This is only about 20 feet for me, same side of the house, just bib in front yard with valves on other side of fence
You can use a pressure gauge on the sprinkler heads to measure your pressure at each head to determine what the predicted throw distance would be (http://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/Hunter-Rotor-Pressure-Gauge-ADJ-p/mp-gauge.htm). The gauge at that link is kind of costly. That website also sells the adapter body that you could use with another pressure gauge.
Also be sure to shop around the various web stores for the best prices. Sprinkler Warehouse has the best price for the standard MP Rotators and 40 psi sprinkler bodies, but are more costly for the specialty MP Rotators (e.g., the MP Corner). EvergreenSprinklers.com has a better price for the specialty rotators and 30 psi sprinkler bodies. Both sites offer free shipping for orders over $149 and the free shipping only took 3-4 days. So shop around for the best deal and be sure to account for shipping cost.
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Dont feel too bad about your results. A few years ago i remember seeing a paper where results were anakyzed from a large number of audits across the country. The researcher looked at residential, commercial and sports field irrigation systems. The average of all in each category was a sad 50 percent. So you are average, when it comes to DU.
What can you do to improve your system?
- Measure distance between heads in the rotor zone. If you are not getting head to head coverage, consider adding additional rotors or rotating nozzles (like MP Rotator). What nozzle is installed in those rotors? Look at the manufacturer specs. Maybe you need a different nozzle, but remember the size of poly pipe or PVC limit how many gallons per minute. Check poly pipe and PVC charts.
- Check alignment and adjustments of rotors. If a rotor is sunken or tilted, that can really throw off uniformity.
- Buy a Hunter MP Gauge and measure the pressure on your sprays. Shop online to get the head adapter and get an $8.00 pressure gauge. If your head pressure is more than 50 psi, you need pressure regulated heads that maintain 30 psi. If your sprays are going off like missles, you have high pressure.
- Look at your spray head spacing. You should have matched precipitation. Google that term to get a textbook definition.
Hope i have given you a few places to start.
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I thought I would report back since I now have all MP Rotators on my lawn. The backyard efficiency went from 56% (rotors) to 76%, and the front yard went from 49% (sprays) to 71%. The front yard is running without pressure regulation and probably loses some efficiency due to high pressure, and it was windy when I ran the test. Should save about 15-20% on water or 40K gallons/year, about $50/year here. Thanks for all of the tips and hope this info helps someone else make a decision.
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Thanks. $50/year isn’t all that much but having the lawn watered evenly should make it worth it.
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