[Critical Care]

I know, this is a weird question, but I’m wondering how some of you have camouflaged or disguised sprinkler risers? Grey schedule 80 isn’t too pretty, nor is the typical white pvc that some people use as risers.

The reason I’m asking is that at my own place I have a nice landscaped area around a pond and waterfall, lots of shrubs and plants, but a few ugly grey risers sticking up – which is the only thing I don’t like when I look out over the pond.

I’m however considering something a bit radical by running one or two MP rotators up a couple of the pine trees, about ten feet up, and then have these little rotors do a "rain like" thing over the pond area. Cosmetically how would you hide a ten-foot high grey, black, or white “riser”?

 

[kerdog]

How about 'sweating' some rigid copper, for those risers around the pond/waterfall.....?

No suggestions for the tree, other than 'hiding' some poly on the back side, out of the line of site.

kerdog

 

[Toy2]

Use a piece of copper, slip it over your plastic, or spray it with that new plastic paint, light green or dark...the copper looks best as it weathers..

 

[F6Hawk]

Gray PVC, painted to match the tree. Get creative, and you can camo the pipe. If you want to get real close, take a piece of bark to a local paint store, and you can get an exact match.

 

[Dirty Water]

I don't understand people who use non sunlight resistant pipe for risers.

is it at all possible to use 12" pops instead of risers? I think thats the ultimate solution.

 

[Critical Care]

Heh, the risers I currently have will probably be here long after I'm gone JonHolland, and I've found that most risers are very simple to replace. This area is under the pines, mostly shaded, and doesn't get harse sunlight. Out of curiosity, I wonder what qualifies as "sunlight resistant pipe"? Just sorta figure that UV rays will do a number to practically all pvc or poly.

And yeah, F6Hawk, I was thinking about taking some bark down and having some paint matched, but this brings up the question of the type of paint. My wife tried to paint a large 50 gallon plastic or pvc bio filter but it sure didn't take long before the paint began to flake off.

And I agree that copper weathers nice and can be part of the landscape art, however as this is an all natural area I'm leaning towards invisible rather than visible - if that makes sense. But I'll leave this option open as well...

 

[sheshovel]

Rustolium has come out with a new paint for outdoor plastic,pvc stuff .Look at the cans close they have red on the label and bright lawn furniture on the front.This paint is just what you need .
I painted a white heavy plastic table green and a few other things brown and went thru 2 years so far no problems with peeling or chipping,Rustolium and Krylon might have come out wtih it by now too.Where you been man??

 

[Critical Care]

Don't remember what paint my wife used on the bio filter but it wasn't Rustolium. Sounds like maybe you're talking about a spray paint. Wonder if they have a "ponderosa pine brown" color?

 

[sheshovel]

They have all kinds of colors and this paint has only been in stores about 1&1/2 yrs.It is a spray but they have it in brush kind too.

 

[drmiller100]

funny pipe is sunlight resistant and smaller diameter..... might be easier to hide on a tree...... the mp rotators throw water up a long ways. would they have enuff rise on them to where you could a lower riser?

 

[Dirty Water]

SCH80 is sunlight resistant, as is SCH 40 Conduit.

Most of the time, but not all always, grey PVC is sunlight resistant.

It will be printed on the PVC.

I've done a few installs were I've clamped funny pipe onto existing fence posts and mounted heads on top, its pretty clean looking.

 

[Critical Care]

Guess if I thought about all of the grey electrical conduit that you see hanging on the sides of buildings that would have been a good clue as far as that being UV resistant.

Maybe it's just me, and perhaps this whole thing is nothing more than a dumb & crazy idea, but when I'm sitting out on my deck dangling my feet in the pond, I don't like seeing those grey risers sticking up. And when the Toro 300's come on - yeah, I know, but I got them before the MP Rotators came out - there really isn't a whole lot natural about them. Still looks like irrigation - and that ain't natural.

Maybe what I should do is to first try moving and using different heads from tree level; just see how things would work first. May have to mount the heads upside down from the bottom branches so the spray doesn't go upward into the tree further. Sounding even more weird, eh?

 

[F6Hawk]

Maybe what I should do is to first try moving and using different heads from tree level; just see how things would work first. May have to mount the heads upside down from the bottom branches so the spray doesn't go upward into the tree further. Sounding even more weird, eh?

Actually, it sounds great. Would a micro-type system work, or does it need to be the larger, lawn irrigation stuff? I saw a guy's house with the micro stuff for watering, he had misters, sprays, and bubblers around the ground level, and some drips in the hanging flower pots. It is easy to hide that smaller black piping.

Just another thought...

 

[AceSprinkleRx]

This might be a simplistic approach and solution. But would using camo tape like what we use to camo a shotgun for goose/turkey hunting work? It comes in different shades and colors to match your surroundings. Just a thought...

~ Ace

 

[Wet_Boots]

If you had the room, you could blow the water in from farther away with big heads. Or have a few giant shrub rotors on standpipes tall enough for martin houses.

 

[Critical Care]

Ahh, maybe a Rainbird Big Gun? Well... that might scare the stinking blue herons away from eating my koi! I wonder if the effect would however be a bit like having Hurricane Ivan ripping through the trees?

Camo tape? Ace, that's a good idea... if the tape would hold up to the elements. Perhaps it could be sprayed with some type of clear protective coating.

And F6Hawk, I've installed a lot of drip and micro spray systems, but they have limits. You can get up to about a 10' radius with some of the micro sprays, but you would lose it all if you ran the 1/4" tubing up the tree. It would certainly be an interesting concept to run larger 1/2" poly up to the canopy level and from there branch off to different areas. Call it a "way above ground" drip system with micro spray emitters tacked onto various limbs of trees. Gentle rain appeal, but probably lacking on irrigation effectiveness.

 

[Critical Care]

Update on this...

I experimented by placing some heads ten feet up on lengths of sched 40 pvc. First tried the Toro 300 and then some fixed spray heads. Neither one produced what I would call a "rain effect". Everything seemed to get irrigated fine, and the radius seemed to increase by two or three feet, but the droplets were too fine to simulate rain. It was more like looking at a fine mist. A little bit of wind would also blow the spray. And, of course, the white pvc sticking up was as ugly as you could imagine.

So... where am I now? I could camo or paint the pvc - or poly - but gotta first find a head that, umm, produces larger droplets.

Yikes, Wet Boots idea of cluster bombing the area with a honking big gun of a sprinkler head is sounding more realistic. However, I'm going to check my arsenal first for something a bit more refined, you know, like a smart bomb type of head.

 

[bicmudpuppy]

I haven't researched this type of equipment in years, but how 'bout researching some ag heads like they use on center pivots. Just a thought. And if you can reduce the pressure to minimum, full circle Toro Stream rotors might get it done. The largest nozzles available (those big stream rotor nozzles are real water hogs) and keep the pressure at a minimum. Do they still make the old style stream rotor in a shrub head? Think I'll go exploring

 

[Dirty Water]

How about just jetting water straight up with an object in its path to diffuse it?

If you could manage to launch it 10-15 feet up it would make a nice fountian + a nice rain effect.

I'm just kidding here

 

[Critical Care]

Bryan, the Rainbird Big Gun is one of those ag heads that work on a pivot, however there are a number of others as well. Nelson has them too. I think you can get them up to about 1200 gpm. Point something like that straight up and you'd have to notify the FAA. I could also imagine that after the water finally reached maximum height and began to fall back down, all my neighbors would have to run for their lifes. And Jon, I wonder what type of deflector you could put in front of one of these big boys that could take the punch? Yeah, just kidding... but contemplating the idea.

Man... I wasn't thinking when I stuck the fixed spray nozzle up on the pvc. I should have used a pressure reducing screen with it. That could have made a bit of difference. Maybe?