Pop-up Sprinklers

Grekkon Limited’s lawn irrigation pop-up sprinklers in Kenya are suitable for lawns, parks, golf courses, and gardens. Our lawn sprinklers irrigation systems are designed to distribute water evenly on lawns. We install this lawn sprinkler system in football fields, golf courses, and recreation parks. We train our clients on how to install pop-up lawn sprinklers for those who plan to do so themselves

Pop-up sprinklers price in Kenya

1. 1/2″ Kes 2,750
2. 3/4″ Kes 3,750

Types Of Pop -Up Sprinklers By Grekkon Limited

1. Plastic models. The outer cover is plastic, and much of the internal body too. Some components such as the spring, and nozzles are metallic

A plastic Rain bird pop-up sprinkler 

A plastic Hunter pop-up sprinkler 

2. Metallic types. The exterior and interior is all metallic

A metallic brass pop-up sprinkler

What Size Of A Pop-Up Sprinkler Do I Need?

The size of a pop-up sprinkler is characterised by the diameter of the inlet pipe. The large it is, the greater the discharge. In selecting your pop-up sprinkler size, consider the following:

1. Area of irrigation. The larger it is, the larger your pop-ups will
2. Amount of water available. Larger inlet diameter pop ups have a higher discharge rate, so they utilise more water
3. Lawn irrigation design outlay. Some sections will require large sprinklers, and others smaller ones to meet specific irrigation needs of the sections
4. Your budget. The larger the sprinkler, the costlier it is

Steps To Install Pop Up Sprinklers

1. Determine the water source and volume this must be sufficient for the target acreage
2. Determine the vertical, and horizontal distance from the water source to the point of sprinklers installation
3. Work out the requisite water pump size based on the target acreage, target crop, the vertical elevation, and the horizontal distance
4. Install the pump
5. Establish the right main pipe diameter size based on the installed water pump
6. Establish the right sub main or lateral pipe diameters based on the sprinkler inlet size diameter
7. Prepare the main pipe trenches
8. Prepare the sub main or lateral pipes trenches
9. Connect the sprinklers to the lateral pipes
10. Set the timer if it is an automatic system
11. Run the water pump
12. Check the spray volumes and diameter of spray for each unit

A series of 3/4″ pop up sprinklers along a lateral irrigating a lawn

How pop-up sprinklers work

1. Design

They are built using raisers that are designed to rise up to irrigate 2 to 12 inches above ground under high water pressure. It has a built-in debris filter, and a robust gear drive which turns the sprinkler to the per-defined arc or radius of spraying required

2. Irrigation technique

Once the irrigation cycle is complete, decreasing water pressure causes the riser to retract back to its housing at ground level. Sprinkler heads will not pop up when clogged with debris or dirt. A leak in the water line can cause low water pressure and keep water from flowing to the sprinkler head, so it won’t pop up. Another reason when there is low water pressure in the sprinkler system cuts down the irrigation range and will even cause the sprinkler heads not to function at all

3. Installation of a pop-up sprinkler

During installation, we space the sprinklers 25 feet apart for the larger ones that irrigate a radius beyond 16 feet diameter. For those sprinklers that do a smaller area, we space at 12-15 feet apart. The system is powered by a high pressure, high volume electric pump

Pop up sprinkler installation is done from the edge of lawn towards the middle

4. Protection

A lawnmower cannot damage them in their retracted position because it’s protected. Our most common heights are 2,3,4,6 and 12 inches

5. Pop up sprinkler adjustment

Grekkon Limited’s pop up sprinklers are adjustable in 2 ways

• Adjustment for spray radius. You can reduce or increase the radius of spray. This will not have an impact on the volume of water discharged per unit of time. If you reduce it, then it means the same amount of water over a smaller area
• Adjustment for spraying degree. You can have your pop up sprinkler spray 10 degrees or 360 degrees. This depends on the location. For instance, if the house is behind the sprinkler, then it will be adjusted to a 180 degree of spray. if it is in the middle of the lawn, then this will be set to 360 degrees of spray

6. Pop up sprinkler kit

It consists of;

• An electric surface water pump. Ths size of the water pump is determined b the number of pop up sprinklers to be operated in one go
• A HDPE or PVC main and sub main line. This one delivers water from the source to the sprinkler
• HDPE or PVC fittings for use with the water pump
• Ball valves. These are to control water movement between the source and the pipes, and also between various block on the lawn
• Housing. This is where the pop up sprinkler rests. It protects it from soil or physical damage
• Pop up sprinklers. As per the area under irrigation, various sizes are used
• Pressure gauge. To assess the pressure along the line
• Cabling for the electric water pump to a power source. In an automated system, the cabling extends to the ball valves to control opening and closing
• A timer. In an automated system, the timer controls when to irrigate, and how long a block is irrigated before the system switches it off
• Sensors. These too are in automated systems to send signals that determine the timing and area of irrigation

A sample pop up sprinkler kit

Lawn Irrigation Using Pop-Up Sprinklers

On average, it will take 30 minutes to get a half-inch of water. So, 20 minutes, three times per week will give a lawn about an inch of water. This formula works best with healthy well-drained soils. We install timers on all our pop-up sprinkler systems that automatically switch off the system once the target watering time is achieved.  However, this timer is not installed where a client chooses to operate the system manually. A wet lawn at night predisposes the grass to fungal infection. Irrigate during the day and maintain the moisture level 6 inches below for proper lawn growth.

Pop- Up Sprinkler Calculator

To determine the number of pop-up sprinklers in an area, the following is considered

• The area in square emitters; the larger it is, the more the sprinklers
• The size of the water pump; pressure rating, and water discharge. It determines the number of sprinklers that will water per session
• Diameter size of the water pipe. This high density polythene (HDPE) pipe or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe determines the volume of water delivered. Higher water volume allows for larger sprinklers, meaning less will be installed per unit area
• Radius of spray of the sprinkler; this is a factor of the sprinkler inlet size (1/2″, 3/4″ or 1″), and the water pump size. It determines the number of sprinklers per unit area

Steps To Repair A Pop-up Sprinkler Head

When pop-up sprinklers age, the heads will sometimes, get stuck in position so it doesn’t rotate, chip or break. If this oocurs, follow these steps below to fix your pop-up sprinkler head

• Cut out a circular area around the pop-up sprinkler, about 15cm to 20cm in diameter
• Remove the intact grass around the sprinkler. This way, you’ll return it as it was after the repairs to the same location
• Unscrew the faulty sprinkler from it’s rider
• Replace the old head with a new one of a similar size
• Screw back the new sprinkler
• Adjust the new sprinkler head to direct the spray where you need it
• Turn on the water to test the new sprinkler, to remove any dirt/ debris, and to check for any leakages on your new connection
• Return the cut out grass

Lawn Irrigation FAQs

The right depth of a pop up sprinkler when not in operation

The right heigt of a pop up sprinkler when in operation