ISSUE FOCUS Sprinkler Smarts

Smart controllers are the big-ticket, hot-topic items in the irrigation market. These provocative, high-tech toys garner attention for the water and cost savings they create for customers and because they boost contractors’ bottom lines. Besides, who doesn’t like a new gadget?

There are, however, more passive, lower cost ways to improve a system’s performance. “Something I mention when I talk to cities about creating irrigation specifications is that the cost difference is very low between a quality irrigation system and a poor one,” says Matt Piper, general manager of Dallas-based GP&E’s water management services division. Taking advantage of sprayhead and rotor advancements – including hybrid sprinklers, check valves and pressure regulators – is a simple way to step up an irrigation system’s efficiency. “The cost is low, but the long-term effects are great.”

WHAT’S A SPROTOR? Conventional sprinkler wisdom dictates sprayheads are used to irrigate narrow areas from 8 to 15 feet and rotors are used for wide-open areas 25 to 35 feet apart. Rotors tend to water turf more efficiently than sprays because rotors’ application rates better match the turf’s absorption rate.
 
One new sprinkler development is changing those rules. The so-called “hybrid” product, which entered the market within the last several years, can be used in areas from 4- to 30-feet wide. Manufacturers say this crossbreed product, known as the multi-stream, multi-trajectory rotating sprinkler, behaves like a sprayhead but applies water more like a rotor. In fact, one manufacturer’s distributor nicknamed it a “sprotor.”
 
“It’s neither a spray nor a rotor; it’s a device that sort of bridges the divide,” says Jeff Carowitz, a consultant with Strategic Force Marketing, San Diego, who works with San Marcos, Calif.-based Hunter Industries. “In the last two or three years they’ve really taken off in the industry.”
 
Multi-stream, multi-trajectory rotating sprinklers are installed like conventional spray nozzles, fitting over sprayhead bodies or shrub adapters. With a growing focus on water conservation, consumers are becoming more conscious of run-off and other wasted water. These sprinklers’ low precipitation rates (from 0.40 to 0.60 inches/hour) significantly reduce run-off and allow water to percolate deeper into the soil, which helps establish stronger, deeper root systems, in turn reducing how frequently the turf needs to be watered.
 
These sprinklers have been documented to use 30 percent less water compared to conventional sprays, says Mike Baron, MP Rotator sales manager for the Walla Walla Sprinkler Co., a division of Nelson Irrigation, Walla Walla, Wash. Manufacturers say they cost from $4 to $8.25 each.
 
In addition to appreciating their low-application rate and high-uniformity, contractors praise multi-stream, multi-trajectory rotating sprinklers for their “retrofitablity” and because they eliminate the need for interchangeable nozzles.

“I like that it’s adaptable,” Piper says. “I deal with a lot of existing properties, so I appreciate a product that’s retrofitable to an older system.
  
“Also, I like that you can automatically get matched precipitation without changing a nozzle,” Piper adds.
 
Other contractor benefits include easy arc and radius adjustment and less complex system design because more heads can be installed per zone, requiring fewer zones and reduced installation time.
 
As with any new technology, manufacturers are challenged with communicating the value of these sprinklers to their customers. “Getting contractors and end-users to buy in to the technology can be tough because it is relatively new, and changes in the irrigation industry tend to be incremental,” says Todd Vanden Branden, a product manager for Rain Bird’s contractor division, Glendora, Calif.
 
Baron agrees it’s difficult to convince a contractor who has been installing traditional sprayheads and rotors for years to change his habits and perception of what works.
 
Mark D’Alonzo of Cow Bay Sprinkler, Port Washington, N.Y., is one contractor who isn’t convinced yet. He’s toyed with one brand of spray/rotor hybrid sprinklers, but says he wasn’t pleased with their durability. “They’re new and we just haven’t reached a comfort level with them yet,” says D’Alonzo, a Cow Bay vice president who runs the company’s irrigation division. “But the idea is certainly good,” he says, confirming that situations occur that are too small for a rotor yet too large for a sprayhead.
 
“It works great for the application it’s intended for,” Carowitz notes, “but it doesn’t always work for everything.”

POPPING UP. Another irrigation sprayhead/rotor trend is a push toward higher pop-up heights for turf applications and pop-ups replacing risers in planted areas.
 
With water conservation experts emphasizing the importance of taller turf heights to promote deep root growth, the time between mowing is lengthening and sprinkler head pop-up heights are getting taller.
 
“As turfgrass is cut to a taller height we’re seeing the 6-inch height becoming more popular for this application,” says Carowitz, noting that 4-inch pop-up heads are still the most popular for turf applications, but 6-inch pop-ups are gaining ground, especially in California and Florida.
 
In planted areas, the use of pop-ups rather than risers is growing for aesthetic and practical purposes. “Customers no longer want to have the risers if they can have the pop-ups, which they don’t have to see in their hedges,” says D’Alonzo, noting that 12-inch pop-ups are common for shrubs. In addition to visibility issues, contractors and customers prefer pop-ups to risers because they recede into the ground lessening the chance for breakage.

UNDER PRESSURE. Pressure regulators, located in sprinkler pop-up stems, are also catching on. Typical city water pressure is 50 to 60 psi, however optimum operating pressure for a spray nozzle is 25 to 30 psi. While it’s possible to regulate pressure at the valve level, many manufacturers are adding this feature to sprinkler stems. “This way you don’t get misting and overspray, and you can be sure all sprinklers are performing uniformly,” says Don Fisher, a product and marketing manager with The Toro Co.’s Riverside, Calif.-based irrigation division.
 
Cost can be a concern, considering this feature typically adds 20 to 25 percent to the cost of the sprinkler, but Carowitz notes the payback probably will come in less than one season. “Having the pressure regulator built right into the sprinkler just makes it easy,” he says. “Some manufacturers are claiming a savings of 25 to 30 percent just by using pressure regulation.”
 
Bill Savelle, sales and product manager for Dallas-based Weathermatic, agrees that today’s contractors understand the benefits of and need for pressure regulation. “Many of the manufacturers have had pressure-regulating sprayheads out there for many years, but I don’t see the average contractors investing in these.” He says contractors are turning to an older product – the flow control valve – to tune each zone, which achieves a similar pressure-regulating effect at a lower cost. “You could pay $1.20 per head or upgrade to a flow control valve for a dollar per zone,” he says.

CHECKING IN. Customers are clueing in to low-head drainage, which creates a spongy area in their yards and wasted water running from their properties into the street. Local governments have taken notice and are taking action. “A lot of cities are starting to mandate the check valve both on sprays and rotors so they can retain the water in the pipe and prevent losing and wasting that water,” Savelle says.
 
Because check valves are fairly standard on most manufacturers’ sprinkler heads, contractors often install them across the board – even in locales where mandates don’t exist. “Now it’s just part of the application process,” D’Alonzo says. “It’s usually required by the water department, but we take that regulation and carry it from town to town whether it’s required or not. Using sprinkler heads with check valves has cut down a lot of service calls that aren’t billable because there’s nothing wrong with the heads – it’s just gravity.”
 
In Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, where Piper operates, an abundance of clay soil increases the chance for run-off. “Check valves are very useful here,” he says. “But a lot of times you see check valves in every single head on the property where there is no slope. To me that’s not an effective use of the product.” For older systems, Piper says aftermarket snap-in check valves are available, and sloped areas should be zoned separately during the design process so they can be controlled independently.
  
Check valves typically add less than $1 to the cost of the head. “It costs maybe 75 to 85 cents per head, but it’s helping us a lot more in the long run because it’s cutting down on non-billable service calls,” D’Alonzo says.

IN CONTROL. While all eyes are on ET- or weather-based controllers right now, sprayhead and rotor technology is part of the package that makes a system run smart. “There is a tremendous amount that’s coming out on the control side of the business,” Savelle says. “But the advanced controls are going to drive up the performance expectations of the sprinklers.”