Question
Hi Brandon- I recently installed an inground sprinkler system. I used 1 inch PVC all the way around including headers and lateral lines. System works great.

I want to move some of my heads to cover the grass strip between street and sidewalk, bu extending the funny pipe. Is there a limit of how long the funny pipe can be to connect heads to the lateral line? I am thinking of moving the heads about 11 ft. from the line but am not sure this will pose a problem.

Thanks for the advice.

Mike

Answer
Mike,

Congratulations on your completed project. Systems can be tough to design/install, and it is sure nice when you finally turn the dial to ON and get awesome coverage!!

Without knowing all the details of your system, it is hard to give an answer on a calculated basis. The key to designing any system is to ensure that each head has enough pressure and flow to work at it's optimal performance level (rated distance, precipitation rate, droplet size, etc). Funny pipe was invented to allow sprinkler heads to be installed on a "swing" type of movement and help prevent breakage when stepped on or driven over. It was never intended to operate in a lateral line function. In my opinion and experience, 11 feet of funny pipe is too much and would restrict the head from operating at it's optimal rated performance! As a rule of thumb, I recommend keeping funny pipe runs at a maximum of 3'-4' (1' is perfect) from the lateral line. So in your situation, tee off your lateral line with the 1" PVC and extend a new line (or lines) to the area where the new heads are going - stopping short about 1'-4'. You can then run the funny pipe the remaining distance to the head and have no problems with flow restriction. You should get optimal performance from each head with this method!

Good luck with the rest of the system!! - BC