Irrigation 101: All About Sprinkler Heads

In this lesson, you will be introduced to the major forms of sprinkler heads. We'll briefly touch on Impact Rotors, Gear-Driven Rotors in all the sizes and configurations, including Shrub Rotor and Mini-Rotor, Sprays, and Rotator Nozzles for spray bodies.

We'll cover the 3 main ways to connect sprinkler heads to their supply pipe, Flex-piped, Hard-piped, and Swing Joint.

A thorough understanding of the concept of Precipitation Rates is critical to sprinkler systems in general, but very specific to the selection of sprinkler heads and nozzle sizes.

Matching the Precipitation Rates of heads in a zone (or in any given area) is critical to achieving an even amount of water to all places. If not, there will wet or dry spots and uneven growth, health, and color in the landscape plants or turf.

The performance Charts supplied by the manufacturer will tell you all you need to know to make the proper selection of sprinkler and nozzle. There you will find the radius range, the arc adjustment range, the flow for a range of inlet pressures and the Precipitation Rates in square or triangular formation.

A quick explanation of a vital concept in irrigation system design.

In irrigation system design, you have a choice of two configurations, square or triangular. I'll briefly discuss both methods.

In this lesson, we'll briefly discuss Impact Sprinkler Heads, then dive deep into a specific product called the Maxi-Paw later in this Section.

We'll discuss the major sprinkler category of Gear Driven Rotors, and their close family, the Shrub rotor and Mini-Rotor. This is the dominant category of sprinkler heads for turf.

A knowledge of all the different options available on sprinkler heads will allow you to choose the best product for each application.

There are 4 ways that one can adjust a sprinkler head. These adjustment factors also apply to Sprays.

I'll explain the four step process that I use to quickly and efficiently adjust a sprinkler head.

We'll compare features on three of the incredibly popular products from Hunter Industries aimed at Residential and Light Commercial sprinkler systems.

An introduction to the unique features of the RPS Select sprinkler.

We'll touch on the features and adjustment factors of this ubiquitous sprinkler.

An in-depth look on a very popular product line from Rain Bird. We'll compare the base model 5000 and the 5000+.

A quick discussion of adjusting this older discontinued sprinkler.

We'll cover both versions of Rain Bird's enclosed Impact Sprinkler product.

I'll walk you through the Toro Super 800, a super tough and durable Rotor that you will continue to see in the field for many years.

I'll break down the features and give instructions for the RapidSet feature on this solid, unique Rotor.

A 1 minute tool tip about using a dental pic to help adjust sprinklers.

We'll cover some basic information on the major sprinkler category of Sprays.

A brief look at the many available options for the Spray body.

A thorough breakdown of the Spray nozzle. We'll discuss all of the categories of nozzle families, MPR or not, Adjustable Arc or Fixed, Specialty rectangular nozzles like the Side Strip. The top 5 manufacturer's products will be briefly touched upon to give an exposure to all the products commonly available.

A continuation of the brief description of all the nozzle families available from the top 5 companies.

1 minute tool tip on the most productive tool for spray heads.

A brief discussion of the newest entry to the landscape irrigation market, the Rotator Nozzle for Spray bodies.

I'll give technical data, adjustment instructions and general commentary on this fantastic product line.

We'll cover both families of Rotator Nozzles from K-Rain

I'll take you through a breakdown of Rain Bird's two lines of Rotator nozzles.

We'll take a good look at Toro's line of Rotator nozzles

A quick look at Pro Irrigation Training's resources for the Student.