½” Impact plastic sprinklers are popularly known by their generic name of Mini Sprinklers and are used for spraying low volume of water on small / medium size areas, suitable for permanent/ semi-permanent installation.
Mini Sprinklers are suitable for crops like Potato, Onion, Garlic, Ginger, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Groundnut, Mustard, Pulses, Tea and also in nurseries.
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Points to remember while purchasing Mini Sprinklers:
All Mini Sprinklers from good companies and local manufacturers look the same. Duplicate sprinklers of popular brands are also available at low prices and are very difficult to differentiate from high quality, branded sprinklers (ISI marked). That’s why you must keep an eye on the following points:
- Check that the head movement of the sprinkler is smooth, so that the sprinkler rotates freely at low water pressure.
- Check that the bottom bearing is tight, so that the sprinkler can withstand high water pressure.
- Please check that the packaging of the product is sealed and not damaged.
- Buy the product from a reputed dealer.
Why does my Mini Sprinkler not rotate at low pressure?
Following are the reasons why Mini Sprinklers do not rotate at low pressure or the water flow coming out of the sprinkler has decreased:
- Water sources may have impurities like sand, dirt etc.
- The newly installed system has not been flushed properly.
- A break in the plumbing was recently repaired.
- Number of sprinklers on one side exceeds the available LPH.
- Use genuine (ISI marked) spare parts for maintenance and replacement of your sprinkler
Read More: How to set/change pressure in a PRV
How to improve water flow?
- Use a high quality water filter to avoid choking Mini Sprinklers.
- Flush system frequently.
- Unscrew the nozzle of the mini sprinkle and clean it frequently.
- Reduce the nozzle size.
- Reduce the number of sprinklers in the field or at the lateral. For example, 8-9 sprinklers are enough to put at one side.
Good Vs Poor Quality Mini Sprinklers: Financial impact
Before buying a local brand Mini Sprinkler from the market you must know what is the overall financial impact that it causes as compared to a good branded (ISI marked) Mini Sprinkler.
| Parameters | Automat’s Venturi Manifold | Local Venturi Manifold |
| Life of Sprinklers | 4 – 5 Years (Trouble-free operation) |
1 – 2 years (Problem of leakage, rotation, nozzle size etc.) |
| CDU (Coefficient of Distribution Uniformity) | 88 – 92% | 82 – 86% |
| Yield / acre | Onion: 219 -225 quintals | Onion: 202 – 208 quintals ( 5 – 8% Lower Yield) |
| Potato: 145-150 quintals | Potato: 133 – 138 quintals ( 5 – 8% Lower Yield) |
|
| Revenue Received from Sale of one crop (Avg. Sale Price per kg: Onion – Rs 13/-&Potato: Rs 7/-) |
Onion: Rs 2,84,700/- to Rs 2,92,500 | Onion: Rs 2,62,600/- to Rs 2,70,400/- |
| Potato: Rs 1,01,500/- to Rs 1,05,000 | Potato: Rs 93,100/- to Rs 96, 600/- | |
| Profit /Loss of Farmer because of Lower CDU of Mini sprinkler (Rupees per acre) |
Onion: Rs 14,300/- to Rs 22,100/- (LOSS) | |
| Potato: Rs 4900/- to Rs 8400/- (LOSS) | ||
| In One Year, Loss per Acre to Farmer | Rs 9,800/- to Rs 44,300/- | |
| Mini Sprinklers installed per Acre | 50 nos. | 50 nos. |
| Price Difference / sprinkler | Rs. 20/- to 25/- | |
| Total Sprinkler’s Price Difference per Acre | Rs. 1000 – 1250/- | |
| Total Loss per Acre | Rs. 9,800/- to Rs. 44,300/- | |
Why Automat’s Mini Sprinkler is Good for Farmers?
- It is designed to give optimum performance even at low water pressure (0.8 – 1.5 kg/cm2).
- It has a larger diameter of water throw: 17.5mtr @1 kg/cm2.
- Excellent distribution of water: 88-92% at 1 kg/cm 2 and 9×9 meter spacing.
- No dry patches are left in the field.
- Smooth rotation speed of all Mini sprinklers in the field: between 15 – 25sec at 1kg/cm2.
