1. Sprinkler Selection Considerations
Size of area
Shape of area
Water pressure
Wind conditions
Types of plants
Available flows
Slopes
Soil type

2. Smaller Lawn Areas
Pop up spray nozzles are versatile and require low pressures

3. Umbrella bubblers are good in a rose garden with basins dug around each rose bush
Flow can be adjusted down to a trickle or up as an umbrella–like sheet of water
Rose Gardens

4. Shrub heads
Shrub heads are a cheaper alternative to pop ups spray heads and are generally used in low traffic areas like the back of planter areas

5. Slopes
Slow applications rate sprinklers (rotary) sprinklers are best for slopes

6. Guidelines for Selection and Layout
Design the system with as few heads as possible while still insuring uniform distribution over the area
1. Always place sprinklers in corners first
2. After corners place around obstacles
3. Along edges spraying inward
4. Fill in the remaining open spaces using the
appropriate pattern

7. Head to Head Coverage = 50% of Diameter

8. Square Spacing - For areas with square edges

9. Rectangular Spacing – for windy areas
60% of diameter
40% of diameter
Prevailing wind

10. Triangular Spacing – For irregular or curved areas

11. Corners first

12. Edges next

13. Finally, fill in the field

14. Design #1 Square Lawn 12’ Soil type: loam
Look up sprinkler types in your Rainbird catalog
Look up nozzle types
12’

15. Design #1 Square Lawn – Select Sprinkler type
12’
Nozzles: 12’Q (4)
Rainbird 1804 series
4” pop up body (4)
Lawn
12’

16. How much flow (gpm)will we need for these 4 sprinklers for this small lawn?
.65gpm X 4 = 2.6 gpm
Total gpm for this lawn
This is the flow for the chosen nozzle at optimum minimum pressure

17. Design # 1 Square Lawn – What is the precipitation rate on this lawn?
12’
Lawn
12’

18. Precipitation rate PR = PR = 96.3 X (.65 X 4) 96.3 X 2.6 250.38
96.3 X (Total gpm applied to the area)
Area covered
PR =
For our lawn:
1.74
inches
per hour
PR = X (.65 X 4) X
12 X = = =

19. Precipitation Rates

20. Design #2 Square Lawn (13’ X 13’)
Soil type: loam
Look up sprinkler types in your Rainbird catalog
Look up nozzle types
13’
Lawn
13’
3. Which one is the closest
radius?

21. Design #3 Rectangle
24’
Lawn
12’

22. Design #3 Rectangle
24’
Lawn
12’

23. Design #6 Large Rectangle - Renovation
A Homeowner installed a system using 15’ MPR heads 30’ apart and asked you to fix the problem using the same type of heads and appropriate nozzles
Lawn
30’
Where would you put those heads to have head to head coverage?
60’

24. Design #6 Large Rectangle - Renovation
Lawn
30’
60’