IRRIGATION AND WATER MANAGEMENT
Catch cans in place
WHAT ’ S BROKEN ? There are a lot of individual parts in a sprinkler system , each with the potential to work inadequately for various reasons . Here ’ s a quick rundown of some of the parts that could be in need of repair :
Pressure ( too high or too low ). As mentioned , high and low pressure can cause big problems . A pitot gauge can be placed in the water stream to check for the current pressure amount .
Heads that turn , but don ’ t follow the pre-set pattern . When misaligned , quarter pattern heads can turn into 360 or 180 patterns . They usually just need to be replaced or adjusted .
Heads that don ’ t turn at all . Heads often become sufficiently worn that they simply stop turning . When this occurs , a lot of water is delivered to one part of the spray pattern and not much in the rest .
Geysers . When the nozzle is completely missing due to vandalism or old age , an enormous amount of water is blown straight into the air , resulting in a lack of adequate coverage . Needless to say , a great percentage of the applied is wasted when geysers occur .
Bent risers . When risers are installed properly , they can withstand quite a bit of abuse from players and field maintenance equipment . However , when they are past their prime operating efficiency or installed a bit on the high side , they can be easily damaged . Bent risers deliver twice as much water on one side of the spray pattern as the other , a result of not delivering water at the correct angle .
Low risers . When installed too deeply in the soil or the water pressure is too low , it ’ s common for risers to fail to rise above the turf canopy . When this happens , they spray water into the grass blades rather than above them .
Leaks . When there is a crack or leak in the piping , water seeps out into the surrounding soil , causing it to be wetter than normal . The initial response is healthy , dark-green turf as water stress is being avoided . Over time , however , the result is root rot , as roots need oxygen to thrive .
Clogged orifices . Sand , grit and other debris can get stuck in the emitters or orifices , where they can make the opening smaller , and significantly distort the spray pattern . Clogs are usually only evident when audit results are reviewed .
TWO STEP AND THREE STEP An audit can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it , or need it to be . So , what ’ s the basic procedure ? Generally , it can be thought of as a two- or three-step process , depending on how you count or how you look at the overall procedure .
The first action is to turn the system on and watch it run , focusing only on the appearance of the water being applied . This is extremely valuable and visual , and is probably the most valuable part of the audit . The initial phase involves making repairs for obvious needs and gross observations that really stand out . The second phase gets to the real heart of the matter , involving measurement of water output and adjustments based on the outcome , while the third is a fine-tuning of the system .
It ’ s prudent to get started with step 1 by locating the part of the field ( s ) that is most concerning , and running the zones that cover the area for a short time — 10 minutes or so ( long enough to make the observations ). In many cases , two to three zones may contribute to a problematic area . While they are running , make a quick sketch of the field and write in general noes such as “ east head near 10-yard line
22 SportsField Management | September 2021 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com