AutoSprink is the industry leader when it comes to fire sprinkler design software. Nelson Irrigation dealers around the world rely on professional software to create irrigation designs that help companies prosper. Whether you need a complete system design, project organization, quotes, or sprinkler uniformity analysis, Nelson Irrigation dealers have the digital essentials to help maximize the impact of your sprinkler purchase.
Whether you’re a professional landscaper or want to irrigate your own yard, this free Landscape Sprinkler System Design Tutorial is designed to take you step-by-step through the process of creating a professional-quality sprinkler irrigation plan, layout, or drawing.
The Orbit® Sprinkler System Designer™. Draw Your Property. The Orbit® Sprinkler System Designer™ allows you to draw all aspects of your property. Use a satellite image to trace your property or make your own drawing from scratch to easily create a professional design.
There are lots of Sprinkler Design Guides, Why This one?
- This tutorial works with ALL sprinkler products and does not base your design on the use of a single manufacturer or store’s products. Most tutorials will force you into using specific products on your plan. Sometimes they are good products, sometimes not. Bonus: This tutorial will teach you how to spot the really bad irrigation products.
- This tutorial assumes you know nothing about irrigation and breaks it all down for you (but the beginner stuff is easily skimmed over for those more experienced.)
- This tutorial is multi-level. Many of the topics start with a outline of the topic, then expand on that outline in detail for those who need more explanation. Finally some subjects then move on to cover special situations or layout that are not “typical” for those who need that additional insight. So while some tutorial pages are long, you may not need to actually read a lot of it. Unless you are a future irrigation professional and interested in learning all about irrigation, which leads us to the next point…
- This guide is complete. It is used by colleges to teach irrigation design courses, and we encourage that use. However, it is written using 6th grade level English, so don’t panic. If you were ever a broke college student you can probably appreciate the idea of a free online textbook! Speaking of free…
- This tutorial is free. Yes there are some ads, along with a few “tips” they pay the cost of keeping it online. The ads on this site are low key. No flashing ads, no pop-ups (except the “we use cookies” pop-up notice that is required by law.)
- If you have a well and/or pump this is one of the only sprinkler system design guides available anywhere (including those $$$ books for sale at stores) that will show you how to correctly design your system so that it will not destroy your pump by making it cycle or run dry.
- Thousands of people have used this tutorial to create their irrigation systems drawings. This tutorial has been online a while, the first version was written back in 1995. You may find an error or two in it (especially in the grammar, it was written by an irrigation expert, not an English major) but most of the technical errors have been found and corrected long ago. Tons of feedback have resulted in rewrites of the parts that were not clear. The advantage of being online is that the tutorial does get constantly updated to incorporate new products, ideas, and methods.
- This tutorial was written by a professional irrigation designer and licensed landscape architect who has over 35 years experience designing irrigation for everything from small tract yards to golf courses. More on the author at the bottom of this page.
Warning: There are lots of online tutorials and this one may not be your choice and that’s fine. However there are a number of design guides around, both online and in stores, that use outdated design methods. Please watch out for these major design errors that may lead to very expensive repairs:
- Beware of measuring flow with a bucket or gauge. The “GPM” value for your new sprinkler system should be based on the size of the existing water supply pipe running to your house. Some do-it-yourself sprinkler system guides have you measure water flow by turning on an existing faucet and timing how long it takes to fill a bucket. Some also suggest using a special gauge that measures the flow. Regardless of how you measure the flow, we now know that just measuring the flow from a faucet results in major errors that can result in your using a irrigation system flow that is way too high for your house’s plumbing to handle. When you turn on a faucet the water from it will often flow out at a rate that is way higher than what is safe for the pipe’s in your house. While running water for a few minutes at this flow to fill a bucket is relatively harmless, running a sprinkler system at that flow on a regular basis is not. This unsafe high flow results in “water hammer” and “scrubbing” damage to the pipes, two very expensive problems that can destroy the pipes in your house. We are talking thousands of dollars to re-pipe your house! The key here is that when determining the water supply volume the pipe size must be a factor considered.
- Sprinklers should have almost 100% overlap. If a sprinkler layout guide shows you coverage arcs that are not going almost all the way from one sprinkler to the next it is based on the old way of doing things back before we had low-flow sprinklers to conserve water. Almost all experts now agree that there should be near 100% overlap of sprinklers. Back in the old days we just told people with dry spots to run the sprinklers longer. That over-watered 90% of the lawn but it greened up the dry spots. We now know it wastes water and even worse, over-watering causes lots of landscape diseases!
All the information you need to create a sprinkler system design for your lawn, shrubs or garden is in this landscape sprinkler design manual. Illustrations, charts and spreadsheets will help explain and simplify the sprinkler irrigation design process. You will learn about lawn sprinklers, shrub sprinklers, and how to select a quality sprinkler head. Automatic and manual valves, controllers/timers, and the basic hydraulics that apply to watering systems are also covered.
Most of the pages of the tutorial are written as stand-alone articles, so that they will be useful to those who do a search for specific information. For this reason there is a small amount of repetitive material throughout the tutorial.
Landscape Sprinkler Irrigation Design Tutorial
Table of Contents
Don’t panic! It looks like a lot to cover, but much of it you will skim over because it applies only to very specific situations that don’t matter for most sprinkler systems. (But if it turns out one of those specific situations applies to YOU won’t you be glad that we included it?) You will find that the tutorial goes quickly once you get started. Just take it step-by-step and it is easy.
- Start Here! Introduction to Irrigation Design: How to use this tutorial, information on software programs to design your sprinkler system, and a few suggestions on those “free designs” offered by the sprinkler manufacturing companies.
- Step #1 Collect Information:
- Measure Your Yard: How to measure your yard easily and accurately for your sprinkler irrigation system.
- Measuring your water supply (critical that it be done right! One size does NOT fit all.):
- City-Slicker Water: How to find the PSI and GPM if you get your water through a pipe from a water-company.
- Country-Bumpkin Water: How to find the PSI and GPM if you pump water from a well, creek, lake, etc.
- Backwoods Water: How to measure the GPM and PSI for other types of water supplies (Moses would use this section).
- Step #2 Select Your Equipment:
- Selecting Your Sprinkler Equipment: Pressure loss is the key to selecting sizes!
- Water Meter: Water meters.
- Backflow Preventer: How to select a backflow preventer. Do you savor the flavor of dog pee? Nope? You want to get this right!
- Mainlines: What type of pipe to use and how to calculate pressure loss in an irrigation system mainline.
- Valves: Types of irrigation valves.
- Elevation Pressure Loss: How to calculate pressure variations in your irrigation system that are caused by elevation changes.
- Sprinkler Heads: How to select the best sprinkler heads for your needs. How to avoid the ones that aren’t so hot.
- Laterals: Type of pipe to use between the valves and sprinkler heads which are called “lateral” pipes.
- Types of Sprinkler Risers: How to connect your sprinklers to the lateral pipes. Get this wrong and your yard will look like Yellowstone with all the geysers shooting water in the air!
- Adjustments: Making pressure loss adjustments to balance the system. Boring but very important if you want the sprinklers to actually spray correctly.
- Selecting Your Sprinkler Equipment: Pressure loss is the key to selecting sizes!
- Step #3Figure Out Sprinkler Head Locations: How to determine the correct sprinkler spacing, and which nozzles to use. Where to place the sprinkler heads. The rules on this have changed since the 70’s when a lot of the guidelines online were written. New low water sprinklers make sprinkler layout much more critical. You get this wrong, you get dry spots!
- Step #4 Create Valve Zones and Draw in Pipes: Identify hydro-zones, create valve zones, draw in the sprinkler pipe routes.
- Step #5 Lateral Pipe Sizes: How to calculate the size for each lateral pipe in the irrigation system. There’s no easy way for this one and lots of bad advice on pipe sizes in Internet help forums and the aisles of your local big box hardware store.
- Finished!Some Tips. Automation, Freeze Protection, Costs, Contractors, and of course a whole tutorial on Do-It-Yourself Installation without winding up in the hospital.
The pages of the sprinkler system design tutorial follow in logical order. To work your way through the entire irrigation design tutorial, simply select “Next Page” when you finish each page. Please take a moment to review the terms and conditions of this website and tutorial- click here for Terms and Conditions.
About the Author:
So I guess if you’re still with me I’ll switch to first person and introduce myself. My name is Jess Stryker. Unless noted, I am the author of what you are reading on this website. I am a California registered Landscape Architect and opened my own irrigation design firm in 1980. I’ve designed thousands of irrigation systems for everything from little squares of grass in a tiny yard to huge shopping centers, regional parks, and golf courses. Much of my work has been for other Landscape Architects who hired me for tricky projects that required a high level of expertise. In my early years I also did a lot of design for agricultural irrigation systems, like pastures, orchards, vineyards, even dust control and cooling sprinklers for poultry. Microsoft office 2003 activation key. I’m retired now, which means I’m not interested in designing your irrigation system. I’ve designed enough sprinkler systems for a lifetime! This website is a means of passing along what I’ve learned over the years, and keeping a toe in the irrigation water (pun intended.)
Sprinkler Layout Software
The Sprinkler Design Tutorial began in 1995 during a business slow down. I started writing it not really knowing what I would do with it once it was finished. Shortly thereafter the Internet started to catch on. Back then the Internet was mostly educational works (and porn I suppose) and I figured the tutorial would be a good (education not porn!!!) match, so I put it online. It rapidly grew as I added more and more tutorials and articles on other irrigation topics. (I’ve kept porn off it with one notable exception in the early 2000’s when a link was hijacked and I didn’t catch it for a few days.)
I apologize in advance for my warped sense of humor, which you have already encountered and are about to get a lot more of if you continue. Hopefully it breaks the boredom even if it is just to let out a groan. I hope you enjoy this free tutorial and that you learn a lot from it!
This tutorial is only the tip of the iceberg! Use the links on the website home page to find tutorials and articles on just about everything irrigation related. Water filters, pump systems, irrigation scheduling, winterizing, repairs, and much more. Plus there are a few product reviews of some of the most common sprinkler system components.
By using this tutorial you agree to be bound by the conditions and limitations listed on the disclaimer page.
Related: Free Sprinkler System Design Software - Fire Sprinkler System Design - Elite Fire Sprinkler System Design - Ip Video System Design Tool - Fire Sprinkler System
- License: Shareware
SLPSoft Software SystemDesign and Modeling is a visual programming software that enables developers to create their applications in an innovative manner.
The applications can be visualized as systems and the links between components and sub-components can be viewed in a completely different way than in traditional programming languages.
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The applications can be visualized as systems and the links between components and sub-components can be viewed in a completely different way than in traditional programming languages.
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- Platform: Windows
- Publisher:The Speak Logic Project
- Date:
- License: Shareware
Distributed SystemDesign as created as an easy-to-use software that can calculate and show the number of in-ceiling speakers needed to cover a room.
Now, you can use this accessible utility to quickly perform the calculations you need. You can also use the integrated Subwoofer utility to see the type of woofer you need.
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Now, you can use this accessible utility to quickly perform the calculations you need. You can also use the integrated Subwoofer utility to see the type of woofer you need.
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- Platform: Windows
- Publisher:JBL Incorporated
- Date:
- License: Freeware
Pipes is a desktop system which analyzes an Autocad drawing of a sprinklersystem, checks for flaws and after these are eliminated, adds the size/diameter labels to the drawing. Tutorial: http://users.norwoodlight.com/janh/wink/autopipes-entry.htm.
- Platform: WinOther
- Publisher:autopipes.sourceforge.net
- Date: 08-06-2012
- Size: 4684 KB
- License: Shareware
This unique application is for all students across the world. It covers 71 topics of Mechanical SystemDesign in detail. These 71 topics are divided in 5 units.
Each topic is around 600 words and is complete with diagrams, equations and other forms of graphical representations along with simple text explaining the concept in detail.
This USP of this application is 'ultra-portability'. Students can access the content on-the-go from anywhere they like.
Basically, each topic is like a detailed flash card and will make the lives of students simpler and easier.
- Platform: Android 2.x, Android 3.x, Android 4.4, Android 4.x
- Publisher:faadooengineers.com
- Date: 13-03-2014
- Size: 2150 KB
- License: Freeware
This unique free application is for all students across the world. It covers 113 topics of Electrical SystemDesign and Estimation in detail. These 113 topics are divided in 6 units.
Each topic is around 600 words and is complete with diagrams, equations and other forms of graphical representations along with simple text explaining the concept in detail.
This USP of this application is 'ultra-portability'. Students can access the content on-the-go from anywhere they like.
Basically, each topic is like a detailed flash card and will make the lives of students simpler and easier.
- Platform: Android 2.x, Android 3.x, Android 4.4, Android 4.x
- Publisher:faadooengineers.com
- Date: 17-05-2014
- Size: 3788 KB
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Cynics Accounting System is a powerful, easily extensible accounting systemdesign for development purposes. Cynics Accounting includes the following modules : 1. Account Receivable 2. Account Payable 3. General Ledger 4. Inventory Control For End User : 1. One time license and use through out whole organization 2. Unlimited installation rights 3. Fast processing with SQL server power 4. Can be easily customize to company needs For Developer : 1. Easy to integrate into existing system.
- Platform: Windows
- Publisher:Cynics Software
- Date: 17-05-2007
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185Graph is a 1.85 graph based fire sprinkler hydraulic calculation software program specifically designed to graph sprinkler demand vs. water supply. It calculates base of the riser demand with the Grid Calculator, Tree Calculator or Head by Head Worksheet and will plot these demands against any water supply. Water supplies can be adjusted for friction loss, elevation and/or hose streams. 185Graph has compact, single form modular design with all data input and output ergonomically displayed on the same form.
- Platform: WinOther
- Publisher:RECKON IT, INC.
- Date: 26-08-2012
- Size: 2058 KB
- License: Shareware
Only with IP Video SystemDesign Tool you can calculate both network bandwidth and storage space for 15 camera resolutions and several compression methods, including H.264, MPEG-4 and Motion JPEG. IP Video SystemDesign Tool helps the designer to find optimal FPS and compression that tailors to LAN capabilities and calculate the required HDD storage space. Frame size estimations are based on the result of our own compression research. FEATURES: · Find the best camera positions and calculate precise CCTV camera fields of view and viewing angles · Calculate the lens focal length in seconds · Get estimations of required network bandwidth for network video systems with an unlimited number of IP cameras and video servers · Calculate the required HDD storage space for video archive · Save your work - Save/Load functions..
- Platform: WinOther
- Publisher:Joint Video Surveillance Group
- Date: 12-11-2012
- Size: 3994 KB
- License: Freeware
LSDPTOOL provides a graphical user interface for performing robust H-infinity control systemdesign using McFarlane & Glovers's Loop Shaping Design Procedure (LSDP).For further details, see:http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/~eh3081/lsdptool.html.
- Platform: Matlab, Scripts
- Publisher:James Whidborne
- Date: 13-06-2013
- Size: 51 KB
- License: Shareware
185Graph is a 1.85 graph based fire sprinkler hydraulic calculation software program specifically designed to graph sprinkler demand vs. water supply. It calculates base of the riser demand with the Grid Calculator, Tree Calculator or Head by Head Worksheet and will plot these demands against any water supply. Water supplies can be adjusted for friction loss, elevation and/or hose streams. 185Graph has compact, single form modular design with all data input and output ergonomically displayed on the same form.
- Platform: Windows
- Publisher:Reckon It, Inc.
- Date: 17-02-2015
- Size: 2068 KB
- License: Shareware
Use iScaper:Sprinklers to troubleshoot and solve common sprinklersystem problems.
Created by a landscaper with 20 years experience in sprinklerdesign, installation, and repair, iScaper:Sprinklers will allow you to analyze and repair common sprinklersystem problems. Along with a glossary of terms you may be unfamiliar with but would be good to know when you make that trip to the sprinkler supply store, and a metric conversion table for international users.
.- Platform: Android 2.x, Android 3.x, Android 4.4, Android 4.x
- Publisher:AppCounselor
- Date: 27-05-2014
- Size: 1638 KB
- License: Shareware
FlyCarpet is a rapid and visual modeling software platform for dynamic/static system design/optimization/simulation, it models multi-industry system with components and platform features, so this software can be used for many fields as fluid, fluid power, control, mechanics, chemics, electrics/electronics, hydraulics, aeronautics, astronautics and so on.
FlyCarpet works on different kinds of component models from different industries. By assembling components, FlyCarpet can build system models with huge combination, and accomplish system modeling in a very short time, this help users focus on their key works without wasting time on modeling process.
FlyCarpet works on different kinds of component models from different industries. By assembling components, FlyCarpet can build system models with huge combination, and accomplish system modeling in a very short time, this help users focus on their key works without wasting time on modeling process.
- Platform: Windows
- Publisher:Yaode Yang
- Date: 24-12-2011
- Size: 8388 KB
- License: Comercial
Enterprise Architect is a flexible, complete and powerful UML2.0 modelling tool for Windows platforms. It is an object oriented CASE tool providing the competitive edge for system development, project management and business analysis.
EA is a comprehensive, full lifecycle, UML analysis and design tool, covering software development from requirements gathering, through the analysis stages, design models, testing and finally maintenance and re-use. EA has proven to be remarkably popular, with a strong user community and continued growth.
EA is a comprehensive, full lifecycle, UML analysis and design tool, covering software development from requirements gathering, through the analysis stages, design models, testing and finally maintenance and re-use. EA has proven to be remarkably popular, with a strong user community and continued growth.
- Platform: Windows
- Publisher:Sparx Systems
- Date: 13-03-2011
- Size: 20032 KB
- License: Freeware
JNode is a Java New Operating systemDesign Effort.JNode is a simple to use and install Java operating system for personal use on modern devices. Any java application runs on it, fast and safe.See our homepage for additional information.
- Platform: Linux, Mac, Windows
- Publisher:jnode.org
- Date: 08-08-2012
- Size: 229482 KB
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Neural Network Based Control SystemDesign Toolkit Version 2The NNCTRL toolkit is a set of tools for design and simulation of control systems based on neural networks. The following designs are available:o Direct inverse controlo Internal model controlo Control by feedback linearizationo Optimal controlo Control using instantanous linearization (includes approximate pole placement, approximate minimum variance and approximate GPC control)o Nonlinear Predictive Controlo Nonlinear Feedforward ControlThe toolkit is an add-on to the NNSYSID toolbox; a toolbox for nonlinear system identification with neural networks.
- Platform: Matlab, Scripts
- Publisher:Magnus Norgaard
- Date: 23-05-2013
- Size: 389 KB
- License: Shareware
Matlab software associated to the paper:L.G. Van Willigenburg, W.L. De Koning, 1999, 'Optimal reduced-order compensators for time-varying discrete-time systemswith deterministic and white parameters',Automatica, 35, 129-138.Systems with white parameters (with multiplicative white noise) are useful for non-conservative robust control systemdesign under structured parameter uncertainty. The software computes the optimal compensator (feedback controller) for time-varying discrete-time linear systems with white stochastic parameters, additive Gaussian system and measurement noise and quadratic criteria.
- Platform: Matlab, Scripts
- Publisher:Gerard Van Willigenburg
- Date: 11-05-2013
- Size: 20 KB
- License: Shareware
ATVplus is a suite of MATLAB files that create a graphical user interface (GUI) to perform system identification and control systemdesign using the ATV+ technique. The ATV+ identification method has been developed to allow the identification of linear transfer function models for SISO stable systems. The technique requires that three tests with a modified relay are performed on the process: from each of these tests the position of a point of the process Nyquist curve is obtained, and this information is later used to obtain a full model.
- Platform: Matlab, Scripts
- Publisher:Gabriele Marchetti
- Date: 15-05-2013
- Size: 399 KB
- License: Freeware
Its a Liquor Management SystemDesign and Developed Indian Market.
- Platform: WinOther
- Publisher:Liqourmanagment
- Date:
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- License: Shareware
Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect supports the OMG DDS Standard
Enterprise Architect, together with MDG technology for DDS delivers a powerful, low cost design environment for creating complex color='#336699' size='1'>Platform: Windows
Enterprise Architect, together with MDG technology for DDS delivers a powerful, low cost design environment for creating complex color='#336699' size='1'>Platform: Windows
- License: Shareware
Sprinkler System Layout Tool
QNICE is a simple 16 bit processor intended to teach the basics of hardware design as well as operating systemdesign. A TTL implementation is planned, a FPGA implementation as well. Currently there exists a C based simulator and an assembler.
Free Fire Sprinkler System Design Software
- Platform: WinOther
- Publisher:Dr. Bernd Ulmann
- Date:
- Size: 153 KB