Field irrigation

[Mhz]

I want to upgrade my small irrigation system.  I currently have a 5hp submersible pump in a  400 ft drilled well.  It pumps into an elevated  10,000 gallon citrine and gravity flows to our residence and 3 small food plots on my shooting preserve (2 acres each).   The supply pipe to the fields is 2” PVC and they stretch 2000 feet.   The system will currently run about 3 low flow impact sprinklers at the end of the line, 4 is too many.      I’d like to get maximum pressure to as many sprinkler heads as possible without overdoing the system.    Will a cycle stop valve help?   And how should it be integrated?

[Cary Austin]

Hi Mhz
Using gravity the only way to increase the pressure to the sprinklers is to increase the pipe size.  You will either need to put a booster pump in the cistern, or hook up the 5 HP submersible directly to the irrigation line.  With either of these pumps a CSV will vary the flow to match the number of sprinkers you are running, and allow you to use a very small pressure tank.  So yes a CSV will help you, but it must be attached to a pump. 

[Mhz]

Thanks for the reply.  It would be easy to put a booster pump and CSV after the cistern but increasing the pipe size is a much bigger job.  Is the CSV a wasted effort without larger pipe?

[Cary Austin]

Is the CSV a wasted effort without larger pipe?

Oh no!  The pump and CSV will increase the pressure so you get more flow through the pipe you already have.  The trick is to figure out how much flow you want.  Then figure out how much friction loss that much flow will cause in the pipe you have, and size a pump to supply this much pressure and flow.

[Mhz]

Thanks.  I'll give it a try.