Hello All!
I have just installed an sprinkeler system with rachio 3 however not everything works 
I need the community help.
I have 2 zones for the main garden (50m2 / 538 ft2) where 5 rainbird 3500 series popup sprayers are installed (zone 1 = 2 popup sprayers, zone 2 = 3 popup sprayers).
Unfortunately zone 2 with 3 popupsprayers sometimes takes 50 seconds to pop-up and sometimes they don’t pop-up at all. On the other hand zone 1 with 2 popupsprayer seems to work fine.
The flow of the faucet is 23.5 LPM (6.2 GPM) and looking at the charts for 3500 series should be enough water flow for the sprinkelers using only 1 zone.
The person I hired already checked for leaks but couldn’t find any. Actually he was planning only to have in 1 zone for all 5 popupsprayers but then he saw it wasn’t possible (no mathematical explanation given) and added a second solenoid to have 2 zones. Still problem persists.
- What do you think is the problem,what can I do to fix this?
- Is possible to have only 1 solenoid / 1 zone for all 5 popupsprayers?
Hi!
Sound like your pressure is too low. The 3500 needs at least 1.7 bar. In the Netherlands, the pressure at the faucet is most likely between 2 to 3 bar. Pressure and flow are two very different things. If your pressure is just so-so, and you use a small diameter pipe towards your popups, the pressure might be too low to keep the flowrate high enough.
For reference: my waterpump does 5 bar, and 80l/min. Faucets are tricky.
Oh wow, what an answer you gave me here thanks also for such a fast reply!
I was asking myself If there was indeed a difference between pressure and flow, I thought they correlate eachother.
Can you explain what is the difference?
What would you do advice me to do in this case? I will certainly check the water pressure with a gauge.
Adding a pomp would be one option (I guess? Just worried about the smell of the water) or adding an extra solenoid, I just feel like 3 solenoids (2 per popup is something I wasn’t expecting. I live in den Bosch nieuwbouw. Any way to increment water pressure, contacting gementee?
Fijn weekend!
Sergio
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I forgot the person I hired used I think a 25mm pipe
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I would recommend using the Hunter MP Rotators on the Hunter Pro Spray heads. They are pressure compensated and help with the precipitation matching. I love those rotors when pressure is low and not enough volume for higher flow rotors.
You will have to tell the Rachio that you are using a different rate. They do deliver .53 or @ 13mm per hour
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Thanks spscoutenPHD for your advice!
Do you think that adding a pressure pomp to increase the water pressure from the faucet towards the irrigation system would help also?
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A pressure pump would help as long as your pipe has the volume for the delivery rate. What size is the faucet you are connected to? 12mm 18mm or 25mm?
There is a limit to water flow and delivery per pipe size and based on the pressure.
I just wanted to thank you both ND the rachio community.
I installed the hunther mp Rotators as per recommendation and now I have 5 popusprayers in 1 zone! Instead of only 2 per zone.
MP Rotators from hunther work with low pressures starting at 1 bar until higher pressures of 7 bar. Compared to rainbird they work starting 1.7 bar.
I didn’t install a pump mainly because of noise and the water it would pump can have a very strong smell or due to high iron content in water can also stain concrete or whatever it comes in contact with.
Thanks!!
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I’m glad that we could help you. Be sure to look around at some of the other topics in this forum.
There are a lot of good people helping other good people with questions about how to solve problems with their systems.
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I need the community help.
