# Head Spacing Issue



## Frankis843 (Jul 31, 2019)

I have 42' x 48' rectangle that has heads on all corners and one in the middle of each side, all shooting towards the middle. Heads cover roughly 27'. Everything I have found says head to head coverage is what you need. In a large area like mine, it seems as if a middle head is missing from the layout. I get a bit of spray overlap in the middle of the yard, but nowhere near head to head coverage. The middle area looks more dry compared to the rest of the yard and I feel like it is missing one 360 degree head in the middle of the yard.

I got together with the installer yesterday and he was not agreeing with my theory that head to head coverage is needed. He claimed there is another method called "row coverage". Google has never heard of this term.

The installers recommendation is to just run the two zones covering the area for a longer time period. I feel like he just doesn't want to add another head and is looking for the easy way out.

Any thoughts?


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## dpainter68 (Apr 26, 2017)

Yes you are correct and it sounds like he doesn't know what he's doing. If I understand correctly you have a total of 8 heads? It sounds like you may actually be missing 2 heads. Did he install Rainbird or Hunter? Maybe you could show him the manufacturers design manual? Tell him row coverage sounds good and will work once he completes the middle row :lol:


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

It's not a "theory" that head-to-head coverage is required. It's how the engineers at Hunter, Rainbird, and so forth designed their nozzles. If they say use head-to-head, then that's what you use. But that's the requirement for even irrigation and minimal water use. If you don't mind dry spots, or flooding your yard with so much water that _eventually_ the dry areas green up, then his "row coverage" idea is just fine.

If the installer hasn't heard of an *Irrigation Audit*, then do one yourself. It's quite easy and will quickly show any uneven coverage. If the results show uneven coverage, show the installer the results and ask him to fix the problem. If he refuses to recognize or fix the problem, tell him you will hire someone else to fix it and then send him the bill. Be prepared to fight in small claims court or even hire an attorney if needed. That's the only way to get unethical, fake contractors to clean up their act.

You can make cheap homemade cups for Irrigation Audit, or buy some pretty cool catch cups...

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Orbit-B-Hyve-Sprinkler-Catch-Cup-12-Pack-26251/310206502

https://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/hydro-rain-audit-catch-cup-hrp-200-ml


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## Frankis843 (Jul 31, 2019)

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate the tip on the catch cups too!


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

You're welcome! This video shows how to do an audit using what appears to be small, disposable Tupperware containers...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gShoVigPL0E

For now, you don't really care about the exact precipitation rates. Instead, you need confirmation that all the cups have *about the same amount of water* after running for 20 minutes. Therefore, you don't need to mark the cups and do any calculations yet. Just lay out the cups every 4 to 5 feet, run the system for 20 minutes, and then look for cups that differ greatly. If you want to figure out the time to lay down exactly 0.5" per week, you can re-do the audit later and measure the water and figure out the precipitation rates.


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## wafflesngravy (Apr 8, 2019)

I just redid my sprinkler system because the guy who installed it was a moron. That guy was me.  You want head to head over lap unless you like a lawn consisting of several versions of greens and yellows.


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