The irrigation project....
- Thread starter UncleDave
- Start date
What are you going to irrigate? Lawn? Garden?
I was also wondering why there appeared to not be a connection between the gutters and the tank...
The source of the water is a miners half inch inlet fed to the property at the far end of this pasture.
The storage tank is necessary as there isn't enough pressure occurring naturally to irrigate (more than 1 sprinkler) and when pumped the outflow GPM will exceed the inlet pretty substantially.
Garden, orchard, lawn, pasture.
There is no connection to the gutter at all.
The tank is being fed by irrigation water.
Where does this irrigation water come from?
Great question.
A series of mountain lakes, ditches, canals, and streams,
The original series of ditches and canals were dug in the 1840's by the miners and improved and maintained continuously.
The Nevada irrigation district (NID) was formed in like 1920 and has added, managed and doled out the water for the parcel rights ever since.
There is a creek near my house that feeds a main pipe that also feeds several parcels of land.
We all (all that buy in per season) share the right.
There is a water valve in a box in the ground connected to this that feeds my property with a 1 inch diameter PVC pipe.
Finding a parcel with water rights is a rare and coveted thing.
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How many gallons?
The miners half inch delivers about 8000 gallons a day.
The storage tank holds 2600, and Its got a 3/4 HP 15 GPM pump.
This looks excessively complicated.
I'd find sprinkler heads that flow the 5 gpm each, a small jet pump, and a standard irrigation timer and valve manifold to turn one sprinkler on at a time. There would be no tanks (you're welcome) in this system.
Another approach would be about a 200 gallon reservoir tank, with level switches. When the tank is full the pump starts and everything sprinkles like crazy until the tank is empty, then the pump shuts down until it refills.
Note that you still don't need a pressure tank here. When the pump is on the sprinklers sprinkle, and the flow "Is What It Is" until you run out of water, then they quit sprinkling. It's not like a house where water needs to be constantly available at a relatively steady pressure.
A huge tank only makes sense if you can store water for most of a 24 hour period then apply it at the time of day that is best for the crop. 2000 gallons is too small for that.
I'd find sprinkler heads that flow the 5 gpm each, a small jet pump, and a standard irrigation timer and valve manifold to turn one sprinkler on at a time. There would be no tanks (you're welcome) in this system.
Another approach would be about a 200 gallon reservoir tank, with level switches. When the tank is full the pump starts and everything sprinkles like crazy until the tank is empty, then the pump shuts down until it refills.
Note that you still don't need a pressure tank here. When the pump is on the sprinklers sprinkle, and the flow "Is What It Is" until you run out of water, then they quit sprinkling. It's not like a house where water needs to be constantly available at a relatively steady pressure.
A huge tank only makes sense if you can store water for most of a 24 hour period then apply it at the time of day that is best for the crop. 2000 gallons is too small for that.
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That looks like some expensive water. How do you get water for your main house?
Im always super interested in other designs and worked through this with a group of locals in the irrigation business.
I haven't yet put in the sprinklers but have laid the pipe in one field.
There are multiple reasons for the big tank, flow isnt consistent hour to hour. Flow isnt year round so there is a last fill of the year. Fire suppression.
Pump runs need to be scheduled as there is limited amperage at the pump house so I have to deal with timing for fills and timing for pumping.
There are also reasons for the pressure tank, smaller amounts without pump start, consistent pressure for the directly connected bib. Instaneous overcoming of head pressure as Im pumping a bunch up hill.....
Have any picts of your install? Im curious which heads and timers people use.
There is a well in the building next to the tank.
I guess how expensive or not is a function of what you are used to paying for and dealing with.
Back in indiana we never worried for water and pumped it off our fields.
Well water is more expensive than the irrigation by far.
The well water is pumped, filtered, Ph neutralized, softened, filtered again through a carbon block.
Then when disposed of pumped to a septic transfer tank that is uphill to a treatment center.
Input side -
Tank now has two sources of water - irrigation/ well
Pipe from Well to fill storage will be run in trench.
Automation side -
3 sprinkler zones dropped in box
1/3 trenching complete
Output-
Miners inch pressure-(around 30 PSI)
Gravity to main dump
Pressurized bib at tank sourced from storage (40-60)
There is a pressurized hose bib at each corner of the property.
Tank now has two sources of water - irrigation/ well
Pipe from Well to fill storage will be run in trench.
Automation side -
3 sprinkler zones dropped in box
1/3 trenching complete
Output-
Miners inch pressure-(around 30 PSI)
Gravity to main dump
Pressurized bib at tank sourced from storage (40-60)
There is a pressurized hose bib at each corner of the property.
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Well this project has definitely scope creeped.
Had to bring down extra power to the pump house as it became clear to future proof the thing I needed to insure I could run 2X 240V pumps concurrently.
I had to steal this from the "spa" circuit (no spa at the house concurrently) so when the spa goes in I'll have to get the power from the other side of th house - but this particle problem is fixed for now.
Im at 12 zones currently using the Rachio 3 controllers and Krain RPS rotors and various drip nozzles.
Had to bring down extra power to the pump house as it became clear to future proof the thing I needed to insure I could run 2X 240V pumps concurrently.
I had to steal this from the "spa" circuit (no spa at the house concurrently) so when the spa goes in I'll have to get the power from the other side of th house - but this particle problem is fixed for now.
Im at 12 zones currently using the Rachio 3 controllers and Krain RPS rotors and various drip nozzles.
Excellent.
I assume you are not at an elevation and latitude where freezing is a problem.
I assume you are not at an elevation and latitude where freezing is a problem.
We only get light freezes.
