Garden irrigation - feedback on planning

Hello everyone,

I have made a plan for the garden irrigation system for our outdoor area and would like to ask you for some feedback:

1. 6,600l cistern used for irrigation
2. The cistern is currently filled with rainwater. In the first expansion stage, it will additionally be filled with fresh water from the outdoor tap, and next year a well will be drilled to fill the cistern. Of course, the cistern should only be filled when it is empty and only as much as the irrigation requires. The rainwater should not be wasted.
3. So, the pump used will be the Divertron 1200 (4.8 bar and 5,700l/h)
4. Unlike what can be seen in the plan, I want to use the Bird R-VAN rotary sprinkler. Minimum throwing distance is 2.4m, and for Hunter, I would have to use the MP800-H because the MP1000 has a minimum of 2.8m. I do not need the advantage that Hunter reaches further, and the Bird also has a lower output, so I can save water. Either way, the sprinklers will be installed with MPR and pressure regulation.
5. Control: Hunter Pro-HC or Bird ESP-TM2 with WLAN module
6. Rain sensor and soil moisture sensor
7. Water socket planned at the corner of the garden (not in the plan)
8. Drain valve would be good




Questions
i. Can I connect the Gardena rain sensor with the Hunter or Bird control unit?
ii. Where is the best place to put the drain valve?
iii. I had read that rotators should not be connected in series. Why?
iv. I plan to dig a deep trench of 80cm for the main line with 32mm and connect the individual sprinklers from there. Good idea or better not? The pump should provide enough pressure.
v. The pressure reducer for drip irrigation directly at the distributor, or only where necessary?
vi. In general, what do you think about the position of the sprinklers? A larger play tower with sandbox will be placed at the bottom left.
vii. At the top, I planned strip sprinklers in the narrow area, or rather the rotators?
viii. I divided the left area into 3 squares and aligned the sprinklers accordingly. Perhaps it makes more sense to position 5 sprinklers on the left. That would be more than the triangular planning.
ix. There are some sprinklers that are not double irrigated. I cannot assess how critical this is. There should actually be double coverage.

1. not big but OK 2. OK 3. I don't know it personally. Volume for your application OK pressure sufficient 4. OK 5. + 6. Use Hunter Hydrawise and save yourself the soil moisture sensor. Actually, you can also save yourself the rain sensor. Hydrawise accesses local weather stations... 7. OK 8. Why? Make a compressed air connection in the valve box and connect a compressor.

i. no but see 5.+6. ii. see 8. iii. does not matter with sufficient pressure and pressure regulating housings iv. feasible if the distances are short. Otherwise, a distribution line on both sides. The difference is only the required line length v. For long distances to the drip irrigation only at the transition (higher pressure in the supply line) with short lines you can also do it at the distributor vi. looks OK vii. proper application for strip sprinklers viii+ix. you mainly have double irrigation in the shaded areas of the trees. Make sure you reach everywhere.

Thank you very much for your reply! The planning seems to be usable. I hope you can still help me with the other points.

1. Unfortunately, the cistern could not be larger, and if it is additionally filled with the well, it should be fine. I won't need more than 5m³ weekly, so that's enough for one watering, although the trees and possibly hedges will need more... Nothing can be changed now.
3. OK and sufficient sounds a bit tight now. What would you recommend?
5. Yes, the Hunter Pro-HC is currently my favorite. I have a weather station with rain sensor, sunlight, wind, etc. Is there a KNX module for the irrigation, so I can send the local data to the controller via the BUS, but also so I can possibly adjust the controller?
8. Then I would have to get a compressor. Might make sense and would be the alternative. With the valve, I wouldn't have to worry about when the frost sets in. The pipes would always be empty.

iv. Which routes do you mean? The branch from the main line to the sprinkler? What does short mean? Would you then lay the line as a ring?
v. Can I lay a main line to the drip irrigation and then a pressure reducer? Because in the planning, it only recognizes the drip irrigation as such if I go directly from the distributor and not in the ring. I'm now not sure whether the tool can't do it or whether one shouldn't do it.

I made a new version and the irrigation should be more harmonious. Only at the bottom left, I have a 5-fold irrigation. I can still adjust the angle of one sprinkler and then only have 4-fold, but then one sprinkler would only irrigate once. The problem is that a play tower of 2x2.5m will also be placed here. I don't know how good it is if it is constantly watered. I'm considering installing 3 additional small sprinklers (left, bottom, right) at the bottom so that I don't hit the play tower.

x. How can I best solve the problem at the bottom left?
xi. Is there a way to temporarily deactivate sprinklers?

3. It was not meant negatively. I would rather aim to reach around 6-8 bar and 6m3/h. Affordable, for example, Tipp pumps. But yours is really okay. 5. What KNX system do you have? For Gira, for example, there are modules. With an actuator and a transformer, you could do everything via KNX. You then get the weather data from your KNX weather station. 8. Get yourself a compressor. Always useful in the house. Compressed air connection into the distribution box and done. iv. From the distribution line to the sprinkler. If you have sprinklers on both sides, you usually run the distribution line on both sides as well (with a cross-connection). The sprinkler connection is usually about 1 meter long. No, do not make a ring. V. Usually, you do it exactly like that. Distribution line up to the bed/hedge, then pressure reducer and drip irrigation. This way you can run the long distances in the distribution line with high pressure. For short distances, as said, also possible at the distribution box. With your pump, you can basically run directly into the drip irrigation. XFS Dripline tolerates over 4 bar... x. Always catch the play tower. You surely want lawn there too, and with wind it gets wet anyway. Plan so that it can be reached from all sides. Alternatively, additional sprinklers at the tower that spray in the other direction. xi. With a valve before the sprinkler you can deactivate it. For some sprinklers there are also screw caps instead of the sprinkler head. But they still operate when rising. See no dimensions or distances. Thus, it is not quite definitive to assess.

Thanks again for your feedback!!

3. 8 bar is quite a statement. The Tipp cistern pump delivers 6 bar and about 5.6 m³ up to a height of 5 m. That would be just under €500. OK, I have to see what the budget allows, but now I know the right figures. The current pump is sufficient, for €500 there would still be some margin.
5. KNX is KNX, so it’s not a manufacturer-specific bus system. I’m currently thinking that I can actually skip the control system. The control only switches the individual solenoid valves based on a timer or weather data, which is simply power on or power off. Here I can use a simple switching actuator and switch it comfortably as I want.
8. Yep, it will be a compressor after all.

iv. So basically like an H
v. I meant rather whether I can lay a main line to all beds and then install a pressure reducer at each bed, or if I have to run from the distributor to each bed separately and then install a pressure reducer. I don’t know what could argue against option 1.
x. Yes, I can currently reach the play tower from all sides. The problem is that I won’t just touch it by a few centimeters, but quite significantly. Therefore, the consideration is to install additional sprinklers and close them if it’s not necessary. I have to check if the ones from Rechtsanwältin Bird have a screw cap. That would be an alternative. Thanks!

5. meant whether you have a logic server like e.g. Gira Homeserver... Yes, it works with a switching actuator. But you also need a transformer.

What is the diameter of the distribution line (the circuits)? How long are the distances? How long are the drip irrigations? As mentioned, you probably don’t need a pressure reducer with the planned pump if you will use XFS. If you have the pressure reducer at the distributor, you lose a lot of flow due to the lower pressure. Therefore, the pressure is usually only reduced at the drip irrigation/bed. For example, I run with 12 bar through the main line... Do I understand correctly that you want to do all the drip irrigations in one string? I wouldn’t do that because of different planting/sun exposure etc., rather one circuit per bed.