Voltage Drop

Manufacturer and model number, please.

hehe, how much power each head? how much voltage do you use in your country?

you know, not everyone out there is the dealer of the sprinkler head. but work out its current is an easy job.

There's no voltage at the sprinkler heads. Maybe you better get someonr to help you with this project. The sprinklers are controlled by solenoid valves. The number of valves depends on how many sprinkler heads are needed and how many heads can be run from one valve based on the water pressure. The valves are generally low voltage, typically run from a wall-pack transformer, and compared to the demands of parking lot lighting the extra draw due to sprinkler solenoids will be negligable. As long as the lighting isn't maxing out the circuit you shouldn't have to worry about adding a few solenoids.

You could have said that the only current in the sprinkler head is not electricty, but the current of water.

I did landscaping for highend clients for a couple of years. Most sprinkler system controlers plug into a 110 outlet and send a 12v signal to open the solenoid valves. Befor I bid the job I would go to a landscaping supply store that specializes in irrigation systems (whatever you do don't go to the Home Depot or Lowes). Many of these stores offer design services for a small fee; and they will be able to tell you exactly what parts you need and how to install them.

Good luck!

Single Zone sprinkler systems are purely mechanical in operation.

When the clock turns them on, an electromagnetic valve opens, flooding the lawn system with pressurized water.

The heads respond to that pressure without any electrical assistance, not as a signal, nor as power. When the system times out, the solenoid valve closes, pressure drops and and the spray heads retract.

Current to drive the clock and the solenoid valve varies from one manufacturer to another as was stated. Without specific brands and part numbers, this is as close as anyone can get to answering.

Whatever the current draw, I would isolate lighting circuitry from that used to power the sprinkler.

L. J.

L.J has it correct. There are not wires out to every sprinkler head, Just one valve to control flow for each zone. You should probably get some help. Are you really doing the lighting?

1st Whats the wattage & voltage rating of each globe in the system (system is the single run from termination point - light - light - light - termination point)

2nd how many branches do you have, and are the branches loaded the same?

3rd How many solenoid valves are you running to control the sprinklers (series and/or parallel)

Then work out the current for each branch, then the current for each solenoid branch, if the lamps and solenoids are all from the same supply, then you can add these together, but if the Sols' are say 12/24V and the lamps are mains (110/240) then you'll have to include the drain current from the Sol controller box (mains side)

Easiest, draw a circuit of all the components, calculate the loads/currents, if you still have problems, post the cct diagram here for further help.

Knowing the number of valves is moot. To control water flow rate, typically, only one sprinkler valve is activated at a time. Provide the smallest circuit the building code allows and it will be enough.

Depends on the situation your using the sprinklers.

Here in Melb Australia, we have water restrictions, (Stage 3a) and maybe you'd "zone" your sprinklers so as to give a certain amount to the smaller plants and a larger to the bigger ones, having the system staged so it switches between areas in your alloted time period.