If anyone was willing to give the uninformed (me) a mini lesson on all this, it'd be much appreciated.
As I say, I really am out of my element here, so excuse how basic these questions are.
Peter
Hi Peter,
I'll try and answer a few of your questions.
What makes a system an 'antique' system? Is it basically narrower pipes and fewer heads?
Older systems are more manually controlled. Originally there was either an outlet where a travelling irrigator was plugged in, or where a bayonet style sprinkler was pushed in. These style of systems saw the pump turned on and valves opened up. Certainly not uncommon to know of guys spending long hours during the night turning on and off valves. If the course had satellites in the field, the older styles were more electro-mechanical, where you go to the box and manually dial in a run time for a head. Over time the gears, springs, etc., wear so the time you set could be up to a couple minutes either side of what you wanted. In general, more manual maintenance is required.
How many years of life could one expect from earlier/narrower piping?
Depends on the pipe. I'm not sure when PVC came on the market for golf courses but I have worked on courses where asbestos piping has been used. If the piping has been installed well (surrounded by sand in a trench to allow for movement) PVC should be good for at least 20 - 25 years in the ground (non-freezing). Poly pipe is more suited now as it can be shaped without the use of elbows and other fittings required for PVC. With poly being a continuous run, the likelihood of leaks is less.
Why do the newer systems make 'add-ons' easier, and why/in what circumstancs would those add-ons be added on?
Add ons are easier with new systems as they (should) have been designed not to run at full throttle. You would not expect to have a new irrigation system run at maximum rpm just to irrigate the existing facility, it should be designed so that there is still capacity within the system. Pumps now are variable frequency drive, so the pumps respond in rpm to the heads coming on and off. This in turn reduces stress on the pipes, with less leakage. Circumstances where 'add ons be added on' could be establishing any new area around the property, and in alot of cases say for instance in a resort setting, the main pump station also provides the water to the street scapes, hotel landscape, etc. At least at the resorts I've worked at.
With acceleratd grow-in times, is the only way to get more water out there with bigger/more modern systems? Doesn't just watering longer (with an older system) work the same way?
First part, pretty much. Everyone gets hung up on pressure, but flow is more important. Second part, watering longer can lead to runoff. Modern systems allow cycle and soaks, so say a 30min run instead of just being dumped on in an older system, it can be split into 3 x 10min bursts, so the water can infiltrate without runoff. No runoff in grow in means no nutrients are being washed into surrounding areas.
When all the factors are lumped in, are older/simpler systems a lot less expensive than modern one? a little less expensive?
Maintenance wise, older systems can be more expensive to maintain, given the more manual approach to them. More importantly, a modern system can dramatically reduce watering times during the night cycle. Flow on benefits mean that watering can be carried out in off-peak periods, meaning cheaper electricity costs when running the pumps.
Save by being the owner and superindendent both, can you actually tie the proverbial watering arm behind someone's back? Would you want to, realistically speaking? And then, if down the road there was hell to pay for doing it, who would be the one paying?
A pro-active approach is required by all with water becoming more scarce IMO.
Long post, hope this helps.