What Sprayers Are These?

[whocares]

What sprayers are these?

 

[Tree Guru]

C-Frame, different brand, but the same!

 

[Bulldog11]

Those are crap. IMO

 

[We Solidarity]

maxijet c-frame downsprays but they suck and they're balls expensive for the whole assembly. The riser is brand local to cali I forget what they're called. I use Jain irrigation you have to order a bunch of it at a time but you can get 3x what you need from them for the same price as a spray head/riser combo that is very easily breakable and a bitch to clean if you ever get lazy/feed the wrong thing

 

[whocares]

maxijet c-frame downsprays but they suck and they're balls expensive for the whole assembly. The riser is brand local to cali I forget what they're called. I use Jain irrigation you have to order a bunch of it at a time but you can get 3x what you need from them for the same price as a spray head/riser combo that is very easily breakable and a bitch to clean if you ever get lazy/feed the wrong thing

The risers i believe are the bowsmith fanjet risers. I got these maxijets for 50 cents a piece.

What do you mean you can get 3x what i need? Like jains offers a different sprayer that is 1/3 the cost?

I was going to just follow jacks guide and do beds but ended.up doing 2 gal smart pots instead. I need something with a more downward spray

 

[whocares]

Also what makes these more difficult to clean than another sprayer?

 

[sixstring]

What sprayers are these?

home depot & lowes carries those.mister landscaper.lots of dif sizes and patterns

 

[We Solidarity]

Also what makes these more difficult to clean than another sprayer?

After the riser and emitter you're looking at .70-1.35 a unit. .50 cents seems pretty high for the sprayer alone that should be more like .15-.20 cents. You've also got to install either barbs on an irrigation line or octabubblers on pvc (which you then must also clean/maintain)

Any smaller than the .04 orfice will definitely clog with salts, and anything smaller than .06 clogs with any sort of amendment other than salt. Once they start getting buildup they need cleaning which
means taking them apart and reassembling. I don't even think those sprayers are made to be used in containers w/ fertilizer, they're made for tree farms and landscaping with clear water. (supposed to be able to deliver a 2 ft. spray...why people are using it to irrigate 8-12" in diameter is beyond me)

I've run pressurized irrigation for years, I used the maxis in a few rooms and can recommend 4-5 other emitters that will work better, be cheaper, and be easier to install/maintain.

 

[Bulldog11]

Dripworks.com for the win.

 

[sixstring]

After the riser and emitter you're looking at .70-1.35 a unit. .50 cents seems pretty high for the sprayer alone that should be more like .15-.20 cents. You've also got to install either barbs on an irrigation line or octabubblers on pvc (which you then must also clean/maintain)

Any smaller than the .04 orfice will definitely clog with salts, and anything smaller than .06 clogs with any sort of amendment other than salt. Once they start getting buildup they need cleaning which
means taking them apart and reassembling. I don't even think those sprayers are made to be used in containers w/ fertilizer, they're made for tree farms and landscaping with clear water. (supposed to be able to deliver a 2 ft. spray...why people are using it to irrigate 8-12" in diameter is beyond me)

I've run pressurized irrigation for years, I used the maxis in a few rooms and can recommend 4-5 other emitters that will work better, be cheaper, and be easier to install/maintain.

alot of good info there.i use those but i dont use any for of tip i just remove it and lower my pump pressure so it doesnt shoot up and out of the pot,just a slow trickle.and with the octa bubblers i just remove the screen because with no nozzles there is no reason to screen my water/nutes.
@We Solidarity can you give us a list of your prefered mist heads or setups for these auto drip setups ?

 

[We Solidarity]

alot of good info there.i use those but i dont use any for of tip i just remove it and lower my pump pressure so it doesnt shoot up and out of the pot,just a slow trickle.and with the octa bubblers i just remove the screen because with no nozzles there is no reason to screen my water/nutes.
@We Solidarity can you give us a list of your prefered mist heads or setups for these auto drip setups ?

used all of these and liked them, the first needs adjusting to get the spray angle right, the second one I used the double pattern (stake only no dripper), the third was the first I used and I like them a lot.


http://www.amazon.com/Maxijet-Irrigation-Nursery-Gallon-Containers/dp/B003409FUY

Currently using the jain stakes that take the special skinny spaghetti line that sticks straight into the poly - a friend showed them to me and I was always skeptical but they def work and they cost next to nothing if you're ordering bulk. I think they were around .45 cents with precut line, they have them in the jain catalog but that company doesn't make it easy to find/order their stuff.

 

[whocares]

used all of these and liked them, the first needs adjusting to get the spray angle right, the second one I used the double pattern (stake only no dripper), the third was the first I used and I like them a lot.


http://www.amazon.com/Maxijet-Irrigation-Nursery-Gallon-Containers/dp/B003409FUY

Currently using the jain stakes that take the special skinny spaghetti line that sticks straight into the poly - a friend showed them to me and I was always skeptical but they def work and they cost next to nothing if you're ordering bulk. I think they were around .45 cents with precut line, they have them in the jain catalog but that company doesn't make it easy to find/order their stuff.

This is my first irrigation system so im going to start with what i already bought and go from there. If i have problems i might try some of those sprayers.

I ended up buying a leader 3/4 hp pump and plumbed 6 octabubblers per zone on a 1 inch line. Do you think ill have enough pressure, or possibly to much pressure? Should i look into plumbing a pressure reducing valve into the feed line? I think the octabubblers are rated to 60 psi

Like i mentioned this is my first irrigation system will i need someone like dripclean? Im pretty sure im only supposed to feed my base thru this system, right? Things like aptus or teas will clog things up right? Or can i feed the aptus thru the irrigation line as well?

The tea needs to be hand fed because the pump will kill the bennies right? If thats the case im going to try to elevate a trash can and plumb a garden hose to the bottom so i can atleast feed the tea and or aptus with a wand.

 

[whocares]

I should probably also mention i want to be setup for 45 plants per zone but currently only have 20 in 1 zone

 

[We Solidarity]

This is my first irrigation system so im going to start with what i already bought and go from there. If i have problems i might try some of those sprayers.

I ended up buying a leader 3/4 hp pump and plumbed 6 octabubblers per zone on a 1 inch line. Do you think ill have enough pressure, or possibly to much pressure? Should i look into plumbing a pressure reducing valve into the feed line? I think the octabubblers are rated to 60 psi

Like i mentioned this is my first irrigation system will i need someone like dripclean? Im pretty sure im only supposed to feed my base thru this system, right? Things like aptus or teas will clog things up right? Or can i feed the aptus thru the irrigation line as well?

The tea needs to be hand fed because the pump will kill the bennies right? If thats the case im going to try to elevate a trash can and plumb a garden hose to the bottom so i can atleast feed the tea and or aptus with a wand.

Oh man dude. A pressurized system is ambitious for a first go. You have a LOT of questions to ask yourself.

What model leader pump did you get? How are you going to automate the pump, if you're watering zones? Irrigation timer with pump start relay and solenoids? Or will you water it manually and open/close valves every time? How big is your setup exactly? How many sets of 6?

Even if your bubblers are rated to 60 psi your emitters are only rated to 20, any more than the recommended psi and they're going to start spraying everywhere. That pump is way overkill for your setup. A 3/4 hp can do 120 plants at once.

Check it - you've got a 3/4 hp pump pushing 16 gal/min, and you're watering max 48 zones at once. So you'll be feeding each zone 42 oz of water a minute (that's if every emitter was in a pot, if you were only running 11 you'd feed over a gallon a minute), through an emitter rated for 10 gallons per minute at 20 psi? Running a pressure reducer will wear your pump out, quick. Maybe you could water multiple zones...

Did you think about how long you want to water for, or how much you want to feed in that time? Other than the number of zones you want to water those are the first questions you ask.

I shoot for 1 liter a minute at 20 psi, depending on the size of the zone I will scale my pump appropriately. All pumps have a chart of their max flow rate at a specific head length, you need to know how long your main irrigation run is, calculate the max number of emitters that will be running at once, figure out how much water will be flowing per minute, then reference the pump's chart to make sure it will suit your setup.

Depending on which model you got, you will need the hydrotronic controller or an expansion tank to be able to dial in your PSI. Without an expansion tank the pump will constantly try to pump water even if all valves are closed. You can't run the system automated without one.

you also need to make sure your pump isn't going to siphon either into your room or back into your tank; with solenoids or manual valves you'll be ok, but running the pump dry because you didn't close a valve sucks, so does flooding your room because your pump siphoned your whole tank through your pots.

Even with filters you shouldn't run any organics through your line. No kelp, no liquid karma or b-52 or aptus or any of that. Stick to salts. Even with salts you'll need to clean your lines periodically. Organics in your line, even with a filter, will cause clogs in the emitters. It will definitely cause bacterial/algae blooms in your lines and if it goes aerobic all your lines will smell like dead frogs.

there's so much. Pressurized irrigation is one of the more complex parts of growing, I'm lucky to have the knowledge I do from a lifetime of commercial greenhouses and landscaping.

 

[whocares]

Oh man dude. A pressurized system is ambitious for a first go. You have a LOT of questions to ask yourself.

What model leader pump did you get? How are you going to automate the pump, if you're watering zones? Irrigation timer with pump start relay and solenoids? Or will you water it manually and open/close valves every time? How big is your setup exactly? How many sets of 6?

I have done some recirc with pump and drip lines before but you are right nothing this complex.

I got a ecoplus 240. I planned on feeding 3-4x8 tables 12 bubblers (96 sites) in total. I also got a hydrotronic. Currently room is 2 rows of a 4x4 and 4x8 table in each row. I put a sprinkler control valve on each row and wired them to a sprinkler timer. I planned on wiring them as the same solenoid so basically just as a single zone.

The thing is even though that was the plan currently i only have 22 cuttings. So i filled 1 row with them Instead of 45 i was planning on.

Tldr: planned on 96 sites but currently just doing 22.

Even if your bubblers are rated to 60 psi your emitters are only rated to 20, any more than the recommended psi and they're going to start spraying everywhere. That pump is way overkill for your setup. A 3/4 hp can do 120 plants at once.

I know the bubblers opperate between 20 and 65 psi. But i dont know what the output pressure of the bubblers is? The same as input pressure? Like i said i planned on 96 but only have the 22 right now.

Check it - you've got a 3/4 hp pump pushing 16 gal/min, and you're watering max 48 zones at once. So you'll be feeding each zone 42 oz of water a minute (that's if every emitter was in a pot, if you were only running 11 you'd feed over a gallon a minute), through an emitter rated for 10 gallons per minute at 20 psi? Running a pressure reducer will wear your pump out, quick. Maybe you could water multiple zones...

I thought those emitters were 10 gallon per hour? Arent the octabubbs rated at 6 gallon per hour?

Did you think about how long you want to water for, or how much you want to feed in that time? Other than the number of zones you want to water those are the first questions you ask.

I shoot for 1 liter a minute at 20 psi, depending on the size of the zone I will scale my pump appropriately. All pumps have a chart of their max flow rate at a specific head length, you need to know how long your main irrigation run is, calculate the max number of emitters that will be running at once, figure out how much water will be flowing per minute, then reference the pump's chart to make sure it will suit your setup.

Depending on which model you got, you will need the hydrotronic controller or an expansion tank to be able to dial in your PSI. Without an expansion tank the pump will constantly try to pump water even if all valves are closed. You can't run the system automated without one.

you also need to make sure your pump isn't going to siphon either into your room or back into your tank; with solenoids or manual valves you'll be ok, but running the pump dry because you didn't close a valve sucks, so does flooding your room because your pump siphoned your whole tank through your pots.

Even with filters you shouldn't run any organics through your line. No kelp, no liquid karma or b-52 or aptus or any of that. Stick to salts. Even with salts you'll need to clean your lines periodically. Organics in your line, even with a filter, will cause clogs in the emitters. It will definitely cause bacterial/algae blooms in your lines and if it goes aerobic all your lines will smell like dead frogs.

there's so much. Pressurized irrigation is one of the more complex parts of growing, I'm lucky to have the knowledge I do from a lifetime of commercial greenhouses and landscaping.

Killer replies

 

[We Solidarity]

that looks solid, you'll be happy with that setup. Should be able to run 96 no problem with that pump, you'll be pushing roughly 22-24 gpm which would water 96 plants with a little under a liter/min. which is definitely not bad. With the hydronic and the pump being multistage you should be able to water a zone at a time, the pump will slow down to match the pressure you set on the hydronic.