Hunter I-20 vs K-Rain Rotary Nozzle vs Hunter MP Rotor

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1

Hello
I have an established lawn in South Jersey w 100 Hunter I-20 heads.
Not really happy with them as the coverage is hit and miss. Lots of heads not coming up and so forth.
Rachio is recommending K-Rain Rotors.

Any recommendations on either the MP rotors or the K-rain rotors
Thanks Scott

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Heads not coming up could be a dirty external filter, pressure issue, head is clogged, etc. I probably would investigate the issue before spending the money to replace them all, unless you really want to. Just would be concerned about the possibility of replacing and then having the same issue.

On recommendations, I have Hunter MP rotors, but got them before I have heard of them. I have not compared the specs and price, but the K-Rain sound very similar and has better integration. I know several seem to have MP and do not think I have heard any with the K-Rain yet (they may be lurking around, just have not commented that I have seen).

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I’ve tried:

  1. Rainbird R-VAN24 MAROON 5.2 to 7.3m
  2. Hunter MP Rotator MP3000 BLUE 6.7 to 9.1m
  3. K-RAIN Rotary Nozzle RED 7.9 to 9.1m

to try and get good coverage for my 120 SqM (12m x 10m) front lawn with mixed results.

Setup with:

  1. 4x 90* on corners
  2. 2x 180* in middle of the 12m run.

I believe the installer really should’ve split into 2 runs of 3, (2x 90* and 1x 180*) as none of the above give me 100% coverage and I get varying results.

My findings, I don’t get maximum throw with any because I think too many sprays on the one line:

  1. Rainbird R-VAN24 MAROON 5.2 to 7.3m throw is lacking but nozzles rotate well

  2. Hunter MP Rotator MP3000 BLUE 6.7 to 9.1m give me a longer throw but give me dry patches just in front of the nozzles and worst flaw is they can stop rotating and I have to spin the rotating nozzle but will stop again at some time

  3. K-RAIN Rotary Nozzle RED 7.9 to 9.1m give me good coverage, not maximum throw of 9.1m but the nozzles all rotate consistently.

At this stage I’m staying with the K-RAIN RED as overall coverage is best and they are rotating consistenly

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You have 100 rotary sprinklers in your lawn?! How many are on each zone?

Rotors not popping up is 100% because of a pressure/flow issue. Even if the nozzle or internal screen was clogged, the sprinkler would pop up. With the I-20’s there is a big spread between the GPM, anywhere from 1.2 - 9.8pgm depending on the configuration and nozzle. Depending on how many sprinklers are on each zone, and the GPM requirement, you are likely running into a flow issue, causing pressure loss, which is not allowing heads to pop up.

Now K-Rain and Hunter are fairly similar in their output, and can range from .22 - 1.2gpm depending on nozzle configuration. So, in theory, they could help your situation, but again, how many sprinklers PER zone.

Personally, I have the Hunter and I like them. K-Rain seems similar in performance, and Rachio has built in settings that would certainly be closer than a “standard” nozzle.

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