Has anyone seen this before?

[Dirty Water]

I did some work on a system thats new to us. The front yard was about 50'x30'...The original installer uses sprayheads, and only 6 of them to do it. Needless to say it wasn't exactly head to head :laugh:

Anyways, we needed to move two heads because they were actually in the cities right of way, so I had one of the guys dig it up. Found the head, attached to funny pipe. Started following the funny pipe and after about 4' we find a funny pipe tee, heading towards another head. Turns out the original installer was running 2 heads off one run of funny pipe about 10' from a 3/4" lateral.....:Laugh:

Anyways, thats only the first weird thing.

In the side yard, I had to move a few more heads and discover that they ran funny pipe down the length of the yard, and tee'd each head into it with about 4" of funny pipe on each tee. I'm guessing that its being fed by a PVC line in a few spots, because it actually had pressure....but still weird. I've never seen anyone use funny pipe for more than one head, or run it more than 2'-3'.

[Desertdweller]

I used to go through rolls of FP each week. I've run 2 rotors off one FP line with a T and 25' from the poly line. Could not tell any difference in distance or coverage from the heads mounted on the 1" poly line. Have easily run 3 sprays off 1 FP line. Not a normal installation technique but sometimes you have to do what you do.

[Dirty Water]

I used to go through rolls of FP each week. I've run 2 rotors off one FP line with a T and 25' from the poly line. Could not tell any difference in distance or coverage from the heads mounted on the 1" poly line. Have easily run 3 sprays off 1 FP line. Not a normal installation technique but sometimes you have to do what you do.

Have you ever looked at the pressure loss from FP and what the water velocity would be?

[greenhorn123]

sure

funny pipe tees, usually to add a head in a bed.

ive pulled up to 20 feet of funny pipe with the machine, but i build poly manifolds.

your guy was probably the home owner

[Dirty Water]

ive pulled up to 20 feet of funny pipe with the machine, but i build poly manifolds.


You guys are forgetting how thick of a wall funny pipe has. Take a look at the charts, you will exceed 5 FPS very easily.



your guy was probably the home owner

Nope, local landscrape "pro"

[greenhorn123]

"it'll be alright"

ive seen someone tuck some funny pipe in that little crack between the conrete stairs and the foundation being used as the mainline.

[Dirty Water]

Alright does not equal right in my book.

But I'm picky.

[jerryrwm]

The 5 fps velocity rule applies to solvent welded PVC. It is used as a rule to reduce the effects of water hammer to a closed piping system when a valve closes.

On the lateral or open end of a pipe system the kinetic energy has a way to easily dissipate by flowing out of the nozzles. Water hammer is negligible on open piping.

Agricultural designers regularly use velocities that exceed 8 fps on large drip systems that use 125 psi PVC pipe for sub mains and laterals that may be 4" or 6". Their thinking is that with as many as 3000 emitter orifices on the system there is plenty of outlets for the energy dissipation.

And the ASIC design criteria calls for a maximum of 6 fps.

Also, pressure loss in funny pipe at 3 gpm is not going to be critical in a system that has adequate pressure. There may be a loss of 2-4 psi in a piece of funny pipe 15' long at that flow. So one or two heads on the funny pipe will still give proper performance without undo damage or stress on the system.

[Desertdweller]

The 5 fps velocity rule applies to solvent welded PVC. It is used as a rule to reduce the effects of water hammer to a closed piping system when a valve closes.

On the lateral or open end of a pipe system the kinetic energy has a way to easily dissipate by flowing out of the nozzles. Water hammer is negligible on open piping.

Agricultural designers regularly use velocities that exceed 8 fps on large drip systems that use 125 psi PVC pipe for sub mains and laterals that may be 4" or 6". Their thinking is that with as many as 3000 emitter orifices on the system there is plenty of outlets for the energy dissipation.

And the ASIC design criteria calls for a maximum of 6 fps.

Also, pressure loss in funny pipe at 3 gpm is not going to be critical in a system that has adequate pressure. There may be a loss of 2-4 psi in a piece of funny pipe 15' long at that flow. So one or two heads on the funny pipe will still give proper performance without undo damage or stress on the system.

I'm impressed. All I know is it works without any problems.

[SprinklerGuy]

I used to go through rolls of FP each week. I've run 2 rotors off one FP line with a T and 25' from the poly line. Could not tell any difference in distance or coverage from the heads mounted on the 1" poly line. Have easily run 3 sprays off 1 FP line. Not a normal installation technique but sometimes you have to do what you do.

I'm quite sure we have fixed some of your stuff....:)

Poly in Phoenix? Or another transplant?

[greenhorn123]

I'm impressed. All I know is it works without any problems.

lol, im with you

[Wet_Boots]

I think some folks way understimate the flow capacity of swing pipe. Toro has a flow chart of their pipe and fittings. The single largest pressure-loss component of a standard funny pipe connection is the 3/4" MPT barbed elbow.

[Desertdweller]

I'm quite sure we have fixed some of your stuff....:)

Poly in Phoenix? Or another transplant?

Transplant naturally.

[brookviewlawncare]

dont care what your charts say or if it works does not make much sense what a service nightmare :hammerhead: i once ran 50' threw a 3/4" sleeve to run 6 spray about 7 gpm but never admitted that tell today :) did not know it was cool to use so much funny pipe

[Wet_Boots]

Too much funny pipe beats running into half inch poly.

[brookviewlawncare]

dont disagree with that have only two 1/2"couplings in my van with no 1/2" poly pipe so i would rather see the funny pipe also

[PurpHaze]

Did you hear the one about the parrot and the flexible pipe?:dizzy:

[SprinklerGuy]

It's called swing pipe for a reason.........now that's funny.