Intro to Irrigation

June 15, 2015

Presented by: Jake Lott

Length: 01:04:57

Although our upcoming webinar will cover the basic Irrigation capabilities of Land F/X, this is one webinar that even advanced users will not want to miss. We'll show how to use the Schematic Irrigation tool to lay out a project at the conceptual level. We'll then go over the essentials of adding equipment such as drip, sprays, and rotors to a project, as well as placing, piping, sizing, and scheduling. Plus, we'll provide a few tips and tricks you might not know about.

Webinar Contents:

Note: The following catalog of content covered in this webinar is time stamped to allow you to follow along or skip to sections of the video that are relevant to your questions. You can also search for content on this page using the FIND command in your browser (CTRL + F in Windows, Command + F in Mac OS.)

Intro & TOC
Terminology
Setting Up Source Data/Pipe Data
Irrigation at the Schematic Level
Choosing and Placing Equipment
Verification Tools
Sizing Pipes
Schedules and Reports

0:00 – 2:44: Intro & TOC

2:45 – 9:53: Terminology

Basic terms (2:45)

Water Meter/POC (Point of Connection): Source of water coming into site or where you are tapping into the system for your water source

Service Line: The main pipe that feeds the water meter or POC

Mainline: Pipe under pressure that feeds the site (valves) after the water meter

Valve:

Equipment used to deliver water to the heads
Transition point where mainline meets lateral line

Lateral pipe: Non-pressurized pipe that feeds water from valves to heads

Pressure (PSI or Liters per Second)/Flow (GPM/GPH or LPM/LPH): These two things are necessary in order for a zone to operate properly.

Types of Delivery Systems (5:03):

Spray
Rotary
Rotors
Impacts
Valve-in-Head
Emitters/Bubblers
Micro-Spray
Dripline

Which Equipment Do I Use? (5:30)

A few things to think about:
What are you irrigating?
Cover your corners!
Any regulations?
Site needs?
Site conditions?
Water windows?
Budget restrictions?
Water efficiently, water smart.
Do your research!

Diagram showing irrigation system components (8:28)

9:54 – 20:39: Setting Up Source Data/Pipe Data

Overview of the Irrigation Manager (9:54)

Difference between a rotary and a rotor (11:48):

Rotor: Big-bodied component with spinning rotors inside it. For bigger areas.
Rotary: Rotating nozzle that fits on top of a spray body – an adapter for spray types. It’s more efficient because it creates a more focused stream, cuts through wind and reduces misting, etc.

Configuring the Source Data (13:00)

The Source Data provides information about the water meter or POC, such as:

Size
Pressure
Pipe category

Placing the source in the drawing using the Place Equipment tool (18:30)

(Note: To create the correct Mainline Layout layer (LI-PIPE-MAIN), always place the source using the Place Equipment tool rather than directly from the Source Data dialog box.)

Sketching the initial mainline layout (19:00)

Configuring the Pipe Data (19:50)

The Pipe Data shows the types and sizes of pipe you will use for lateral and mainline piping, as well as information about the pipe sleeves you will use in your design.

20:40 – 44:49: Irrigation at the Schematic Level

Overview of the Schematic Irrigation Manager (20:40)

Editing a Schematic Irrigation zone (21:20)

Selecting a symbol/hatch for a Schematic Irrigation zone (22:22)

Creating a new Schematic Irrigation zone (22:30)

Determining the basic head spacing based on the dimensions of the site (23:00)

Placing a Schematic Irrigation zone (25:05)

Estimating the number of necessary valves (26:00)

Adding equipment to a project (example: adding a valve) (26:30)

Checking manufacturer data on a specific piece of equipment (26:53)

Placing equipment in a drawing (example: placing a valve) (23:40)

Selecting a valve size by toggling using the Q and E keys (28:35)

Placing turf spray, shrub spray, and dripline areas using Schematic Irrigation, and checking the flow (31:30)

Using the Match Properties tool to make changes to watering areas (32:45)

Piping from valves into Schematic Areas (33:55)

Command line keyboard options (34:40):

T to toggle layers
Cto switch between pipe classes
Sfor Snap angle
Ufor Undo

Note: We’ve placed the tool buttons on the F/X Irrigation ribbon in a specific order based on the order in which you should be using them. (35:40)

Verifying the pipe with the Verify Laterals andVerify Mainline tools (36:00)

Sizing the pipe using theSize Lateral Pipe andSize Mainline Pipe tools (36:38)

The Critical Analysis (pops up when you size the mainline) provides a report of the system’s pressure and flow, including residual (leftover) flow and pressure. (37:15)

Note:It’s good to have 5 to 10 PSI for available residual pressure. Anything more will likely lead to water waste and excessive wear on equipment.

Question:Does the Critical Analysis account for pressure loss through a filter on the mainline? (39:55)

Answer:No, it does not.

Question: Should backflow devices be placed at the Schematic level? (40:20)

Answer: Yes, they should. Backflow devices can cause substantial pressure loss, and it’s good to know what this is at the Schematic level.

Placing a backflow device and resizing the mainline. (40:30)

Placing a schedule to show descriptions of the Schematic zones (43:45)

44:50 – 53:30: Choosing and Placing Equipment

Adding heads and other equipment (44:50)

Note: We recommend keeping the Schematic plan in a separate DWG file. (44:55)

Looking at manufacturer info for equipment, including pressure, radius, and flow data (46:30)

Adding a head, selecting a symbol, and setting a pressure (48:00)

The irrigation keyboard commands (type K in the Command line to see them) (48:40)

Placing heads in a drawing (49:30)

Placing more heads using the Copy Along Line tool (50:45)

Adjusting the head spacing (51:30)

Creating an array of heads using the Triangular Array or Rectangular Array tool (52:00)

Using the Circuiting tool to add a zone around an area and check the flow (52:30)

53:30 – 58:29: Verification Tools

Verifying the laterals (55:00)

Correcting circular pipes and unpiped heads (55:13)

Verifying the mainline (56:30)

Correcting unpiped valves (56:35)

Verifying once more and adding missing valve callouts. Note that you have the option to renumber the other valve callouts automatically. (57:10)

58:30 – end: Sizing Pipes

Sizing the mainline pipe and viewing the Critical Analysis (58:30)

Sizing the lateral pipe (58:55)

59:34 – end: Schedules and Reports

Running an Irrigation Schedule by nozzle (59:40)

Option to itemize equipment and pipe (1:00:05)

Running a Valve Schedule and selecting the option to Colorize Zones (1:00:57)

Running a Critical Analysis to check the pressure and flow of the system design (1:01:30)

Question: Is it possible to make adjustments to certain calculations in the schedules? (1:02:04)

Answer: Absolutely! Just send the schedule to a spreadsheet such as MS Excel, and you can make any necessary manual adjustments in the spreadsheet.

Contact

Land F/X
PMB 351
3940 Broad St. STE 7
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
+1 805-541-1003

Our software tailors AutoCAD^®, Revit^®, and SketchUp^® to the needs of landscape architects, irrigation designers, and other professionals. We automate your most tedious tasks and ensure accuracy, giving you more time to design.