Irrigation Flashcards
what’s the most expensive water to use?
potable
advantages of using potable water?
easiest, safest, reliable flow and pressure
what water source requires extra filtration?
grey water
how do we capture groundwater?
in wells
Y/N is groundwater the same quality?
no
other than tap water, which other water is considered potable?
groundwater
which water source do you need a license for?
ground and surface water
which water source may require aeration?
surface water
what’s the difference between natural pond water and a stormwater pond?
stormwater is collected from roadways/sidewalks where natural pond is a collection of surface water
how do we prevent stormwater from going into groundwater?
rainwater harvesting
which water sources tend to fluctuate?
surface and groundwater
what the source of capturing rainwater?
from rooftops
how does the irrigation industry indicate non potable water being used?
with a purple cap on the equipment
Y/N is reclaimed water ready to use for irrigation
no
what water has to used within 24 hours?
grey water
what type of water can only be used for subsurface irrigation?
grey water
definition of a block system?
block system is series of sprinkler heads that are all run by one controller and a valve at the beginning of each zone
what system takes a lot of manpower to operate?
coupler system
what system is the most efficient?
micro irrigation
system is used most of in golf courses?
valve in head
what system allows you to isolate a whole area of sprinklers?
block system
what’s thew purpose of installing a BFPD?
to prevent contamination of domestic water
what BFPD has to be installed on the sprinkler side of the system?
AVB - atmospheric vacuum breaker
what BFPD is specified by most Alberta municipalities?
double check
what BFPD cannot be pressure checked?
AVB, HCVB and dual check
what BFPD has to be installed above the highest sprinkler?
AVB, HCVB and PVB - pressure vacuum breaker
which BFPD is the best?
double check
what sprinkler is used for small areas?
spray heads
what sprinkler has low precipitation rates?
rotary heads
what sprinkler has to operate off high pressures?
rotary heads
what sprinkler has higher flow rates?
spray heads
what sprinkler is easiest to maintain?
spray heads
which sprinkler comes with a nozzle tree?
rotary heads
what is a PRS sprinkler?
pressure regulated sprinkler - regulated to a certain PSI
what’s purple indicate on a sprinkler cap?
non potable water
what’s the purpose of a check valve in the bottom of a sprinkler?
to prevent low end seepage
how does variable arc nozzle differ from a fixe spray nozzle?
patterns can be adjusted on variable arc where fixed nozzles don’t move
how does a rotator differ from fixed spray nozzle?
rotary heads move in a specific pattern where fixed don’t move
formula for precipitation rate of a full circle sprinkler spaced in square pattern?
PR = 96.3 x gpm / SxL
formula for a triangular pattern?
PR = (96.3xgpm)/(Sx(Lx.866))
formula for a part circle sprinkler?
Square spacing PR= ((96.3gpm)/(SL))*(360/arc)
what pipe is used where cultivation is required?
aluminium
what pipe has the lowest friction loss?
PVC
what pipe is the most flexible?
PE
what pipe is subject to frost cracking?
PVC
which pipe has the highest pressure rating?
HDPE
which pipe uses insert fittings?
PE
which pipe can only handle low pressures?
PE
what pipe is joined by fusion welding?
HDPE
which pipe is measured by outside diameter?
aluminium
which pipe is solvent welded together?
PVC
what is the SDR rating on a pipe?
standard dimension ratio
what does 04 in PE1404 indicate?
hydrostatic design pressure multiplied by 100
what does 160 or series 160 on PVC indicate?
maximum recommended operating pressure
which is the least damaging to a landscape? trencher or vibratory plow?
vibratory plow
2 pieces of info needed to size a pipe?
gpm and velocity
how do you calculate static pressure?
elevation x .433
dynamic pressure is determined by?
elevation, friction loss and pressure loss
what’s the purpose of a bleed screw in an electric controlled valve?
to release built up pressure in the upper chamber
what’s the purpose of the flow control knob?
to limit the amount that the diaphragm can open
how does an electric control valve operate?
A solenoid turns off and closes the pressure by-pass port and allows pressure to build in the upper chamber. When the valve needs to close a magnet is activated in the plunger and is lifted and pressure is allowed to decrease in the upper chamber
how is the pressure relieved off the upper chamber?
the plunger is lifted by the solenoid and pressure is released thru the by pass port
what blocks the bypass port?
the plunger from the solenoid
how does water get to the upper chamber?
thru the intake port
what happens to the sprinklers if the inlet port is plugged?
water is unable to reach the upper chamber
what manual valve os used on larger pipes?
butterfly valves
where is the transformer on an outdoor controller?
it is built into the wire
what voltage does the transformer drop down to?
under 30 volts
what does the “C” mean on the terminal strip?
common wire
what are coloured wires called?
field wires
what’s the colour for common words?
white
how is a valve wired?
The common is wired to either wire on top of the valve and then connected to the common on the controller and then the field wire is also wired to the valve and then wired to a zone spot on the controller
what type of programming is used on small residential controllers?
stacked programming
how are wire splices protected in an irrigation system?
with waterproof connectors
what type of sensors can be installed in an irrigation control box?
soil moisture and rain sensors
what 3 areas can filters be installed in an irrigation system?
inline, at the sprinkler heads and before the valves
least expensive filtration system
mesh filter
what filters should be used only for organic contaminants?
mesh and sand media filters
what filter is used to remove mineral contaminants?
sand separators
what filter systems are self flushing?
disc and sand
where can pressure be regulated?
inline, at the sprinkler heads and valves
where is the best place to regulate a sprinkler zone?
at the sprinkler heads
what happens to sprinkler pattern if pressure is too high?
brown donut
what if the pressure is too low at the sprinkler head?
green donut
what would you use in a shrub bed if all plants have different water requirements?
point source emitters
what would you use for a row crop where all plants are the same?
drip tape or drip tubing
what’s a root feeder for?
trees
difference between drip tape and drip tubing?
one is flat and one is round
what extra components do you add to the star of a micro system?
BFPD, pressure regulator and filter
constant for precipitation rate?
96.3gpm
half circle represents?
arc
degrees represent?
trajectory
gpm represents?
water flow
feet represents?
spray radius
psi represents?
pressure in line
best sprinkler placement in a turf area?
head to head
which sprinkler hard to maintain?
rotors
which sprinkler has both radius and arc adjustments in the cap?
rotors
most inexpensive sprinkler?
spray heads
which sprinkler needs a filter before the nozzle?
spray heads
what sprinkler has a wiper seal that cleans the post as it moves up?
spray heads
what sprinkler has low pressure rating?
rotors
3 types of manual valves?
gate, ball and butterfly
hardest sprinkler system to troubleshoot?
valve in head
what system used in agriculture uses aluminium pipe?
agricultural spray heads
which BFPD is attached to the hose bib?
HCVB
which BFPD has 2 staggered check valves?
double check
what is added to sprinklers in sports fields?
rubber caps
filters that take silt and clay out of the water?
sand separators
what sprinkler system allows for individual head control?
valve in head
where is water available to the plant and between what storage terms?
in soil pores between field capacity and permanent wilting point
what’s is plant available water?
amount available to the plant
what is MAD and the default %
management allowable depletion, 50%
how are catch cans placed in an audit?
in grid pattern
how long do you run an audit of spray and rotor sprinkler heads?
3 - 6 mins spray
10 - 15 mins rotors
good reading on solenoid?
between 20 - 60 ohms
what pump needs to be primed?
centrifugal
what pump is used n shallow water?
submersible
what type of pump has a motor underwater?
vertical turbine
what gauge of wire are used for light commercial/residential irrigation systems?
12 - 18 gauge
the constant for total dynamic head TDH?
2.31ft/psi
what indicates a broken pipe?
wet spots, puddles, low pressure and heads not coming up
3 problems that can occur in an irrigation system?
mechanical, electrical, hydraulic
what causes broken pipes?
freezing, frost cracking, shovels and high pressure
when checking the controller where should a voltmeter be set?
VAC high end
when checking the solenoid where should the voltmeter be set?
OHMs low end
what voltage does a controller run off?what does that transform to?
30v
120v to 24 - 30v
what happens when the sprinkler system if the intake port is blocked?
sprinkler don’t shut off
what info do you need to calculate sprinkler run time?
plant water requirements, sprinkler performance and soil water holding capacity
