ᐅ Irrigation with a well – too much for an area of about 650 m²
Created on: 19 Mar 2022 12:38
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ArthHaus
Hello 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!
Forget about square sprinklers immediately. Either plan and install a proper irrigation system (Rainbird, Hunter…) or don’t use one at all. If you have a well, I would definitely recommend installing an irrigation system. Excess water is returned directly to the source in a closed loop…
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motorradsilke21 Mar 2022 09:53Myrna_Loy schrieb:
I would only irrigate the lower third of the area close to the house and create an ornamental lawn there, while the rest could be a meadow with fruit trees or shrubs.But those will also need water.
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motorradsilke21 Mar 2022 09:56WilderSueden schrieb:
If you don’t want a perfect golf green, usually yes. In summer, if there’s no rain for a long time, you can top up a bit with a portable sprinkler. If you water constantly, you’ve also got to mow the lawn constantly 😉
It’s a bit different with the vegetable garden, it needs more water.
And of course, you have to water regularly while it’s establishing. You can also try to time the sowing with the weather a little. If the weather cooperates. Here, it hasn’t rained for weeks and none is in sight.
But I don’t want to wait weeks more before sowing the lawn.
I think it also depends on the soil. If you don’t water our sandy soil in the Mark Brandenburg region properly every few days, everything dries out. Even a simple lawn here needs constant watering.
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Myrna_Loy21 Mar 2022 09:57If you choose wisely and plant smartly, you can get by with very little water and also increase biodiversity. This means more deep-rooted plants and ground covers that can tolerate drought. There is plenty of information available on how to plant gardens more sustainably – and with the size of most gardens, a lawn area isn’t particularly exciting anymore.
However, the sandy soil in the Märkisch region is an extreme case. In Brandenburg, are irrigation systems using well water now prohibited due to the low groundwater levels?
However, the sandy soil in the Märkisch region is an extreme case. In Brandenburg, are irrigation systems using well water now prohibited due to the low groundwater levels?
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WilderSueden21 Mar 2022 10:02motorradsilke schrieb:
If the weather cooperates. No rain here for weeks already. And none in sight.
But I don’t want to wait weeks more before sowing the lawn. Yes, it’s not any better here either. It rained just 1-2mm (0.04-0.08 inches) in the last few days but otherwise it’s been dry for a month. And as I said, I would water during the germination phase if the weather doesn’t cooperate. That’s why I have the rainwater tank, and the OP has their well.
I just want to challenge the idea that lawns always need constant watering. Some soils require it more, others less. And many don’t need it at all. I also agree with @Myrna_Loy that just lawn is quite boring and at the same time a fairly maintenance-intensive matter if you want it to look “perfect.”
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motorradsilke21 Mar 2022 10:12Myrna_Loy schrieb:
If you choose carefully and plant wisely, you can get by with very little water while also increasing biodiversity. So more deep-rooted plants, ground covers that tolerate drought. There is a lot of information on how to plant gardens more sustainably – and at this scale, having a lawn isn’t particularly interesting.
The sandy soil in the Brandenburg region is an extreme case though. Aren’t irrigation systems using well water banned there now due to the low groundwater level? No, only sometimes in summer during certain hours, for example last year in July/August from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
I wouldn’t plant just lawn either. But here, the other plants also constantly need watering, more or less.
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