Sprinkler question

[Joe Gardener]

I noticed that the sub title for this forum is: Pop Ups, Rotor Heads, Bubblers, Wobblers, Micro Sprayers

Heres is my question: What are wobblers and bubblers? I am a bit new to landscaping and gardening and could use an informative explainer on different types of sprinklers.

Thanks,

Joe

[Irrigation Doctor]

Great question Joe, here is some information regarding pop-up sprinklers:

Pop-Ups are used for general watering of lawn areas. Pop-ups are so named because of the way that they automatically pop up when they are pressurized and water is flowing. In plastic pop-up heads, a spring causes them to retract when pressure is stopped.

Delivery pattern – Pop-ups are best suited for moderate size home lawn areas (larger than 7 to 10 feet wide up to 30 to 45 feet wide) and irregular shaped areas.

Size and Shape - Ranges and watering shapes of pop ups vary but the most common spray nozzles have ranges of 10, 12 and 15 feet radius and come in quarter-circle, half-circle and full circle. Pop-up spray nozzles normally come with adjustable screws on their heads where you can adjust down the amount of water and range of the sprinkler. It is usually recommended not to adjust down more than 30% to not distort the pattern of the sprinkler.

Pop-up height – Make sure that the height of the pop-up is above lawn level so that the spraying water can disperse freely. Most lawns need about a 4” high sprinkler.

Pressure – Pop-ups work best with water pressure at 30-40 psi. The water pressure at some homes can be significantly higher and an in-line pressure regulator will be needed. A sprinkler producing a “mist cloud” around the head is a common symptom of excessive pressure. Remember that if you have a vertical drop or incline pressure may vary. 30 feet corresponds to about 15 psi.

Watering Rate – Pop-ups deliver at a high rate, usually between 1 to 2.5 inches per hour. Only ¼” of water per day can be more than enough for a lawn so remember to time your irrigation appropriately.

[Irrigation Doctor]

Bubblers are best used to flood irrigate small groups of shrubs flowers, or other small plants. Bubblers effectively flood an area and efficient watering depends heavily on the soil type as this type of irrigation requires the soil to spread the water evenly by way of capillary action. Typically bubblers are placed 5 feet apart or wherever grouped plants exist. There are a few different kinds of bubblers but in general they are a less efficient alternative to drip irrigation however bubblers are also less vulnerable to clogging than drip.

[Irrigation Doctor]

Rotor heads mechanically rotate to distribute the spray of water. There are two common types of rotor head sprinklers

Gear-drive heads are rotated by taking advantage fo flowing water to turn internal gears. Gear drive heads are good to use in clean water and when a quieter sprinkler is preferred.

Impact or impulse heads are rotated by the sprayed water hitting a spring-loaded arm that is in the way of the water. Each time the arm is hit by the flowing water to rotates the sprinkler a fraction of a turn. These are robust sprinklers but they are a bit on the loud side.

Range - Rotor heads are most commonly used for larger lawns that are at least 30 feet wide. There is a wide range of watering radius for rotor heads usually between 30 and 100 feet.

Shape - Rotor heads can be full circle, quarter circle or any where in between; most are fully adjustable.

Pressure - typically operating pressure is around 45psi but they do vary anywhere from 40 to 90 psi.

Rotors are more uniform in water distribution than pop-up heads, but have a lower water delivery rate. A typical watering rate is ½ inch per hour.

[Irrigation Doctor]

Wobblers are so named because they have a loose plastic part that is has freedom to wobble randomly while being constrined over a steady stream of water. As the plastic wobbler wobbles water is randomly dispersed. Surprisingly this method can have very linear dispersion of water and is great to use with dirty water as there are no gears.

Wobbler is a type of sprinkler head designed to minimize evaporation of water by enhancing the horizontal spray pattern. Essentialy instead of a mist you get large rain drops.

[Irrigation Doctor]

Micro sprayers are generally attached to plastic tubing and give a gentle mist to a small area. These are good for flower beds and plants. pretty straight forward.