Filtration
Why filter? Emitter Plugging Emitter Wear
Causes of Emitter Clogging Organic material in water supply Growth of algae and other bacterial slimes within the lateral lines Silts, clays, and other inorganic particles in the water supply Precipitation of chemicals inside the system
Selecting a Filtration System Understand what is in the water Determine the emitter orifice size Determine the peak flow Cost
Mesh For Drip Emitters: –Orifice diameter divided by 10 For Spray Emitters: –Orifice diameter divided by 7
Filtration Settling Basins Pressure Screen Filters Gravity Screen Filters Centrifugal Separators Disk Filters Media Filters
Gravity Screen No backflush water Daily manual maintenance Lose inlet pressure Large trash removal
Gravity Screen
Sand Separators
Disc Filters Often best choice for very small systems Manual cleaning difficult Booster pump for automatic cleaning Small footprint Sand may stick
Disc Filters
Sand Problems
Media Tanks Perhaps the most universal Often sized incorrectly Often misadjusted
Media Filtration Design For average water: GPM per square foot For extra dirty water: GPM per square foot ASABE?
Filtration Design Square footage needed= Irrigation System GPM divided by Design GPM per square foot
Filtration Design Typical Diameters for Media Tanks: 18 inch24 inch 30 inch36 inch 48 inch