Watering your lawn - a how-to and sprinklers to use

[spidey07]

I've tried every sprinkler known to man kind. Easily over 25 sprinklers perpetually looking for what is needed. And you engineers will get hoot over this.

Quite simply there is nothing better than the original rainbird design. It's ability to lay down the water as quickly as possible cannot be beat. The main goal is to put down as much water as possible, as quickly as possible so you water deep into the soil.

First off - these kinds of sprinklers SUCK, had one going for almost 3 hours now and the actual roots aren't getting much of anything. I knew they sucked from previous experience but thought I'd give it another chance.
cylinder sprinkler

Here is the ultimate engineering beauty of rainbird type sprinklers - water pressure is not used to move it. Nothing is taken from the pressure at all, just Newton, angles, force and mass.

Rainbird type sprinkler

So if you want to water deeply into the soil put as much water as your can as quickly as possible. I have about 65 psi pressure at two outlets and a rainbird on each will water the areas I'm targeting with about 1-1.5 hours. 3 hours on a damn cylinder and nothing.

-CLIFFS-
-rainbird type sprinklers cannot be beat, they lay down the water.
-water deep in early morning or late evening
-make sure the sprinkler head is secure and doesn't waste it's energy bouncing around, this requires spikes or my favorite, bricks.

 

[Zim Hosein]

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: spidey07

-water deep in early morning or late evening

I hate seeing people / golf courses watering at noon ... it's such a pointless waste of money and resources.

 

[GoingUp]

You know why those types of sprinklers are racist?

 

[Mo0o]

Artificial grass ftw?

 

[sdifox]

I never understood people who bury pipes just so they can water from the top? Why not feed the roots directly?

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Zim Hosein

C'mon dude. Think about it - all that pressure you're using to turn the actual sprinkler is lost...turning the sprinkler head. The beauty of these is you don't lose that power and use Newton to your advantage.

It's brilliant in its design actually.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: BeauJangles

Originally posted by: spidey07

-water deep in early morning or late evening

I hate seeing people / golf courses watering at noon ... it's such a pointless waste of money and resources.

a few weeks ago my dad put in a sprinkler system. got a time to run all the sections and everything. before he was done we got rain....then more....then more, regularly enough that hes barely used it.

he started again this week....and has been turning it on manually at 10 in the morning or 3 in the afternoon, despite that he told me when he put it in the best time is early morning or late evening (and he has it programmed for 5am!). *sigh*

 

[Rudee]

It's a friggin' sprinkler.

 

[Zim Hosein]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Zim Hosein

C'mon dude. Think about it - all that pressure you're using to turn the actual sprinkler is lost...turning the sprinkler head. The beauty of these is you don't lose that power and use Newton to your advantage.

It's brilliant in its design actually.

I live in NYC, I down have a lawn spidey07!

 

[Linflas]

My yard pwns those rainbird sprinklers on spikes. I finally gave up on them because this ridiculous red clay that passes for soil here is so hard the spikes break.

 

[JohnCU]

Originally posted by: spidey07
water.
-water deep in early morning or late evening

it's best to water early in the morning. if you leave it wet all night it creates a breeding ground for grass..diseases or bacteria or whatever you want to call it.

 

[BackFlow]

Impact sprinkler heads may have higher output in a short period of time due to its large nozzle size, however it is a poor design for even water distribution when compare to spray head or rotor type.

Pop up rotor or spray head eliminate dirt jams problems that associate with impact pop up type.

Most people go for distance of throw with impact that exacerbate its inherit problem with uneven water distribution. The rotor/spray work well when you don't have to throw water greater than 12' with crossover grid pattern for even water distribution (easily lower water consumption by at least 1/3 of standard impact long throw type).

[add] Every manufacture make impact, spray head, and rotor type sprinklers. And, the nozzle size determine the volume (gal/min) of water distribution.

 

[BackFlow]

Originally posted by: sdifox
I never understood people who bury pipes just so they can water from the top? Why not feed the roots directly?

Maintenance.

 

[BackFlow]

Originally posted by: JohnCU

Originally posted by: spidey07
water.
-water deep in early morning or late evening

it's best to water early in the morning. if you leave it wet all night it creates a breeding ground for grass..diseases or bacteria or whatever you want to call it.

Wet grass is over blown. It was a problem in the past because people over water (waterlogged) their lawn. Today it isn't much of a problem because of water restriction/control and better drainage design.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: JohnCU

Originally posted by: spidey07
water.
-water deep in early morning or late evening

it's best to water early in the morning. if you leave it wet all night it creates a breeding ground for grass..diseases or bacteria or whatever you want to call it.

Absolutely, sometimes late evening is all you can do. Why folks water in the heat of the day boggles my mind.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Linflas
My yard pwns those rainbird sprinklers on spikes. I finally gave up on them because this ridiculous red clay that passes for soil here is so hard the spikes break.

I take the sprinkler and "shoot" it into the soil for maybe 30 seconds. That lets you place it and then I use a brick to keep it stable. Get the ones that aren't a single spike, but a spike with a small blade into the soil to stabilize it.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: BackFlow
Impact sprinkler heads may have higher output in a short period of time due to its large nozzle size, however it is a poor design for even water distribution when compare to spray head or rotor or type.

Pop up rotor or spray head eliminate dirt jams problems that associate with impact pop up type.

Most people go for distance of throw with impact that exacerbate its inherit problem with uneven water distribution. The rotor/spray work well when you don't have to throw water greater than 12' with crossover grid pattern for even water distribution (easily lower water consumption by at least 1/3 of standard impact long throw type).

[add] Every manufacture make impact, spray head, and rotor type sprinklers. And, the nozzle size determine the volume (gal/min) of water distribution.

Given your handle, please do tell what's up. Maybe explain the lingo so that I and others can understand.

I "think" from what you're saying that golf courses use rotor heads? Basically they just throw water in a 360 degree pattern?

 

[middlehead]

Originally posted by: Gobadgrs
You know why those types of sprinklers are racist?

:thumbsup:

 

[KK]

this is my favorite sprinkler. Now if I can just keep the wife from running them over.

 

[finite automaton]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: JohnCU

Originally posted by: spidey07
water.
-water deep in early morning or late evening

it's best to water early in the morning. if you leave it wet all night it creates a breeding ground for grass..diseases or bacteria or whatever you want to call it.

Absolutely, sometimes late evening is all you can do. Why folks water in the heat of the day boggles my mind.

So I guess when it rains in the middle of the night you start crapping yourself?

 

[finite automaton]

Here is the sprinkler we use

http://www.amazon.com/John-Dee...er-4010J/dp/B0001ANC7M

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: JohnCU

Originally posted by: spidey07
water.
-water deep in early morning or late evening

it's best to water early in the morning. if you leave it wet all night it creates a breeding ground for grass..diseases or bacteria or whatever you want to call it.

Correct

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: BackFlow

Originally posted by: JohnCU

Originally posted by: spidey07
water.
-water deep in early morning or late evening

it's best to water early in the morning. if you leave it wet all night it creates a breeding ground for grass..diseases or bacteria or whatever you want to call it.

Wet grass is over blown. It was a problem in the past because people over water (waterlogged) their lawn. Today it isn't much of a problem because of water restriction/control and better drainage design.

Um. Still happens all the time. Not every town/city has water restrictions and everybody's lawn is different in regards to drainage.

 

[BackFlow]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: BackFlow
Impact sprinkler heads may have higher output in a short period of time due to its large nozzle size, however it is a poor design for even water distribution when compare to spray head or rotor or type.

Pop up rotor or spray head eliminate dirt jams problems that associate with impact pop up type.

Most people go for distance of throw with impact that exacerbate its inherit problem with uneven water distribution. The rotor/spray work well when you don't have to throw water greater than 12' with crossover grid pattern for even water distribution (easily lower water consumption by at least 1/3 of standard impact long throw type).

[add] Every manufacture make impact, spray head, and rotor type sprinklers. And, the nozzle size determine the volume (gal/min) of water distribution.

Given your handle, please do tell what's up. Maybe explain the lingo so that I and others can understand.

I "think" from what you're saying that golf courses use rotor heads? Basically they just throw water in a 360 degree pattern?

The Rainbird head that you described is an impact type. Rainbird is well known with home owner, because the brand is distribute by box stores, while other brands that aren't as well known tend to be distribute by specialty stores.

Rotor is gear driven and the nozzle is design to have more even water distribution from the sprinkler head to the farthest reach of the spray pattern. There are rotor heads that design to have great throw distance (almost as far as impact type), but at the sacrifice of even water distribution. (wind factor also become more and more important as the distance grow)

Spray head commonly can be seen in flower beds because it have a fixed spray pattern (simple design, no moving parts, less maintenance), however they don't reach very far as compare to rotor or impact head.

The best design is to have spray head due to lower maintenance, even water distribution, and isn't as prone to wind factor as rotor type. However, it cost more on initial investment, and greater consideration for irrigation design.

An increase in the speed of the fluid occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure. Bernoulli