Automatic Sprinklers Are Calgary’s Choice for Irrigation
College Waterworks Ltd. provides a variety of sprinklers and systems in Calgary and surrounding area. We offer reliable products and components at great rates. We offer 5-year warranties on all our installations and our expert team is able to provide high-quality repairs and programming services. Our goal is to offer reliability and affordability in one package. Contact us today to request more information or to ask for a free estimate.
Below, you'll find some of the major components that make up our sprinkler systems.
Computer
This device automatically turns irrigation systems on and off at specified times and operate the system's stations for pre-set periods of time.
Units installed by College Waterworks Ltd. offer exceptional reliability. Power outages have no effect since the watering schedule is held in memory with backup batteries. It is important for our customers to possess the knowledge to easily set their controllers, so we will show you how the important functions work following the system installation. This will give our customers the ability to select and control when watering will start, how long each zone will water, and what days watering will occur. Adjustments and bypasses can also be made for seasonal and sudden changes in weather.
Valves
Zone valves are the mechanical devices that turn the water on and off to the individual sections of the system. Water meters and water service lines cannot provide enough water to water an entire yard at once, so the system is typically broken up into several individual zones or stations.
Automatic Valves: No need to keep a mental note when to turn these valves on or off, as they are operated by the electric controller. Wires run in the ground under the piping to the valve and are connected to the controller. When the controller sends current to the valve, it opens. When the current is cut, the valve closes.
Sprinklers
Sprinkler system heads can be of two types; spray and rotary heads. The types of heads utilized on a specific project will be determined by the dimensions of the area being covered, the water pressure available for operation, and a variety of other factors.
Spray Sprinklers
These come to mind when envisioning a residential sprinkler system. The heads are dispersed around the lawn and in planting beds.
The spacing between sprinklers varies depending upon the specific nozzle installed in the head, and should not exceed 15 feet. Spray sprinklers installed in turf areas are designed to pop-up during watering and retract to below the turf line to allow mowing and normal use of the lawn after watering.
Spray sprinkler bodies are available in various sizes, the difference being the height that the spray apparatus or nozzle protrudes above the body of the head. High-pop-up models are used for flower and shrubbery bed areas where risers might be unsightly or subject to damage from a passerby or a winter snow shovel.
The nozzle is the device that water passes through as it leaves the head to be dispersed onto the landscape. Irrigators rely on different nozzles to vary the quantity of water dispersed during the watering cycle, as well as the distance that water is to be thrown by each head. The amount of water distributed over a given area per minute can be increased by simply changing the nozzle size.
Stream Sprinklers
These sprinklers are larger devices that are used in open, uninterrupted spaces that allow water to be dispersed 15 feet or more. These heads typically pop-up during use and retract after operation in lawns or other areas with foot traffic. They are also available in fixed (non-pop-up) versions for use on risers in large planting areas.
Rotary sprinklers operate on a gear-drive technology. Water turns a small turbine in the base of the unit which drives a series of gears, causing the head to rotate. The gear drive mechanism is sealed from dirt and debris and operates without the irritating clatter of traditional impact sprinklers.
Gear-driven rotors are easy to adjust and factory sealed to keep contaminants out. Although the individual rotor unit is several times more costly than a spray head, its wider spacing capabilities mean fewer heads are needed to cover a given area.
Sensors
How sensors work is quite simple: they interrupt the electrical flow from the controller that would otherwise activate the valve. The sensor does not interfere with the controller's program.
Rain Sensors
These units are mounted in a location exposed to normal rainfall, but outside the watering spray of the sprinkler system. Sufficient precipitation will trigger the device, causing the system to remain off during and after, in the event of a downpour. The rainfall settings can be adjusted so that a light shower will not affect system operation, therefore avoiding scheduled irrigation when rainfall is not sufficient to make up for a normal application.
Freeze Sensors
This type of sensor is very popular where ice on walkways or streets can cause liability, as well as in gardens where watering before or during heavy freezes can create problems with ice-laden shrubs and trees. The freeze sensor interrupts the signal to the control valves when temperatures fall below freezing. Once conditions improve, the system will return to normal operation.
Products We Use
Irritol Systems
Headquartered in Riverside, Calif., Irritrol Systems is a brand of professional irrigation products manufactured by the Toro Irrigation Division. Over the years, it has grown from a name well known in a few product categories to today's full line of solid, dependable, contractor-friendly products.
Rain Bird
Rain Bird has had a long and important role in the history of agricultural irrigation with the invention of the first impact sprinkler in 1933 and has been on the vanguard of irrigation technology ever since.
Toro
Through internal developments, acquisitions and alliances, Toro has become a global leader in turf care serving homeowners, golf courses, landscape contractors, municipalities, airports and schools.