Irrigation Pump

[Beardog]

I was wondering what the best solution to do in our irrigation. In the beginning I bought a Mitsubishi 305 & should have gotten a grundofos. I am upgrading the drip line system to sprinkler heads & got the 500-800 liter per hour & my mitsu only flows 360 liters. I can take the heads back & exchange for the 300 liter heads no problem. I was wondering can I use 2 pumps in tandem to boost the pressure to the heads or am I pissing in the wind. A booster system costs more than just getting a 3rd pump.

What do you guys think is the most feasible way around the pump dilemma?

Thanks again

Barry

[WatersEdge]

Hi Barry,

Recently built a calculator for this very purpose

If you have questions on what it all means, please ask.

The boxes you want to change to fit your particulars are colored yellow.

For every irrigation system there are a dozen qualifying questions,

so I won't even start in on all that.

Do you mean 360 liters/hour?

That would make this a mist or fogging system...in which case this calculator won't help you.

If you mean 360 liters/minute, that's enough to run 18 big double throw sprinklers at 20 lpm each

Irrigation__Calculator_20090917.xls

[Beardog]

Unfortunately it is 360 liters per hour. I was using it as a drip system but it takes to long to be cost affective to run. If I had any idea that we would be farming an acre of land I would have got a decent pump that puts out 800 liters an hour minimum. Great chart. I will save that for sure!

[nakachalet]

beardog

perhaps you should get a 800L/min instead? .... lol

[nakachalet]

watersedge

a very interesting chart... think i'll keep it on my file too....

thx

[Beardog]

I figured it out. sometimes the answer is just too obvious. When I put the initial system together , I ran 2 lines for every one needed . As it is a zone system I was able to shut down the second half & put it on a new leg. Not quite 800 lph but 720 liters per hour. close enough & works perfect. I did have a thumper Grundafos cm irrigation pump- but it will fill a 2000 liter tank in 2 minutes & would have been way overkill + I would have most certainly be putting in all new lines to accommodate the pump. Thanks again for the chart WatersEdge!

[nakachalet]

beardog

congrats. good job.

i have 4 pumps, each with 1200l/min capacity; running my four waterfalls....

they are fabulous....

cheers

[Beardog]

Those must be some awesome waterfalls! The system works fine when I cut the zones in half. thanks for the congrads- I rewarded my gal & myself with some brews after getting the 3rd & 4th zones in. Life is good! Hate that when you get a brain fart & you can't see the obvious. Cheers

[WatersEdge]

Online Irrigation Calculators

http://irrigation.wsu.edu/Secondary_Pages/...Calculators.php

List of several University Irrigation Programs

http://irrigation.wsu.edu/Secondary_Pages/...ionPrograms.php

Vast concentration of Irrigation knowledge

[WatersEdge]

I refined the Irrigation Calculator a bit.

In the earlier version I used Full List Prices for 6 through 12 inch pipe

and I bumped the larger sizes up to Class 13.5 pipe.

In this version I have extrapolated for all Class 5.0 Pipe

calculating near accurate prices from the known 4" Pipe cost of B70 / meter

I also cleaned up the format a little,

clarified some terms

hoping that it is easier for a first time observer to understand.

To explain Class 5.0, Class 8.5, and Class 13.5 Thailand PVC Pipe,

The numbers are Pressure Rating in Bar,

where One Bar is 10.35 meter H20 = 14.7 psi

So Class 5.0 Pipe is Pressure Rated for 52 meter H20 73 psi

8.5 88 meter H2O 125 psi

13.5 140 meter H2O 198 psi

Class 8.5 & 13.5 generally approximate Schedule 40 & 80, but not exactly,

as Schedule 40 and 80 are based on a uniform wall thickness,

which does not translate to a uniform service pressure.

Larger Pipe with the Same wall thickness have a Lower service Pressure.

Irrigation__Calculator_20090927.xls

Edited September 27, 2009 by WatersEdge

[Beardog]

Thanks for the great charts. I figured out by trial & error but have 2 last nahn to run & this will come in handy. Since it needs multiple types of setups. The sprinkler system came out great & for the first time in 5 years the little woman said I did a great job. Glad she is not my boss. If it took 5 years to get recognition in the states-they would be hearin the infamous Johnny Paycheck song TAKE THIS JOB & SHOVE IT!!!!

[Naam]

beardog

congrats. good job.

i have 4 pumps, each with 1200l/min capacity; running my four waterfalls....

they are fabulous....

cheers

you installed 4 pumps drawing a total of 18kWh for waterfalls? do you mind that i doubt that?

[slapout]

Probably l/hour instead of 1200 l/min. Must be large bore pumps to get the stated rate.......

[sorensen]

beardog

congrats. good job.

i have 4 pumps, each with 1200l/min capacity; running my four waterfalls....

they are fabulous....

cheers

nakachalet, you got any pictures of your waterfalls?

[WatersEdge]

Hey Naam,

It's OK with me if you doubt it...

It's not my waterfalls nor my power bill

But before you put any money on it,

you might want to plug the parameters into the posted calculator.

nakachalet claims 4 pumps turning 1,200 liter / minute each.

And that he can do it for 18 kW?

I'm running with the given information,

as nakachalet didn't post the 18kW part in public.

We don't know his elevation difference nor his pipe sizes,

But using 18 kW as the defining parameter,

looking at No Friction Motor Electricity

and changing the Elevation difference yellow box

he can push 4,800 liters / minute

14.45 meter elevation

if he uses pipe so large as to make friction not a problem.

Yes...I believe it is possible to make a very impressive waterfall on 18 kW

At my residential rate of B3.87 / kWh, it will set him back B69.66 per hour

that he sits with pals watching it splash.

Now can we attach my fish pond to it,

so that the aeration value is gained?

That way he can dine on fish with his pals watching the water splash.

[Maizefarmer]

As I read it the OP says he's running 4 pumps which have a capacity of 1200 l/pm - capacity been the relivant word - not that he is actualy moving that amount of water.

Thats the first thing, the second point is this - the info supplied is very vague and doesn't enable one to draw much of a conclusion one way or the other:

- 18kw to move 4800 l/pm against 1,445 bar (which is the same as 14,45meters) - thats no prob in theory.

- 18Kw off a domestic single phase AC system .......... mmmmmm, not impossible but unlikely - I too have my doubts on that.

- doesn't say how that 1,445 bar is made up i.e. is part of it negative sunction lift, what part is land incline, what part is back pressure from fountain nozzle output ect ect .......

- the above determine in what part of the performance profile the pump is actualy working - and untill these are defined, the pump could actualy be working a long way off it's ideal profile point and therefore the given capacity of 1200 l/pm

In short: there is insufficient info provided to arrive at an informed judgement one way or the other - its all too vague and with too many undefined criteria.

Edited September 30, 2009 by Maizefarmer