You are not logged in.

  • Login
  • Register

New Rainbird system: Help!

hammick

New Member

Posts: 4

Location: USA

1

Wednesday, October 22nd 2003, 4:36pm

New Rainbird system: Help!

I had a rainbird system installed a couple weeks ago. I am having problems with not enough water in some places and way too much water in other. I will cover the backyard in this post.

Small backyard is a 25' x 28' rectangle. They installed four Rainbird 5000 plus rotors in a "t" pattern (one rotor in the middle of each side of rectangle. There are flower beds which line the back of the yard and the right side (if you are facing backyard from the house). The back and right rotor are mounted right in front of the beds.

The installer had all four rotors going (not sure which type of nozzles but they don't all look like they spray the same) and each one covered part of the flower beds in some manner.

I was getting a tremendous amount of water in the middle and back of the lawn where all four rotors would overlap. I turned off the back rotor and readjusted the remaining three. I can easily cover the whole yard and the flower beds with just three rotors (in fact I could envision covering everything with just two rotors if they were mounted in the corners and I didn't have the flower beds).

Here is my question. Doesn't it seem like they should have installed spray heads instead of rotors in such a small area? My salesman and design guy doesn't seem to be too worried about wasting water or having even coverage. It seems like five 360 degree spray heads would have covered the lawn perfectly and then a separate zone with spray heads for the flower beds. Any thoughts would be very helpful.

I had him install the wires for another zone for the flower beds so I could easily add a zone if needed. Depending on the responses to this post I may complain and make him install spray heads for the lawn and then I will pay him the $300 he wanted to install the additional zone for the flower beds.
Thanks for the help

RVLI

Supreme Member

Posts: 462

Location: USA

2

Wednesday, October 22nd 2003, 5:21pm

I don't quite get what you mean as in a "t" pattern. One sprinkler in each corner and one in the middle?

hammick

New Member

Posts: 4

Location: USA

3

Wednesday, October 22nd 2003, 5:30pm

I apologize. A "cross" would be a better anology. If you drew a cross in the rectangle the four rotors would be located on each point on the cross. There are no rotors in any of the corners.
Thanks for the help

SprinklerGuy

Supreme Member

Posts: 358

4

Thursday, October 23rd 2003, 5:28am

i don't think rotors were the wrong choice....not my choice in your situation but not wrong. Their placement was wrong UNLESS*** did you opt for one zone to save the 300 extra for planters?

And because of that, did the contractor say "then how will plants get watered" and did you say "overspray should be fine!".

If that is the scenario or close to it...then the contractors only mistake was refusing to do something he knew wasn't the right way to do it. If I were the contractor I probably would have told you the grass area is important and so are the beds..they should have their own systems. If you refused...I would have refused to do the grass in a way that would have compromised its coverage.

Move the rotors to the corners and use the proper nozzle...don't know RB5000s sorry can't advise on the nozzle. Then install new zone for planters.
Sprinkler Solutions, Inc.
Arizona and Colorado
www.sprinklersolutions.net

bhungue2

Advanced Member

Posts: 70

Location: USA

5

Monday, October 27th 2003, 6:37am

I probably would have installed 9 spray heads, but rotors do work in this situation. I would have put the rotors in the corners of the yard. You want to use the 3 gallon nozzles, and adjust as necessary. If you have to turn them down a lot, switch to the 3 gallon low angle nozzles instead.
Bhungue2
Rate this thread