An Irrigation sprinkler is a device used to irrigate agricultural crops, lawns, landscapes, golf

courses, and other areas. They are also used for cooling and for the control of airborne dust.
Sprinkler irrigation is a method of applying irrigation water which is similar to natural rainfall.
Water is distributed through a system of pipes usually by pumping. It is then sprayed into the air
through sprinklers so that it breaks up into small water drops which fall to the ground. The pump,
valves, distribution pipes, and sprinklers are generally designed to apply water as uniformly as
possible.

Contents
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 1Types
o 1.1Industrial
o 1.2Residential
o 1.3Underground Sprinkler
o 1.4Agricultural Science
 2Use
 3Health risks from aerosols
 4Gallery
 5See also
 6References
 7External links

Types[edit]
Industrial[edit]
Sprinklers that spray in a fixed pattern are generally called sprays or spray heads. Sprays are not
usually designed to operate at pressures, due to misting problems that may develop.
Higher pressure sprinklers that themselves move in a circle are driven by a ball drive, gear drive,
or impact mechanism (impact sprinklers). These can be designed to rotate in a full or partial
circle.
Rainguns are similar to impact sprinkler, except that they generally operate at very high
pressures of 40 to 130 lbf/in² (275 to 900 kPa) and flows of 50 to 1200 US gal/min (3 to 76 L/s),
usually with nozzle diameters in the range of 0.5 to 1.9 inches (10 to 50 mm). In addition to
irrigation, guns are used for industrial applications such as dust suppression and logging.
Many irrigation sprinklers are buried in the ground along with their supporting plumbing, although
above ground and moving sprinklers are also common. Most irrigation sprinklers operate through
electric and hydraulic technology and are grouped together in zones that can be collectively
turned on and off by actuating a solenoid-controlled valve.

Residential[edit]

An oscillating sprinkler is commonly used to water residential lawns, and is moved as needed.
Home lawn sprinklers vary widely in their size, cost, and complexity. They include impact
sprinklers, oscillating sprinklers, drip sprinklers, and underground sprinkler systems. Small
sprinklers are available at home and garden stores or hardware stores for small costs. These are
often attached to an outdoor water faucet and are placed only temporarily. Other systems may
be professionally installed permanently in the ground and are attached permanently to a
home's plumbing system. An ingenious domestic sprinkler made by Nomad called a 'set-and-
forget tractor sprinkler' was used in Australia in the 1950s. Water pressure ensured that the
sprinkler slowly moved across a lawn.[1]
Permanently installed systems may often operate on timers or other automated processes. They
are occasionally installed with retractable heads for aesthetic and practical reasons (making
damage during lawn mowing or other maintenance less likely). These often are programmed to
operate at certain times of day or on some other schedule.

Underground Sprinkler[edit]
Underground sprinklers function through means of basic electronic and hydraulic technology.
This valve and all of the sprinklers that will be activated by this valve are known as a zone. Upon
activation, the solenoid, which sits on top of the valve is magnetized lifting a small stainless steel
plunger in its center. By doing this, the activated (or raised) plunger allows air to escape from the
top of a rubber diaphragm located in the center of the valve. Water that has been charged and
waiting on the bottom of this same diaphragm now has the higher pressure and lifts the
diaphragm. This pressurized water is then allowed to escape down stream of the valve through a
series of pipes, usually made of PVC (higher pressure commercial systems) or polyethylene pipe
(for typically lower pressure residential systems). At the end of these pipes and flush to ground
level (typically) are pre measured and spaced out sprinklers. These sprinklers can be fixed spray
heads that have a set pattern and generally spray between 1.5–2m (7–15 ft.), full rotating
sprinklers that can spray a broken stream of water from 6–12m (20–40 ft.), or small drip emitters
that release a slow, steady drip of water on more delicate plants such as flowers and shrubs. use
of indigenous materials also recommended.[2]

Agricultural Science[edit]
Center pivot irrigation sprinkler nozzles, used in crop irrigation

Rotator style pivot applicator sprinkler

End Gun style pivot applicator sprinkler

The first use of sprinklers by farmers was some form of home and golf course type sprinklers.
These ad hoc systems, while doing the job of the buried pipes and fixed sprinkler heads,
interfered with cultivation and were expensive to maintain. In the 1950s a firm based in Portland,
Oregon Stout-Wyss Irrigation System, developed the rolling pipe type irrigation system for farms
that has become the most popular type for farmers irrigating large fields. With this system large
wheels attached to the large pipes with sprinkler heads move slowly across the field.[3]

Use[edit]
Most irrigation sprinklers are used as part of a sprinkler system, consisting of various plumbing
parts, pump unit,[4] piping and control equipment. Outdoor sprinkler systems are sometimes used
as a deterrent against homeless people. This sprinkler system was programmed to drench
unsuspecting sleepers at random times during the night. Local businessmen soon copied this
system in an effort to drive homeless people away from public sidewalks adjacent to their
businesses.[5]

Health risks from aerosols[edit]

In 2017, it was reported that use of common garden hoses in combination with spray nozzles
may generate aerosols containing droplets smaller than 10 μm, which can be inhaled by nearby
people. Water stagnating in a hose between uses, especially when warmed by the sun, can host
the growth and interaction of Legionella and free-living amoebae (FLA) as biofilms on the inner
surface of the hose. Clinical cases of Legionnaires' disease or Pontiac fever have been found to
be associated with inhalation of garden hose aerosols containing Legionella bacteria. The report
provides measured microbial densities resulting from controlled hose conditions in order to
quantify the human health risks. The densities of Legionella spp. identified in two types of hoses
were found to be similar to those reported during legionellosis outbreaks from other causes. It is
proposed that the risk could be mitigated by draining hoses after use.[6]

Gallery