Pipe Sizing - Fact or Friction?

What size pipe should I use? What do the stripes mean? Does a smaller pipe give me more pressure?

What is pipe friction? 

So many questions! And so many myths, rules of thumb, misinformation and confusion. Let’s go through it step by step and lay out the facts.

Pipe types.

I’m going to keep it simple and just talk about polyethylene (poly) pipe. But the principles are the same for PVC pipe, steel pipe, garden hose and all types of pipe. The main types of poly pipe are

Low Density, Rural and Metric. Common sizes for Low Density pipe are 13, 19 and 25mm. It is generally rated at 40-50psi. Low density pipe does not normally have a stripe.

Rural poly pipe is an old standard which remains popular with farmers and irrigators. It is often referred to as B Class poly and generally has a green  stripe. Rural pipe sizes are 3/4”, 1”, 1 1/4”, 1 1/2” and 2”. It is rated to 800kpa (115psi).

There are several classes within the Metric pipe range each with a different pressure rating and wall thickness. It is often required for domestic plumbing with a mains supply. Metric pipe ranges from 16mm up to 110mm and beyond (16, 25, 32, 40, 50, 63, 75, 90 and 110mm) and have a blue stripe. They typically have pressure ratings of 800kpa up to 1600kPa (PN8, PN10, PN12.5, PN16).

Pipe Sizes.

Thist can get confusing. The nominal size has little resemblance to the actual measured size. Also, Low Density and Rural poly pipe are measured by their inside diameter, while Metric poly is measured by the outside diameter.  For example, 1” Rural poly pipe has an OD of 29mm and an ID of 24mm, while 25mm PN12.5 Metric pipe has an OD of 25mm and an ID of 20mm. If you aren’t sure cut a small piece and bring it in.

Friction.

Here is where it all comes together. Friction is the resistance that a pipe imparts on water as it moves through. It’s a bit like putting your hand out the window of your car. When you are stopped there is no resistance, but the faster you go, the more resistance there is. It is also similar to voltage drop in an electrical cable. In essence the faster water moves through the pipe, the more resistance there is. The resistance is called pressure loss or pipe friction. For example, if we are moving 100L per minute through both a 2” pipe and a 3/4” pipe, the water will be moving faster in the 3/4” pipe - and hence there will be more pressure loss (friction) in the 3/4” pipe. Additionally, it makes sence that water flows quicker through a 1m hose than a 1000m hose. Friction works on a per meter basis. So, the smaller the pipe  and the longer the pipe, the more friction (and thus less flow) will result. We have charts and software to help work through this, so feel free to come in and get the right pipe first time.

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When is the best time to irrigate your lawn?

How often do we get home from work, look at the back lawn or vege garden and think... I should crack a tinnie and give that some water. Well don’t. Actually the tinnie is OK, and after work is the perfect time for that, but watering the garden - you should be doing that in the morning.

Morning irrigation lets the leaves dry out during the day, which prevents mould and fungus growth. Watering during the heat of the day, when evaportation rates are high can also lead to mineral deposits which can burn leaves and sensitive plants. You will probably find that it is less windy in the morning as well, which means the water is going where it should.

While we are on the subject, make sure you aren’t watering every day. Once or twice a week max. Water deeply and less often. It will encourage deeper root growth and a hardier plant. And use less water.

An in ground pop up sprinkler system with an irrigation timer is the easiest way to do this, and in the long term it is the most cost effective as well. A well designed system will give an even coverage and will get into the corners without overspray. You will find that it uses less water and that your lawn will be beautiful and easy to maintain.

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Centre Pivots and Hard Hose Irrigators

Irrigear Goulburn has been appointed as a regional distributor for Bauer Australia. Bauer manufacture and distribute a wide range of high quality travelling irrigators and associated equipment.

Find out more about Bauer and their high quality equipment at http://www.bauer-at.com/en/

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New Irrigation System for Goulburn Mulwaree Council at Belmore Park

100mm main with solenoiud valves

Goulburn Water Systems was pleased to be chosen by Goulburn Mulwaree Council to install a new irrigation system for Belmore Park. Discussions had taken place over several years regarding the cost savings available to council by utilising the water more efficiently and reducing the amount of physical labour involved.

Belmore Park is situated in the centre of the City of Goulburn on the site of the original market place. It is a prominent landmark and popular with residents and visitors alike. Featuring a number of beautiful monuments and ornaments including the Band Rotunda, gardens, fountain, glass house conservatory and war memorials. Most important of these is the treasured Lady Belmore Tree.

Pop ups in action at Belmore Park

Our brief was to supply a complete automatic lawn irrigation system using high quality and durable materials. Previously the park had been irrigated using a mix of hoses and sprinklers along with some older manual pop up systems.

The build utilised Hunter I20 Pop Up sprinklers with stainless steel risers and check valves, installed on articulated risers to allow adjustments for future topdressing and thatching. 50mm polypipe was used for most of the laterals, chosen for its durability, ease of repair (nothing stops a well driven tentpeg), and flexibility. Hunter ICV Solenoid Valves connect the 50mm laterals to a 100mm PVC Main. 1.5mm irrigation cable was run from the valves to a 24 station Hunter I Core irrigation controller, allowing the whole system to be programmed to run automatically.

The Plan

Construction began in July 2015 and was completed in August. Services were located using Signal Support Services Pty Ltd, and much of the trenching was done by Jet Hydro Excavations and Divalls Earthmoving using their Vacvator machines. Although the vacvator trenching was more expensive than traditional trenching, it ensured that no cables, pipes or valuable tree roots were cut.

Final adjustments

The Goulburn Water Systems team of Brendon, Anthony, Cameron and Jeremy did a marvellous job, working through snow, rain and mud in order to meet the tight deadlines. The job went off without a hitch was commissioned on September 1st. The jewell of Belmore Park will now shine even brighter, and visitors will be able to enjoy beautiful lawns all year.

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Automatic Pop Up Sprinkler System at Crookwell

Goulburn water Systems recently designed and installed this automated pop up sprinkler system at Crookwell. Our client wanted a system that would keep his house yard green and pleasant as well as reducing his fire risk. The system is scheduled to come on 3 times per week and will deliver approximately half an inch of precipitation per week. We used Hunter PGP sprinklers, Richdel solenoid valves and a Hunter Pro C irrigation controller. The pump system of choice was a Lowara 5SV11 Multistage pump with Wellmate pressure tank. We are looking forward to seeing a lovely green lawn in a couple of months time.

 

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Designing Residential Sprinkler Systems Properly

Designing a residental sprinkler system can't be that hard. It shouldn't be. It isn't. However, time and again we come across home owners who have been led astray with wrong advice provided by mass produced shop manequins. (You know, B.....gs, M....10, Th.....y L..k etc.) Unfortunately these muppets have never had their hands in the dirt installing a system, let alone taken time to find out how the components are designed to work.

Take pop up sprinklers for example. Generally speaking pop up sprinklers are designed to be placed with a "head to head" spacing. That is the spray from one sprinkler head reaches to the next sprinkler head. As a minimum. Another thing, sprinklers (mostly) spray in circles or part circles. That means that a row of pop ups down the middle of the lawn is either not going to cover everything or it will be wasting water with overspray.

Pipe size is also critical. A SMALLER PIPE DOES NOT INCREASE THE PRESSURE. In fact you can't increase the pressure unless you add a pump. (That's what pumps do, by the way). It may seem obvious but we constantly come across cases where 10 or more large sprinklers are installed on a 19mm low density pipe. ("But the guy at the hardware store told me it would work.")

There are many other ways for you to muck it up. Where do the valves go? How do I make it automatic? What size nozzles do I use? How many sprinklers can I run at a time? How do I programme the controller. And so on.

It isn't that hard. And you can do it. First up, take some advice from the guys who design and make the equipment you are putting in. Hunter Industries are one of the biggest names in pop up sprinklers in the world. They have an excellent handbook on sprinkler design which will guide you step by step to a perfect pop up sprinkler design. Alternatively you can measure up your garden/lawn/acreage and bring it (or email it) to us. We can design your system for you, and then give you a quote on the parts, show you how it all goes together and have it boxed and ready to pick up.


Then all you need to think about is picking the right shovel.

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Why choose Irrigear Stores?

Get the most from every drop

We know that water and industrial fluids are valuable. IRRIGEAR STORES Members help you get the most from your available resources and can assist in the development and maintenance of your full business potential - to achieve both economic and environmental sustainability goals.

• Agriculture, Mining, Commercial, Industrial and Domestic
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• Design and Installation Solutions
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• Irrigation (all types – Channel, Drip, Flood, Micro, Subterranean)
• Irrigation Systems and Design
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The right advice 
Our friendly, highly professional staff have the experience, knowledge and support that is the best in the industry.
If one of our stores is not an expert in a particular field. one of our Members will be – and they will work together to give you the best solution available.

Best products. Best prices
Our expertise means we work with and select the best products available. Buying power also means we can buy the best products at the best prices – which directly benefits our customers.

Local ownership and knowledge, national network 
With independent owner-operated Member stores across Australia, IRRIGEAR STORES are an integral part of their local communities, and we are experienced in providing water and fluid management solutions across a range of Australian environmental conditions. 

Unsurpassed range of products and services 
In addition to the services listed above, our extensive range of services include –

• Irrigation Design
(Drip Systems, Fixed Sprinklers, Centre Pivots, Lateral Moves, Micro and Subterranean Irrigation, Fertilizer Injection)

• Consulting and Design Services
(Specific advice, design and planning - whatever your needs and wherever you are).


Goulburn Water Systems are proud to be a member of Irrigear Stores

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