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An irrigation sprinkler (also known as a water sprinkler or simply a sprinkler) is a device used to
irrigate Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been develo ...
(water) agricultural crops, lawns, landscapes, golf courses, and other areas. They are also used for cooling and for the control of airborne dust. Sprinkler irrigation is the method of applying water in a controlled manner in way similar to rainfall. The water is distributed through a network that may consist of pumps, valves, pipes, and sprinklers. Irrigation sprinklers can be used for residential, industrial, and agricultural usage. It is useful on uneven land where sufficient water is not available as well as on sandy soil. The perpendicular pipes, having rotating nozzles on top, are joined to the main pipeline at regular intervals. When water is pressurized through the main pipe it escapes from the rotating nozzles. It gets sprinkled on the crop. In sprinkler or overhead irrigation, water is piped to one more central locations within the field and distributed by overhead high pressure sprinklers or guns.


Types


Industrial

Higher pressure sprinklers that themselves move in a circle are driven by a ball drive, gear drive, or impact mechanism (
impact sprinkler An impact sprinkler (sometimes called an impulse sprinkler) is a type of irrigation sprinkler in which the sprinkler head, driven in a circular motion by the force of the outgoing water, pivots on a bearing on top of its threaded attachment nut ...
s). These can be designed to rotate in a full or partial circle. Rainguns are similar to impact sprinklers, except that they generally operate at very high pressures of and flows of , usually with nozzle diameters in the range of . In addition to irrigation, guns are used for industrial applications such as
dust Dust is made of fine particles of solid matter. On Earth, it generally consists of particles in the atmosphere that come from various sources such as soil lifted by wind (an aeolian process), volcanic eruptions, and pollution. Dust in ...
suppression and
logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply cha ...
. Many irrigation sprinklers are buried in the ground along with their supporting plumbing, although above ground and moving sprinklers are also common. Most irrigation sprinklers operate through electric and hydraulic technology and are grouped together in zones that can be collectively turned on and off by actuating a solenoid valve.


Residential

Home lawn sprinklers vary widely in their size, cost, and complexity. They include
impact sprinkler An impact sprinkler (sometimes called an impulse sprinkler) is a type of irrigation sprinkler in which the sprinkler head, driven in a circular motion by the force of the outgoing water, pivots on a bearing on top of its threaded attachment nut ...
s, oscillating sprinklers, drip sprinklers, underground sprinkler systems, and portable sprinklers. Permanently installed systems may often operate on timers or other automated processes. They are occasionally installed with retractable heads for aesthetic and practical reasons, reducing damage during lawn mowing. These types of systems usually can be programmed to start automatically on a set time and day each week. Small portable sprinklers can be placed temporarily on lawns if additional watering is needed or if no permanent system is in place. These are often attached to an outdoor water faucet and are placed for a short period of time. Other systems may be professionally installed permanently in the ground and are attached permanently to a home's
plumbing Plumbing is any system that conveys fluids for a wide range of applications. Plumbing uses pipes, valves, plumbing fixtures, tanks, and other apparatuses to convey fluids. Heating and cooling (HVAC), waste removal, and potable water delive ...
system. An antique sprinkler developed by Nomad called a 'set-and-forget tractor sprinkler' was used in Australia in the 1950s. Water pressure ensured that the sprinkler moved slowly across a lawn.


Agricultural science

The first use of sprinklers by farmers was some form of home and golf course type sprinklers. These ad hoc systems, while doing the job of the buried pipes and fixed sprinkler heads, interfered with cultivation and were expensive to maintain. Center-pivot irrigation was invented in 1940 by farmer Frank Zybach, who lived in Strasburg, Colorado. In the 1950s, Stout-Wyss Irrigation System, a firm based in Portland, Oregon, developed a rolling pipe type irrigation system for farms that has become the most popular type for farmers irrigating large fields. With this system, large wheels attached to the large pipes with sprinkler heads move slowly across the field."Irrigation Pipe on Wheels Move Across Fields"
July 1950 ''Popular Science'', bottom of page 114


Underground

Underground sprinklers function through means of basic electronic and hydraulic technology. This valve and all of the sprinklers that will be activated by this valve are known as a zone. Upon activation, the solenoid, which sits on top of the valve is magnetized lifting a small stainless steel plunger in its center. By doing this, the activated (or raised) plunger allows water to escape from the top of a rubber diaphragm located in the center of the valve. Water that has been charged and waiting on the bottom of this same diaphragm now has the higher pressure and lifts the diaphragm. This pressurized water is then allowed to escape down stream of the valve through a series of pipes, usually made of PVC (higher pressure commercial systems) or polyethylene pipe (for typically lower pressure residential systems). At the end of these pipes and flush to ground level (typically) are pre measured and spaced out sprinklers. These sprinklers can be fixed spray heads that have a set pattern and generally spray between , full rotating sprinklers that can spray a broken stream of water from , or small drip emitters that release a slow, steady drip of water on more delicate plants such as flowers and shrubs. Use of indigenous materials also recommended.


Health risks

In 2017, it was reported that use of common garden hoses in combination with spray nozzles may generate aerosols containing droplets smaller than , which can be inhaled by nearby people. Water stagnating in a hose between uses, especially when warmed by the sun, can host the growth and interaction of Legionella and free-living amoebae (FLA) as biofilms on the inner surface of the hose. Clinical cases of Legionnaires' disease or Pontiac fever have been found to be associated with inhalation of garden hose aerosols containing Legionella bacteria. The report provides measured microbial densities resulting from controlled hose conditions in order to quantify the human health risks. The densities of Legionella spp. identified in two types of hoses were found to be similar to those reported during legionellosis outbreaks from other causes. It is proposed that the risk could be mitigated by draining hoses after use.


Gallery

File:Irrigation sprinklers uninstalled.jpg, An underground sprinkler system about to be installed File:Aspersor.JPG, Irrigation sprinkler watering crops. File:An Irrigation sprinkler watering a garden.gif, Irrigation sprinkler in
Bursa ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...
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Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
File:Irrigation sprinkler - 20070928.jpg, Irrigation sprinkler File:Irrigational sprinkler.jpg, An oscillating sprinkler watering a lawn File:Overhead sprinkler.JPG, A overhead sprinkler File:Irrigation sprinkler in action.webm, An irrigation sprinkler in action File:Squiggle 2000.jpg, Sprinkler for children File:Faulty sprinkler.jpg, A faulty lawn sprinkler


See also

* Drip irrigation * Feynman sprinkler *
Irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...
* Sprinkler system timer


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irrigation Sprinkler Irrigation Articles containing video clips Gardening toolsbr>Lawn sprinkler