Thanks.
My water comes from the nearby lake, so no utility bonus.
Also, I am referencing “rotating” nozzles, not rotors where are two different animals (I believe I have my terminology correct).
I like the MP Rotors. Provides good even coverage for me.
I think you should get some catch cups and check your actual coverage.
You’re using lake water, so likely not metered? Overwater and see if the brown spots get green?
Do you have good soil depth?
I wasn’t going to deal with catch cups until I installed some new heads. Or perhaps the cups will tell me what heads I should install?
No meter on the water, you are correct. Just some electricity. To overwater should I just add a fixed 10m a day cycle, or modify my flex daily?
I am not sure what you mean by soil depth. I did my mason jar sample for the area and it came out as sandy loam.
Catch cups will tell you if your chasing the right problem.
If your using flex daily, you could reduce the efficiency setting to increase the watering.
I ask about soil depth, only because I have an area that looks like that. If I stick a screwdriver, shovel, etc into the ground it hits rock within inches. I hope the rest of the world has topsoil, but its the first thing that comes to mind for me.
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I’m not sure if I’ll go,with red thread, I,can’t see it there.
Could be takeall or brown patch. But I agree it could be fungus.
I would say throw headway g. It’s more expensive but it hits 2 biochemical sites.
@Dub9 I went through a similar exercise a couple of months ago. If you have some time you can scan this post to get some ideas:
Going to the MP Rotators was a huge improvement for me, but I’m sure some of the others you mentioned have the same benefits. Do consider that any rotators will have a much longer run time due to the lower flow rate than fixed heads. For me my run times increased by about 4x. If you have a dig needing to use the space it may be an issue, but if not you might saved quite a bit do to less runoff due to better control, and a better efficiency due to less missing as stated @ronjonp.
As a professional I have used all of them except the he van, but I have heard positive reviews from one of my suppliers. I would not recommend the toro precision as I have had issues with them clogging easily. MP Rotator will work fine, but if you have good pressure and flow I couldn’t justify the added expense.
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Some suggestions:
- Check water ptessure. If the water pressure I’d more than 40 psi the spray pattern of the spray nozzles will explode. If high water pressure install pressure regulated spray bodies that regulate pressure to 30 psi
- Not good to mix sprays and rotors because they have different precipitation rate.
- Install Toro Precision nozzles (female or male thread) with pressure compensating disc. They have output of 1 inch per hour.
- Remove rotor and replace with additional spray bodies for matched precipitation.
Brown areas usually caused by low pressure, high pressure or heads spaced too far apart. I suspect you have high water pressure.
You can buy an inexpensive orbit pressure gauge at home Depot or buy a hunter mp spray head checker and buy a pressure gauge to screw into the head checker. I think you are a contractor so you can get these things at Ewing, Longhorn, Horizon, Site One, etc in the north Texas area if that is where you are located. I installed the Toro Precision nozzles and 1800 Prs heads and my coverage is outstanding now.
The Toro Precision nozzles are remarkable. They have an oscillating spray pattern and I have never had a clogged noZzle. If you are a homeowner check sprinkler warehouse.
I have already found the Sprinkler warehouse. I have spent a lot of time there. LOL.
Not a contractor, just trying to get my lawn tuned up. My one zone has 4 rotors on it, that is all. The other zones are only spray (Rainbird 10H or 10Q). There are no mixed zones.
Do the Toro Precision come with the compensating discs, or is that a different part number?
I am a bit concerned with clogging of them though, with the late water.
It looks like I could switch out my bodies to Rainbird regulating and HE-VAN nozzles for the cost of a Toro Precision.
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It is a different part number for those with pressure compensating discs. Look for the Toro Irrigation Rescom catalog online.
I found a company online who sells them. Yard Outlet. There others too. My Toro rep says the pressure compensating model really helps conto pressure unless pressure is really high. Then you need a pressure regulated head or install a Wilkins, Watts, Febco pressure regulator to control the entire system. Hope this helps.
I have noticed the pressure compensating ones clog. But I have only used them on two zones… one of which happened to break, and suck in muck… so may not be a good reference point.
That is one of my concerns, pulling from the lake, I am sure it isn’t the cleanest water. Adding a restricting disc seems like another place to get clogged (screen, nozzle, and now restrictor).
I don’t want to set myself up for more issues that I don’t know about because the system runs before dawn.
Yikes, pulling water from a lake and irrigation nozzles don’t play nice. Most important you can do is to install a Lakos (Claude Laval Corporation) Twist ii clean filter. Check it out.
I am familiar, as I have one installed on my well coming into the house (which in fact is NOT direct from the lake). LOL
The standard Toro Precision nozzles without the disc don’t have a problem with clogging. The best nozzle I know about is the Rain Bird Rotary nozzle. They come in 13-18 foot adjustable or 18-24 foot adjustable. Rain Bird calls then R-Vans.
My spacing is 10’ head-to-head, which was why I was looking at the MP rotator, or the HE-VANs, and the 13’ will be shooting past.
If I did a mix of RB Rotary and R-Vans (adjustable where needed), I would be around $100 for my system. Using Toro Precision sprays is $60, and using MP Rotator, Toro Rotating, or all R-Van is the $130 range.
Again, it is my understanding that the rotating solves issues that I don’t have, such as low pressure, water usage, an runoff.
I would go with the Toro Precision nozzles. I just bought some replacement MP Rotators and about fell over when I paid $19.80 for three nozzles. Look around on the web. I’ve seen prices as low as 2.70
apiece.
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Toro Precision nozzles help solve low water pressure issues, too. Look at each manufacturer spec chart and you will see the flow at different pressure
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