Planning an irrigation system …
Garden Watering Planning
Measure bucket filling time
Gardena myGarden garden planner program
Create garden plan
Create sprinkler plan
Bead hose, Micro Drip and sprinkler system can be combined?
Secure watering against frost
Garden Watering Planning …
As usual with such projects, you should first start with a small sketch on a completely analog sheet of paper. It is best to enter all the important dimensions there. This will give you a rough overview very quickly and you can then transfer the dimensions to a suitable tool.
Measure bucket filling time …
If you are already in the garden, you can also take this opportunity to calculate the water flow rate by measuring a bucket filling time. To do this, take a bucket with, for example, 10 liters and measure the time until it is filled. If the 10 liter bucket is filled in 30 seconds, you have x 2 = 20 l/minute x 60 (gives 1 hour) this gives 1200 l/hour flow rate.
Gardena myGarden garden planner program …
A very simple and completely free garden irrigation planning software is available, for example, from Gardena. Here you can get to the Gardena myGarden garden planner.
Fortunately, you can use the Garden Planner software even if you don’t want to use all of Gardena’s products, but rather use a combination of products, as in our case. We decided to use a combination of Gardena and Hunter components for several reasons. On the one hand, we wanted to assemble a system with 24V, on the other hand, we were convinced by the variety of Hunter sprinklers with the most diverse spray nozzles and ultimately, of course, it is also a question of cost, for which companies and products you choose.
Create garden plan and draw in it plot with objects …
Now, step by step, you start planning the garden irrigation by drawing the plot area, put there the house, lawns plants, terrace, furniture, pond, pool, barbecue area and everything that seems important to you reasonably true to scale.
Create sprinkler plan …
Now you can already select and place the sprinklers, set the water connection (we had previously determined the bucket filling time) and lay the pipes. The garden planning tool then already shows whether the water flow rate will be sufficient.
The desired selection of sprinkler types and the correct sprinkler size in each case automatically results from the size of the radius of the areas to be watered. Whether one then ultimately selects the Gardena S30, S80, T100, T200 or T380 pop-up sprinkler, or as in our irrigation system example the Hunter PROS-04, I-20-04, PGJ-04 or Rain Bird 5004-PC is ultimately up to you.
We find the interchangeable nozzle heads from the Hunter PROS-04 optimal, because you can easily change the nozzle attachment at any time to adapt the system to new conditions. In the small garden, the 10A and 12A nozzle attachments are used. Depending on the nozzle type, pitch circle opening angle and water pressure, you can see from tables at Hunter what the throw and flow in liters per minute will be.
When using Gardena’s pop-up sprinklers, the Gardena myGarden garden planner tool immediately shows you whether you can optimally control all nozzles with the measured bucket filling time.
Can you combine bead hose, micro drip and sprinkler system?
Theoretically, you could combine sprinkler systems, so-called Perl hoses and Micro Drip irrigation systems with an adapter, but we do not recommend it, because you are working with completely different pressures. With a little know-how, a pressure reducer to reduce the pressure and adjust the water flow rate, possibly filters and reducers, you could manage such a combination. And even solenoid valves can be variably readjusted in theory, but in practice do not provide a reliable solution when water pressure fluctuates and fine adjustment is required. With conventional irrigation technology, there are all sorts of spray nozzles, so combining a micro drip and sprinkler system is not advisable and should not be run on one line, like a sprinkler system with a drip hose. It is best to choose one system or alternatively use different lines.
Secure irrigation against frost …
Another important point is the protection against frost. Because water expands during frost and can thus destroy pipes and sprinklers. Therefore, one should either blow through the entire system with compressed air shortly before winter to transport all the water out of the irrigation system or choose so-called drainage valves, which automatically allow the water in the PE pipe to seep completely into the ground after each garden irrigation. The disadvantage of the drainage valves is, however, that one wastes thus after each irrigation the complete water from the pipe underground, without also only one plant with it purposefully to water. In this respect, we decided to use a compressor that we have in use anyway. We use the Stanley 100/8/6 Silent Air Compressor *Ad, which is also pleasantly quiet. Of course, you should only invest just under 130 Euro if you need the compressor anyway, for example, to do painting work, cleaning work on the PC or inflate tires. Who decides on the other hand for automatic sprinkler system drainage valves, should plan these equal in each case at the lowest points with, because water flows down 😉 In addition, also immediately plan gravel, because under each drainage valve you should create a gravel bed.
Once you have entered everything in the Gardena garden planner, you get a complete list of all products up to the length of the PE pipe. So if you want to go completely on Gardena products, you can go with this list below via Amazon or as soon as Corona allows it, again with or without quick test in the hardware store and buy these products.
Planning the electrical control of our irrigation system …