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Irrigation sprinklers are used on farms, golf courses, residential yards, and other places to water crops, lawns, gardens or other plants in the event of drought. They are also used for recreation or as a cooling system.
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Sprinkler types
Industrial
Sprinklers that spray in a fixed pattern are generally called sprays or spray heads. Sprays are not usually designed to operate at pressures above 30 lbf/in² (200 kPa)(30psi"Pounds per square inch"), due to misting problems that may develop.
Higher pressure sprinklers that rotate around themselves are driven by a ball drive, gear drive, or impact mechanism (impact sprinklers). These can be designed to rotate in a full or partial circle.
Some sprinklers are also known as Floppy Sprinkler, Spray Pop-ups, pulsating sprinklers due to their water stream and revolutionary new concept having no rotating or moving parts.
Rainguns are similar to impact sprinkler, except that they generally operate at very high pressures of 40 to 130 lbf/in² (275 to 900 kPa) and flows of 50 to 1200 US gal/min (3 to 76 L/s), usually with nozzle diameters in the range of 0.5 to 1.9 inches (10 to 50 mm). In addition to irrigation, guns are used for industrial applications such as dust suppression and logging.
Many irrigation sprinklers are buried in the ground along with their supporting plumbing, but above ground and moving sprinklers are also common. Most irrigation sprinklers are functioned through electric and hydraulic technology and are grouped together in zones that can be collectively turned on and off by actuating a solenoid-controlled valve.
Home use
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Lawn sprinkler varieties
- impact sprinkler
- oscillating sprinkler
- underground sprinkler
Underground sprinklers
Underground sprinklers function through means of basic electronic and hydrolic technology. A 240V/110V mains transformer powers a controller, which sends a 24V current to an awaiting solenoid valve in the yard. This valve and all of the sprinklers that will be activated by this valve are known as a zone. Upon activation, the solenoid, which sits on top of the valve is magnetized lifting a small stainless steel plunger in its center. By doing this, the activated (or raised) plunger allows air to escape from the top of a rubber diaphragm located in the center of the valve. Water that has been charged and waiting on the bottom of this same diaphragm now has the higher pressure and lifts the diaphragm. This pressurized water is then allowed to escape down stream of the valve through a series of pipes, usually made of PVC. At the end of these pipes and flush to ground level (typically) are pre measured and spaced out sprinklers. These sprinklers can be fixed spray heads that have a set pattern and generally spray between 1.5-2m (7-15 ft.), full rotating sprinklers that can spray a broken stream of water from 6-12m (20-40 ft.), or small drip emitters that release a slow, steady drip of water on more delicate plants such as flowers and shrubs.
Sprinkler use
Most irrigation sprinklers are used as part of a sprinkler system, consisting of various plumbing parts, piping and control equipment. Piping is connected to the water source via plumbing fittings and the control system opens and closes valves to provide water on a schedule. The control provided varies depending on the equipment used; some systems are fully automated and even compensate for rain, runoff and evaporation, while others require much more user attention for the same effectiveness.
See also
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