cables directly in the valve box and then use just one conductor to the control unit. That means I need to connect six conductors. I only found the DBRY-6 connectors, which apparently are used for several conductors in practice. However, according to the manufacturer, only a maximum of three conductors is allowed?
Works for 6 conductors as well. I've seen quite a few things inside valve boxes, ranging from simply twisted wires to those with heat shrink tubing, crimped connections, Wago connectors, and so on.
I haven't had any problems with insulated ferrules like the DBRY type (10 years).
I haven't had any problems with insulated ferrules like the DBRY type (10 years).
All right.
I had planned to use PROS-04-PRS40 everywhere. For the MP800 with the 1.9m (6.2 ft) radius, I need a PRS30 to achieve the smaller radius. What about the MP1000, MP2000, and MP3000? For example, I have planned an MP2000 with a radius of 4.2m (13.8 ft). Is the PRS40 housing suitable for that, or do I also need a PRS30? Or an MP1000 with a 2.6m (8.5 ft) radius—does that also require a PRS30? How is this determined?
The 25% radius adjustment mentioned doesn’t seem to apply anywhere. For the MP1000, a radius of 2.5m to 4.5m (8.2 ft to 14.8 ft) is specified. If I reduce 4.5m by 25%, I get only 3.4m (11.2 ft). Does that mean a PRS30 housing is needed from 3.4m radius down to 2.5m?
Regards
I had planned to use PROS-04-PRS40 everywhere. For the MP800 with the 1.9m (6.2 ft) radius, I need a PRS30 to achieve the smaller radius. What about the MP1000, MP2000, and MP3000? For example, I have planned an MP2000 with a radius of 4.2m (13.8 ft). Is the PRS40 housing suitable for that, or do I also need a PRS30? Or an MP1000 with a 2.6m (8.5 ft) radius—does that also require a PRS30? How is this determined?
The 25% radius adjustment mentioned doesn’t seem to apply anywhere. For the MP1000, a radius of 2.5m to 4.5m (8.2 ft to 14.8 ft) is specified. If I reduce 4.5m by 25%, I get only 3.4m (11.2 ft). Does that mean a PRS30 housing is needed from 3.4m radius down to 2.5m?
Regards
To reach 4.2 meters (13.8 feet) with an MP2000, you need a PRS30 housing.
With the PRS40 and reducing the throw distance to 75%, you won’t quite reach 4.2 meters (13.8 feet).
To reach 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) with the MP1000, you need the PRS30 and a 75% reduction.
As long as you don’t hit house walls, it doesn’t matter if the sprinkler waters 10 cm (4 inches) further.
With wind and other factors, you will have fluctuations anyway. This is not a line laser.
With the PRS40 and reducing the throw distance to 75%, you won’t quite reach 4.2 meters (13.8 feet).
To reach 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) with the MP1000, you need the PRS30 and a 75% reduction.
As long as you don’t hit house walls, it doesn’t matter if the sprinkler waters 10 cm (4 inches) further.
With wind and other factors, you will have fluctuations anyway. This is not a line laser.
ok.....
I still need to reorder a few things and wanted to order something suitable for the bed at the same time.
This is a bit unclear to me as well.
So far, two products seem to be suitable:
Short radius micro spray and bubbler/bubbler nozzles.
Is there anything specific to consider here or anything you would recommend?
I still need to reorder a few things and wanted to order something suitable for the bed at the same time.
This is a bit unclear to me as well.
So far, two products seem to be suitable:
Short radius micro spray and bubbler/bubbler nozzles.
Is there anything specific to consider here or anything you would recommend?