3 Ways to Increase Pressure in an Irrigation System
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- Опубліковано 15 лип 2024
- This is a brief description of the only three ways to build pressure in an irrigation system. I also cover some misconceptions and explain some Water Hydraulics briefly.
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www.proirrigationtraining.com...
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#proirrigationtraining #irrigationtraining #sprinklertraining
Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video. I am a new gardener and have been looking for a detailed explanation of how irrigation systems work, this has greatly helped me. Your video is the best I've found. Many thanks from the UK.
thank you so much for this information. I have been searching for so long until now. finally i can start my lawn irrigation system. THANK GOD
I'm glad you learned something from the video Marciano. There's also a lot you can learn from my free online video course and a few other course that are reasonably priced. You can find links to those at proirrigationtraining.com.
There are some many people out there, with good intent, that miss this key fact when designing a system. You video is simple and easy to understand too. Bernoulli would be proud!
Nick, thanks for watching and the compliment! That's why I make these videos, there's not really a lot of accessible education on irrigation. I started in the biz with zero knowledge and had to screw some things up before I was able to learn what's really going on with Water Hydraulics. I still don't know everything, I'm sure there's plenty of engineers that could embarrass me in that area of knowledge.
Been watching a lot of videos on this topic for a few days now but yours is by far and away the best. Thanks!
Thank you so much for saying that!
This is a great video and the valuable information that you so generously shared is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
I am a new subscriber senior citizen student, and this is my 2nd video I'm watching on your channel today, and I must say that you are a very good teacher. Thanks and Blessings!
This series is phenomenal! Thanks for being a true pro and sharing your knowledge with others!
Jim, thank you so much for the kind comment! I'm glad that you've got some value from my videos.
Simply great...First time I heard scientifically sound lecture .
Nice video thanks. I spent all day messing around with pipes and sprinklers in my nursery today, I might go back and tweak a few things after watching this.
Glad I can help. There's a bunch of basic info in my free course on irrigation basics at www.proirrigationtraining.com/introduction-to-irrigation-and-sprinkler-systems.html
An insightful explanation that makes me easier to understand with examples portrayed. Thank you, sir!
You're welcome!
Appreciate all the educational content!
You're welcome! Appreciate you watching!
This video is so informative. This is good to know.
Very good. Just the advice I needed.
Great! I'm glad the info helps. Let me know if you have any questions, and there is also an entire video course on drip irrigation at a very reasonable price that I have produced.
Great video, super informative and just what my husband and I needed for our irrigation issues. Thank you so much! I only wish we had your expertise when our system was installed, we wouldn't be dealing with issues we're having right now. 😊 Thanks again!!
What issues are you having? Anything I can help with as far as advice?
@@Proirrigationtraining Thanks for the reply! We had a Rain Bird irrigation system installed in late August last year. They put in 6 zones for a fairly small front yard. The pump would cycle on/off, so they reduced the 6 zones to 4 which ran perfectly last summer, as well this Spring, up until 4 days ago. Zone 1 still works fine, but the other 3 do not. ALL of the sprinkler heads only pop up partially and the water pressure is decreased, as well as some of them "spit", like there's air in the line. Help!! Lol! Any thoughts would be very much appreciated! Thank you!!
Hi Amy, sorry its taken me a couple days to get back to you. My recommendation is to get a competent irrigation tech to come out and look at your pump. My educated guess is that either your pump intake is partially clogged (and I'm assuming that this is a lake pump?) or there's a leak in the intake pipes somewhere that's allowing some air to be sucked in, which may be causing the spitting effect. The intake line has to be sealed up perfectly or problems can arise. I saw your pre-edited post saying you were in SC. Where at? I'm in Greenville, and I've owned businesses in Greenville and Columbia, and I can definitely refer you to an expert in either of those areas.
You're awesome, thanks so much for sharing all of this.
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
Thank you sir, great information
Great info and very well explained.
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge
Hi Bernard, thanks for watching!
Great lesson!
Thank you!
Great video, have been trying to explain this to a friend but without much success ..... ill show him your video tomorrow.... Sir, go to the top of the class...
Hi Steve, thanks for watching! Definitely show this to your friend, and also have him watch the Water Hydraulics vids that you can find in my "Intro to Irrigation" playlist.
Love the video! Similarities to electricity too. If you want to power a large constant load at the end of a wire, you need wire of (x) thickness... Going to a smaller wire will result in voltage (pressure) drop and increases losses (heat) in the wire.
Yes sir, you are correct! Thanks for watching.
very nice. you know the subject that is why you can explain it very clear
I appreciate the comment! Thanks for watching!
thank you for this video 👍
Thank you for watching and commenting!
Nicely presented video!
Thank you!
Excellent video ,very informative
Glad it was helpful!
Give this guy a raise
lol, I sure need one
Great insight
Thank you!
If my English skills are better, I'll understand your video more well, but your video is quite wonderful to me!!! Thanks a lotttttttttttttt!!!!!!!!! From Thailand:)
Greetings to Thailand! I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
I'm an irrigation technician and installer with my own business in the Reno/Sparks area of Nevada.
I just finished a doing an upgrade on a system that has a 3/4 service line and 3/4 irrigation main ,PVB, and two lawn zones.
Zone 1 is approximately about 90 feet of 3/4 sch 40 pvc with 10 rainbird 1804s with 15 ft Van's and great water pressure..
Zone 2 is 90 feet of 3/4 pvc and 40 feet of 1/2 pvc sch40 with 11 popup 1804s with 15 ft Van's a also has great water pressure.
Flow tests show 26 gpm at 40 psi.
Next house we are doing has 3/4 service line and 3/4 pvb backflow 1 zone of 80 ft 3/4 pvc with 8 , 1804 rainbirds, with 15 ft van nozzles and just barely enough pressure to pop up the heads.
You can push the heads down easily with your foot or hands.
Flow test at the closest hose bib shows 5 gpm.
I'm going to take a flow test at the Backflow to check for accuracy , but , not sure why we have no water.
Amy suggestions you might have would be appreciated.
Thanks..
Mark Nye the sprinkler guy
Hi Mark. I've definitely got some questions and comments. You said " Flow tests show 26 gpm at 40 psi." Where are the flow tests being taken at? I suggest first that you get a good liquid filled pressure gauge and check the pressure at the test cocks of the PVB. Is this a supply method of a PVB installed on an outside hose bibb? If so, there's a chance that house #2 has a pressure reducing valve on the house set lower than house #1. Testing the pressure on both test cocks on both PVBs will tell you the system's inlet pressure and also if there's a significant pressure drop inside the PVB.
The problem with both of these systems is the size of zone pipe used. In system 1, zone 1, assuming that all the 15' VAN's are at a 180 pattern, the flow demand for that zone is 18.5 gallons per minute. If you look at a friction loss chart for 3/4" Scd 40, the maximum recommended flow rate is 8 gpm. That means that these zones are experiencing high rates of friction loss (probably 30 psi lost in pipe and fittings.) This means that the inlet pressure is extremely high to overcome all the friction loss and still provide good pressure at the heads. So, what could be wrong at the second house? Lower inlet pressure, resulting in lower flow rates in the system. The flow demand for the first zone on system 2 is 15 gpm. If the flow test at a hose bibb is only 5 gpm, then there's definitely a problem. Check your pressure on the test cocks, if that's the same as the first house, then there's either an unseen leak, or your zone valves needs rebuilding. If there's no leak and the valve is operating normally, there's another trick. Replace all the nozzles with Toro Precision Spray Nozzles which have a much lower flow rate. That will lower your overall flow demand and recoup some pressure back into the zone.Let me know how it goes.
super informative! thank you!
I'm so glad that you liked the video, Yulia!
Amazing info
Thank you!
Thank you!!!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
Cheers top information
I'm glad you got some value from the video, Shane!
Thanks so much for the info (2022).
It’s 2023
This was really an informative piece on waterpressure as it pertains to my interests. I have watched several of your pieces and trying to address my irrigation concerns. I truly appreciate your videos, as I am a old school DIY. It is a bit more difficult than planned, especially trying to figure out a few dead zones - but I am working on it. This while our Temps here in Austin have been record breaking and rain? Thank you
Hey TM, you're welcome. Glad I can help. If you have some particular questions about your situation, we can talk. email me through the website.
Awesome info & video 👍 thx you 👍
You're welcome Bob, thanks for watching and commenting!
yes, very interesting and informative. Thanks!
Great! I'm very glad that you got some value from it!
Great video!! I appreciate the fact that it looks like you answer everyone questions as well. My question: I am thinking of adding a booster pump to run a large sprinkler head (Rain Bird Falcon 6504). My water source in a 3/4 hp, 10 gallon/minute submersible pump (continuous flow pump). My static water pressure is 60 PSI, but as soon as I start the sprinkler, it drops to 17 PSI and not enough to run the sprinkler effectively. My concern is- Could the booster pump potentially pump more water than my submersible can output, and damage something? My goal is to only have to use one big sprinkler head with a large volume of water instead up needing to set up multiple, smaller heads and continuously move the many smaller heads. Thanks and I welcome any suggestions.
I do try to answer questions, but it takes me a minute during the busy season. Try this with the Falcon, use a smaller nozzle. The number 12 or even 10 depending on the pressure can take more flow than your pump can output. You want it throttled back a little and not pushing wide open, it will reduce the life of your submersible pump. And using a booster after will potentially damage it as well. You want a nozzle that will flow less than about 8 gpm at the pressure it's operating at. You can just keep dropping the nozzle size until you see good performance.
I am just installing a system in my yard using 1 inch pipe to the valves and then reducing to 3/4 from the valves. Should I just use 1 inch pipe for the entire system? From my well to the furthest point is around 350 ft
Wow just subscribed awesome video
Thank you so much. Hope you learn a lot from my videos! Thanks for subscribing.
@@Proirrigationtraining I have this summer I’m putting my own system in and your videos are so informative
@@JairusJ Hope the installation goes smooth, let me know if you need any specific advice.
@@Proirrigationtraining awesome thank you
South Carolina wooooooo!!!!!
yes sir!
Great great video. Well done. Thank you. I have 30 psi coming out of a spigot sourced from a well pump quite some distance away. I need a minimum of 40psi to power an RO system which will water some animals I have. I have electricity near my spigot. Having a tough time finding a reliable booster pump that is for potable water that I can place in between spigot and RO system to feed the RO system a minimum of 40psi. Any recommendations or sources to look at?
Thank you, glad the video helped you. Goulds makes a good, affordable pump that can be used in a booster situation. Look into the GT07 (3/4 hp) or the GT15 (1.5 hp). In this kind of setup, you would need either a tank and pressure switch or a Mascontrol which is a device that turns the pump on when it senses water moving when you open the spigot. My recommendation is to buy from a local supplier so you get some warranty and support. Amazon is great for some things, but this isn't one of them.
@@Proirrigationtraining thank you.
Can we get ride off pressure pumps (energy problems) for demanding 80 psi of water by making a big water pond??and if we can how much bigger pond do we need???regards
Thanks I’m installing a cheap sprinkler system using the hose faucet our house doesn’t have a pressure regulator I measured 80 psi static pressure and 10 gpm water flow I’m thinking about using all 1/2 in pipe and for the sprinklers use rotary nozzles on the pop ups and for the big rotors use 1-2 gpm nozzles I’m doing 4 of them 👍 also curious if this setup would work ok I’m thinking it will 👍
The maximum flow that you want to demand from 1/2" pipe is 6 gpm for the thin walled version, and 4 gpm for Schedule 40 or the thicker walled pipe. If you were wanting to put all 4 heads on one zone, 4 heads @ 2gpm = 8gpm, and that needs 3/4" pipe to flow that much water.
Kevin Naderi u
Just installed my first zone of sprinklers, 3 per zone for 4 zones total. It works fine but would like to run at least 2 zones at the same time. The house has 3/4” supply reduce to 1/2” pipe through out😖, hey that’s how it’s been altered. From the bathroom, the shower and sink faucet, I lose pressure dramatically. I’ve installed a 3 stage filter system and it indicates over 80 psi. My question is do I change the pipe size back to 3/4” (through out the house) or get a booster pump just for the sprinkler system I want to continue installing? Please advice and thank you for the information.
Pro Irrigation Training ok so I guided I used 3/4 in pipe instead them my sprinklers would probably work better 😎
Great video. I have a basic irrigation question. Running a 80m hose from a 2m high storage tank across flat ground to run a basic garden sprinkler which barely trickles through. There is no power nearby so was thinking a 12v pump. Any advice how to solve this. Thank You
Yeah, you're going to have to do a battery/solar pump. And even that may be asking a lot. Check the specs of the sprinkler you bought. It probably has a minimum pressure to operate it. And that 80m hose probably loses a lot of pressure through friction loss. So when sizing a pump to buy, I would make sure it could supply at least 50% more than the min of the sprinkler. Only other option is to raise the tank about 15m higher.
thank you for this information
what I know is that: The flow rate does not change by decreasing the outlet area. it stays the same but the pressure drops and increases the velocity and that is what happened
correct me if I am wrong and thank you for ur effort
Boodi, I had to think about this and re-watch the video to see what example I used. But yes, you do decrease the flow by constricting the outlet. Actually what'`s happening is the decreased flow recoups the pressure that it had before it entered the hose pipe at the full flow and friction loss in the pipe. It had little velocity in that use, as a lot of pressure was being lost to friction. When we lowered the flow by drastically reducing the size of the outlet, the extra energy left in the pipe because of a slower travel rate through the hose pipe gets turned into velocity. The water may shoot farther and faster, but there's a significantly reduced volume of water there.
Hi. My situation is that I share a county well pump with my community. My main line from the street is 250’ of 3/4 copper. I have 42 psi at my spigot but I don’t seem to have enough flow. I tried to install a pressure regulator to raise the pressure with zero effect. It didn’t change 1 pound.
I can only run 1 impact sprinkler and it only sprays about 10’. When I run the sprinkler I get almost zero water anywhere else in the house. I run a pump in my garden hose line and the sprinkler sprays 30’ but I still can’t use anything else while it’s running. Will a booster pump in my basement close to the main line add volume to the whole house or just raise the pressure? I’d like to run multiple heads but still be able to wash the dishes while the sprinkler is on. Thank you.
Hello, please forgive me for taking a minute to reply. I actively own lawn care and irrigation companies and this has been a transitional period for us. I've got some comments and questions. 1) We need to see what the flow is at your spigot. Do a five gallon bucket test. Open the spigot wide open, then hit a stopwatch as you put the bucket under the water flow. Measure how long it takes to fill the bucket. Divide that number of seconds into 60, and multiply by 5 to get the gpm. For instance it takes 25 seconds to fill the bucket. 60 / 25 = 2.4, then 2.4 x 5 = 12 gpm. You may need to take several tests at the time your system will run to determine actual conditions since you're on a community well. 2) A pressure regulating valve can never increase the pressure, only reduce it. You probably have an issue with available flow. Replace the nozzle in the sprinkler with a lower gpm. It probably has a 3 gpm nozzle preinstalled, try a 1.5 and see how it looks. You may need to get a hose bibb timer and run the sprinkler in the middle of the night so there will be less demand on the available flow from your neighbors.
What type of pressure booster do you recommend? I believe I need one since my main line goes 250 feet from the lake pump and up 18 feet. Thanks!
Hi Barry, so sorry I didn't see your comment when you made it. I don't think you can do an additional booster pump after a lake pump of the centrifugal style. I'm not sure what it would do to a jet style pump. You really have to size your lake pump to accommodate the elevation rise etc. Call a local irrigation supply that sells pumps and they should be able to walk you through "pump sizing" to get the correct model.
Nice video! Im a landscaper thats beginning to do more irrigation. Ive noticed that many systems have 1 inch pipe at the source and then its reduced to 3/4 or 1/2 inch. Why do this if we are losing a lot of pressure?
In that situation, you're seeing "Pipe sizing." It's not losing pressure in that context, if the pipe is the right size for the water it's needing to carry. When the system or zone starts out, it's maybe pushing 15 gpm, which is within the limits of 1" pipe. But as the zone pipe continues on, and there's less heads to supply, then smaller pipe sizes are ok to carry the reduced flow demand.
I'm trying to figure out whether I need a well booster pump or a larger well tank to solve my farm irrigation problems. My irrigation system needs at least 10 gpm to work properly. My water source at the house spigot is 40 psi. Where the house hose meets the irrigation system is about 4gpm. Will a booster pump bring my gpm up to at least 10? Or does the holding tank need to be bigger to have enough supply to get out to the field (100 feet away)? So appreciative of any guidance in this matter.
Very nicely explained. I will definitely do your 101 course. In the meantime, can you please answer this question? Does pressure create flow, or does flow create pressure?
Pressure is the potential to cause flow, so I guess maybe you could say that it creates flow? There is no flow in a closed system, without pressure to push the liquid. Flow can be thought of as an enemy of pressure, as with increasing flow you also get increasing friction loss which reduces pressure.
I hope you can help me here.
I have gone through 2 pumps and had the same problem-
I now have a 2hp pump with a 2" pvc pipe intake and 1 1/4" on the outflow. Foe whatever reason I can only get 10psi and no more on the outflow. I have reglued all the piping so I have no air leaks on the intake side- I have "burped" the lines and tried to clear out any air- I have 240 volts at the pump-I am only 6 feet from my irrigagation box and 2 feet above the box.
I just do not no what else to check here. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance
Hi Eddy, thanks for watching and the question. Pumps can be a real pain sometimes. Did you replace the foot valve when you re-glued the intake line? It could be that the screen is clogged or the check valve isn't opening fully. I get the best performance from the brass 1.5" model on a 2" intake line. You can put a vacuum gauge on the intake line, if it shows very high readings, then the intake is clogged somewhere and the pump is having to pull too hard, if it shows very low reading then the pump isn't pulling enough, check voltage and pump operation. ( A vacuum gauge will also show a low reading if the pump is wide open on the output side, not connected to the sprinkler system. Pumps like to be pushing, or under "load" as it were.) Don't discount that a new pump may still be a problem. If the vacuum gauge is in the middle but bouncing around, you still have a leak on the intake. A pressure gauge on the output side can help diagnose a bad pump as well. Is there possibly a master valve that isn't fully opening? Is there maybe a ball or gate valve on the main line that's partially closed?
I would like to know if putting a pressure accumulator in the system can help me.
I have seen several videos on UA-cam where they insert an inverted bottle/container just before the outlet of the irrigation lines and show the water outlet pressure before and after insertion of the pressure accumulator and can see how the pressure in the second case is much stronger.
Is this a good practice or is it just a tease?
Thank you
Thank you for the comment. To be honest, I've never seen one, but I'll do some research on the subject.
@@Proirrigationtraining This is one of the videos discussing the pressure accumulator. (ua-cam.com/video/nswbUpJDLms/v-deo.html)
I recently added a hose bib for my garden. I tapped in to my irrigation system that has three valves on the manifold. The hose bib has great pressure. However, now the sprinklers have no pressure, even when the hose bib is turned off. Why would the hose bib (or did it) cause the sprinklers to lose pressure even though the bib is not on?
That's a weird situation. The hose bibb when off should have no affect on the pressure. The piping used to attach the hose bibb may have caused a restriction that reduced pressure or flow. Or its possible that a fragment of pipe got into the pipe during the alteration, or even a blob of glue may have moved down the pipes if the water was turned back on too soon. Check the meter or supply point, did the valve get opened all the way back up after the alteration?
Could you please advise an inexpensive pump (or at least a brand) to increase the pressure in the situation with a connection to a garden (outside) tap? I have 32 PSI at the tap, but a DB device (a pipe interrupter for backflow protection) and some other small stuff will have only 11,3 PSI (with a water flow of about 19 litres per minute). Ideally, the pump should be either quiet or be colled by water (so I can put it in a box under the ground).
Most of the centrifugal pumps sold for irrigation use are water cooled and can be enclosed. Goulds Irri-gator pumps are not exactly cheap, but very good. Actually any pump sold in a hardware store of this style can be set up as a booster pump. I've used cheap pumps from Home Depot and they worked out fine.
we are on well water in a Mobile Home Park.... shared water line... would a 24 volt pump be good to add to a in ground irrigation system to increase pressure on the sprinkler system?
Hey John, that's a tough situation. Shared well systems can be problematic. The thing to watch for when you add additional pumps to an existing well pump; you can potentially pump your well dry. If it's a huge well with great refresh rate and flow, then maybe it's not a problem. But, I would consult with your well maintenance company or installer before you do anything like that.
Do you thing it's possible to run a pressure tank off of a irrigation zone as a way to hold water for a facet occasional use? Maybe with back flow preventer?
Hi Jason. I don't think you will be able to make that work on a zone pipe, because its not sealed. The zone doesn't hold pressure when the zone isn't running. Instead, you'll need to install the faucet (also called a hose bibb) on the main line. No pressure tank is needed if the system is under constant pressure and there's not a master valve installed. The only time you really need a pressure tank is when a pump is used.
Thanks for the video. I don’t know much but I do know too many sprinkler heads on the same line decreases pressure. Is there a formula of how much the pressure decreases for each sprinkler head? Do using a specific sprinkler head reduce water pressure more than other? (ie rotors, rotary nozzles, spray nozzles, impact sprinkler heads…).
Does too many sprinkler heads reduce the pressure just mostly at the end or even the first sprinkler head?
And what type of sprinkler head still works ok at very low PSI? (I bought a house with a full system set up over 1/2 acre. At the bottom of the hill I tried to test the PSI and I think it’s like 10. There are 14 Rainbird R Vans and even a drip line to this section.
Oh, and does having all the sprinklers in a row off the same line effect pressure any differently than having the main line branch 2 separate directions with the heads off 2 different branches?
I work for an Irrigation company (I am just an intern unfortunately) but I will share what I know.
The straighter the pipe the more pressure the system will have
But if you are have pressure issues this will probably not solve your problem.
The rain bird Vans use an insane amount of water per second.
They are the most inefficient nozzles I use regularly. They are great and useful but I try to use them sparingly as they a lot more water hungry than other nozzles
If price is not a factor I would recommend getting what are called "MP" nozzles
They shoot out concentrated jets of water and are extremely adaptable with many different angle options.
But they are quite pricey as they have more Engineering put into them
Standard non adjustable rainbird nozzles use less water and would help if you have low flow out of your vans.
I have replaced a few vans on a system that did not have any of its heads popping up at all and suddenly it worked fine.
For a cheaper fix if the problem is not extremely severe I would go with getting standard non adjustable rainbird nozzles
(15H, 8Q, 10F, etc)
If you want something fancy to show off to your friends then get the MPs or if the standard nozzles dont solve the problem.
@@noobnob8055 I have R Vans, not Vans. Rainbird R-Vans are rotating sprinkler heads and about the same price as Hunter MP (which I think you are taking about as Rainbird MPR are pretty cheap).
Ah,
I rarely see the R Vans and my company just calls those MP's as well
Sorry for the confusion.
If the pressure on those is low then unfortunately the only suggestion I can make without seeing the system is to cut your system into more zones and add more valves to run less heads at the same time
But that is probably not the best option and is a rookie's solution
If the pressure drop happened after the system was running fine for a season it is very possible there is a break in the line somewhere
If this has not been ruled out, run the system for a long time and look for water where there is no head present.
Sorry I could not be more help
You're right, having too many heads on a zone does decrease the pressure. It's an issue of demanding too much water, which is the flow amount for each nozzle on the zone, at the pressure it's operating at. There are friction loss tables that tell you how much flow you can safely get through each pipe size. If you exceed the safe flow amount, the friction loss starts to go up like crazy which eats away the usable pressure in the zone. It can even affect the first heads in the zone. If you're measuring 10 psi at the head, you have a problem. Most heads and nozzles need at least 20 or 25 psi to work right or even pop up out of the body. If you find the entire system looks equally anemic, a booster pump could fix the situation. I would call a pro to do an evaluation before I went to that expense.
I have about 5 GPM at the spigot from a well. I want to put in an irrigation system on about an acre. My well is down about 295 feet just for information sake. Is an irrigation system even possible? I don't have any other water sources like a lake or stream. Would a booster bump help? Thank so much.
Hi Robert! To be honest, I don't think that well will do the job. The average rotor uses at least 1.2 - 1.5 gpm to get maybe 33 feet (@ 25 psi.) So, you could get 3 rotors per zone. If they were installed in head-to head fashion, you would probably need at least 20 - 30 minutes run time per zone. An acre would need A LOT of zones. What concerns me most is the overall run time. What is the refresh rate of the well? You would probably only be able to run 25% of the system on any day without running the well dry. Maybe I'm wrong, you should consult a well drilling company to get details.
for up hill watering, do I need install a pump? Thanks
Thats a complex question. If you have enough pressure, you may not need one. You should measure the pressure that's entering the system or zone, and calculate the pressure loss from the elevation rise. For every 1 foot of verticle rise. Remember that's straight vertical rise, the slope or length of the pipe doesn't matter, but how far the sprinkler is above the source, as if you were measuring from sea level. Most sprinklers need around 25 psi to operate, so check the specs of whatever product you're using. Also, you should use a pipe friction loss chart to measure the pressure loss through the pipe. you can find a link to those charts at t my website.
www.proirrigationtraining.com/resources.html
Could I use a well water pump with a header pipe downhill to feed a 4 acre grid of tomatoes on drip a line? Could I add an additional pump to add pressure?
Sorry I missed this comment when you made it. But I don't think you should put an additional pump on to boost pressure from a well pump. You should get the maximum performance out of your well, then design your drip system to accommodate your pressure and flow. You'll pick up some pressure on the downhill, .433 psi per foot of vertical drop. Also make sure you know the capacity of your well and it's refresh rate so you don't run it dry and harm your pump. Once I installed a 3.5/4 acre blueberry farm with dripline and it was all sourced from one well.
I believe my main is 1/2", OD is.91 all the charts i can find point to 1/2" for galvanized. Im getting 60psi at the house bib and about 8 gpm. 3/4" Pex runs off the main to supply the house. Would it be safe to assume i need a pump for irrigation? Or increasing the size of line to 1" or more?
If you're getting 60 psi and 8 gpm, you can work with that without have to add a pump. You're just going to have to pay attention to the flow demand for each zone and keep it at 8 gpm or below. That generally means smaller zones with shorter runs of pipe, but you can make it work. and you don't have to go up to 1" pipe, 3/4" schd 40 or Class 200 pipe will handle 8 gpm.
@Proirrigationtraining I live in Pennsylvania and it freezes here. Sch 40 the safest option? I'm also hoping to use the Hunter PRS40 spray bodies with MP Rotators. I watched a video with one of their sales reps and he stated the PRS40 spray bodies need at least 10pi higher coming into them to function properly. Was trying to keep pressure loss to minimum that's why I was planning with 1". Thanks for any help
@@devinlines4398 To be honest, the Schd 40 won't matter if you don't winterize your system. All kinds of pipe, even steel will burst if frozen. In your climate, all irrigation systems should be winterized by compressed air evacuation. And that's true about the PRS40s, you need 50+ psi for them to work right. But they have PRS30 as well.
I measured my PSI and jt was 60 Psi at both spigot end and the end of a 100 ft hose. Obviously because the water is not moving. How do I measure dynamic pressure and pressure lost in the hose ?
You could use a "Y" fitting at the end of the hose. Connect one end of the "Y" to you sprinkler or whatever you're using, and your pressure gauge on the other end of the "Y". I suppose that would give the dynamic pressure reading you're looking for, really the operating pressure at the sprinkler. If you didn't connect one end of the "Y" and just let it flow wide open, I think the gauge would read near zero pressure. Or you can buy a Toro Combo Gauge, which has pressure and flow gauges and a gate valve. You can measure static & dynamic pressure plus flow rate. Pretty handy. You really have to actually measure garden hoses. There's rarely any friction loss data given for them. But the friction loss is usually pretty bad.
From listening to your presentations I'm understanding a little bit, but maybe it's all the math. My situation is a little disappointing. I'm running a single zone to a small backyard with very little pitch anywhere in the line, using half inch pvc. My source is my outside spigot where I have connected to using a stainless steel water inlet house to galvanized pipe and then into the pvc line. I tested the pressure on the spigot and I have 70 psi, so it says anyway, however, when I run the system I only get maybe 8-10 feet of throw distance using a tip that based on Rainbird, says I should get atleast 30 ft in throw distance with just 55 psi. I'm not using a psi regulator at all and the adjustment screws for the tips are not interfering with the water spray, they are supposed to give the most flow gpm. How do I increase the pressure to the 3 heads which I assume would give me better throw distance ? Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.
Hello, thanks for watching and the question. What size nozzles do you have in the sprinklers? 1.5?
Thinking about installing an irrigation system. My house is on a hill and my flow rate is low. Is there anything that I can do to improve this so that I can install this in the spring? Where is you company based?
I'm based in Greenville, SC. But I'm sure that wherever you are, you can find a competent company to install you a booster pump. If you just attach the pump to the irrigation system, it's a pretty simple setup with just a "pump start relay." If you attach the pump to your house water, then you'll also need a pressure tank and switch, which is no big deal really.
@@Proirrigationtraining Thank you so much for the reply. That makes a lot of since. Are the booster pumps and tanks typically installed inside the house or outside? I will call a service company. any thoughts on specific products to consider?
Just a question. If placing your thumb over the end of the water hose increases velocity and by that makes the water go further (while keeping pressure same or reducing it and reducing amount of water flow), will reducing the pipe size with a reducer just before it goes into the sprinkler not increase the distance the water will go out of the sprinkler because the velocity will be increased?
Therefore less water covering larger area like the thumb over the hose?
If that is the case it should still be beneficial to reduce the outlet size just before the water enters the sprinkler head.
That's a tricky question. Downsizing a pipe will always lead to a faster velocity. The question is how much faster. For instance, with PVC, any velocity over 5 ft per second causes the friction loss or the turbulence in the pipe to increase exponentially. So usually a large increase in velocity leads to less pressure and would result in less distance. The conversion of pressure to velocity happens at the outlet, so what we're really talking about is the sprinkler nozzle. And the inlet size gets restricted at the head anyway. Talking about residential sized sprinklers, the barbed fitting or nipple that you're probably using to connect the head has less than a 1/2" orifice or passage. You can reduce the pipe and fittings that leads to that head down to the smallest that will supply the flow that you need. Say you're using a rotor with a 3 gpm nozzle, you can go down to 1/2" pipe and fittings, because 1/2" will flow up to 6 gpm comfortably, and as long as that's the last head, and there are no others downstream demanding water.
Increasing velocity of water also increases friction which therefore decreases pressure.
exactly
I connected my new sprinklers system to a water hose connector and no pressure. Do i need a valve?
Hi Zalo! The problem with garden hoses is that they can't flow much water to begin with, but the inside surface of rubber garden hose has a lot of friction loss, meaning that a longer hose, 50' - 100' long will greatly reduce the pressure. The main issue is how much flow does the system need to run, and how much water is able to get through the hose connections and hose at what pressure.
What most people don't realize that water going thru pipes is similar to using electricity. The more resistance you add to an irrigation system IE using smaller diameter pipes ,the more resistance you will have in your pipes and less flow rate you will have. If you don't need much water flow to the system you are supplying, you may be ok using a smaller diameter pipes . Always remember that air pockets caught in an undulating up and down ( relative to the ground horizontally) in a low pressure system can cause enough back pressure to stop a system from flowing. Air is less dense than water and will rise to the top of any upward bend ,forcing water to work harder against lifting the water up to try and displace the water through each air pocket hence the resistance.
You're absolutely right about that. Low pressure and low flow zones can present their own challenges. Excessive horizontal dips in the pipe can cause problems, and it becomes pronounced on pump systems. This highlights the need for good installation practices.
What if you cap some of the sprinkler heads , like for a system that had too many heads necessary to water the area?
If the zone was overextended or demanding more flow than the pipes can deliver, then capping some heads would recoup some pressure and also give the appearance of adding pressure just by bringing the flow rate down to what it should be.
Thanks for the feedback.
Adding heads with lower pressure heads will also help.(like rainbird MP rotators)
So if i have a 1inch in to my valves and use a 3/4for exit to PVC for 120 feet will i still have enough pressure to run 4 rain bird sprinklers gear driven?
The max flow for a 3/4 inch pvc pipe, class 200 is 10 gallons p/m, you are limited to the actual head pressure and how many gallons you are spraying. I don't recommend sizing down the pipe at the valve, Rainbird rotary heads' minimum actual head pressure is 25 psi. 1" pvc pipe cl200 has a flow of 17 gallons per minute . You also need to know how many gallons of water you are getting from the water meter before you calculate how many gallons you can spray at a zone with 4 rotors. Use 75% of what you get from the meter.
@@buscador2007 Great answer! Technically correct.
It's not really possible to answer the question. We don't know enough info. We need to know what nozzle in the rotors, what your pressure is in the main line and the length and size of the main line, what your available flow is. See the answer below for a good explanation.
@@Proirrigationtraining thank you, I am studying to get my irrigator license in Texas, it's hard but I think I can get it.
@@buscador2007 Cuando tengas la licencia,vienes a sc a poner mi irrigacion😄👍
I have connected a T tube and PVC line to an existing sprinkler line .but water not coming through it? any body help..
Ok, hopefully you got it figured out by now. But my first question: is any water at all coming through or not much? If absolutely none is coming through, then you have a blockage or a pinched tube. If there's little water coming, it may still be a blockage or crimp, but it could be that you just overextended the flow. If the line you tee'd into only had enough flow to push one sprinkler, then you tee'd into that line and opened up a tube that could flow twice that amount, then the flow is going to be very small and weak. Hope that helps.
@@Proirrigationtraining Thank you
So basically what your saying is for example,, / say my pressure is 15psi from my source of water , turning a garden hose to high pressure setting from 3/4 to 1/2 setting, your actually decreasing psi , because the flow rate went down forcing water thru 1/2" setting trying to keep up the demand of the 15 psi at the water source , may seem like more pressure to the eye but in reality is less pressure , that makes me question if psi is only measure on the inside of the closed circuit and not what's coming out ???
So I get what your saying tho itd tske longer on half setting, spraying the water in a 5 gal bucket to fill it then it would on 3/4 setting free flowing into a 5 gallon bucket due to flow rate ,
I have 4 zones and one zone the pressure is lower than the other 3 and is not enough to cover the area. Is this a valve problem?
It could be. Search for a leak first. If the valve has a flow control valve on it, open it up fully. Disassemble the valve to look for debris, and rebuild the valve since you have it taken apart. Look for a video that will be dropping in the next week called "Solenoid Valve Repair Scenarios," I cover that problem.
@@Proirrigationtraining thanks
@@Proirrigationtraining so there was no debris inside the valve and no damage. Still not enough pressure to pop the sprinkler heads all the way up
@@jimmcdiarmid7308 Ok, a couple more questions. Did you put new parts back on the valve or the original diaphragm, spring etc. when you took it apart? Has there been any wires pulled or utility work on your property? The wire pullers can pinch a pipe without breaking it. Has there been any new sprinklers or nozzles installed on that zone?
@@Proirrigationtraining I live in Hawaii and nobody stocks the parts, so I took the valve apart to check for damage or debris. Everything looked ok and there was no dirt or stones. This is at a friends house and I have run out of ideas.
A few months ago I extended another zone there, adding 4 new sprinkler heads and the pressure there is great. So I’m really stumped this time.
using a large size of pipe, say it's the same as the main in, it maintain the same pressure in the line. the guy saying he uses large pipe to increase the pressure might be true, he might just use the same pipe size as where he connects to. if the house pipe size is 1inch, and hooks 1/2 inch as outlet for irragation, it reduces the pressure on that line.
Right, I agree. Going back to the right size for the flow demand can increase your flow and reduce friction loss. But in the end, you're recouping the pressure that was already there to begin with.
What bout pipe size reduction?
Hearing like a math class🥱, it wound be easier to understand that with visual contents.
I totally get that. I appreciate the comment.
I understand what you are saying, but fluid dynamics does not. You can absolutely increase pressure by reducing diameter. This is how irrigation pressure regulators work.
I knew someone would eventually bring advanced concepts into this discussion. You're absolutely right in the technical sense. But I'm 100% correct in the context that I have described. You cannot downsize entire sections of a zone and get higher pressure. That can be seen and measured with a pitot gauge time and time again. Trying to squeeze 15 gpm through a pipe that will only carry 10 gpm (at 5 fps) results in higher friction loss and lower pressure. These videos are for the beginner technician and the homeowner trying to repair their lawn irrigation system. I have to leave the advanced discussions for other forums, it's all I can do to get across the concepts of pressure, flow, and velocity. So I do appreciate the comment. I should have a disclaimer that there is some simplification of both water hydraulics and electricity as well to keep the info manageable and job-appropriate.
Yes, fluid dynamics does not agree. Same in the Air Force on Weapons systems all bombs and rockets are blown off the aircraft and we use different size orifice to either increase pressure or decrease depending on the weight of the ordinance. But given your knowledge I understand flow rate from all my days working with hydraulic pumps etc. I will say with water for irrigation systems you are pretty knowledgeable. I have built my own and yes GPM changes (depends on the type rotor, spray, impact etc. number, size of orifice)and you may not have enough to run the same system with the smaller pipe.
just give me a cheap way to get 500' of 1" pipe. It's like $350 to $450 everywhere. I can get 500' of 3/4" for like $100.
Yeah, I know it's full on ridiculous. I think I've paid more than 450.