El Presidente Hillbillios Posted November 29, 2012 hey guys n gals, So now, i have a greenhouse that i would like to install irrigation in. I have a water tank and regular house pressure pump right next to the greenhouse that i can use easily for supply. I also scored a controller and two solenoids on sale at bunnings for less than half price! i would like to irrigate in the whole greenhouse using only one zone, one bench is 3.6m long and the other about 2.4m. i have plants in the ground under the benches and have another inground bed about 600mm square. I am thinking little sprinklers for the benches and maybe drippers for the in ground beds. So, the other day i looked at the hardware shop for little sprinkler heads and just confused myself. They have a couple of different spinny head small plastic sprinklers that look as though they are decently made and only a couple of dollars each but the guys that work there are honestly not much help. These seem to be colour coded even though they look the same, i imagain that is for either flow, pressure or maybe arc radius? Then today i went to a local irriagtion shop, i cant help but feel like those guys just tried to rob me for as much $$ as they could. Similar looking sprinkler heads that he said would project a 600mm radius arc were nearly $30 ea!! they said just a few of those on the bench tops and some drippers as required would do the job. But that added upto alot more expense than the same looking things at the hardware shop. Does anyone have any experience or advise? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halcyon Daze Posted November 29, 2012 (edited) It can all be one big pain in the arse and expensive too. The little spinny things get blocked so you need a filter and then you find it all still gets blocked and you need to re-do the whole thing with bigger n more expensive parts. I'll tell you what worked well for me, a garden sprinkler on a tap timer. I elevated the sprinkler by screwing it to the top of a piece of 4x2 which was about 4 foot high. At the base, the 4x2 was screwed onto a heavy chunk of sleeper so it would not fall over. Basically I could move it around anywhere I wanted it, even outside in the veggie patch. You could conceivably have two of these joined by a t-piece or have another sprinkler wired upside down to the roof of your greenhouse. Simple and not too costly. Edited November 29, 2012 by Halcyon Daze Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halcyon Daze Posted November 29, 2012 By the way, the reason I had the sprinkler elevated was to allow the spray to reach up onto the benches and also spread evenly without being blocked by any plants. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sallubrious Posted November 29, 2012 Does your pump have an accumulator (metal dome with a diaphragm inside). They are a multi purpose device that takes the shock out of the system when the pump kicks in and they also regulate the pressure so you get a more consistent output. Without it you will get inconsistent spray patterns and could have trouble blowing fittings off. I wouldn't go with those mini rotary sprinklers, like Halcyon said they are a pain in the arse. I'd just use cheap micro spray jets with no moving parts. They can still block up but they are far less trouble than the rotary ones. You could probably get a pack of 50 of them for less than 20 bucks or for a few bucks more you can get two piece jets that can be easily screwed apart and cleaned. A good filter is essential as Halcyon also mentioned. Depending on the pumps output in litres per minute you might be best to run two zones so all the jets get the full flow and deliver the correct spray pattern. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sethomopod Posted November 29, 2012 The price you were quoted was far too expensive... A 50L an hr spinning head with stake and spaghetti line shouldn't cost over $4.. On a commercial farm, I go around maybe every few months, to check for clogged heads.. With a piece of wire, maybe 2 or 3mm.. I can clean one in about 10 secs.. We have nearly 4000 sprinklers... But, as Sallyd said, it might be a pain in the arse... Also a pressure pump with an accumulator is a good idea... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stillman Posted November 29, 2012 (edited) micro spray jets are great. What are you growing? maybe a drip line system would be more beneficial? I don't like above watering in green houses or outside for that matter if I can help it, I always seem to manage to sun bun or fungal up shit. Edited November 29, 2012 by Stillman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
El Presidente Hillbillios Posted November 29, 2012 The pump does have an accumulator, and thanks for the input guys! very much appreciated Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
