A new phenomenon has come to the irrigation industry, the rotary nozzle.  Rainbird Rotary Nozzles were put on the market a couple years ago and sold as an alternative to fixed head spray nozzles.  While we believe fixed head spray nozzles to be superior, many people love the appearance of these rotary nozzle. That said, they are not always as effective a watering tool.

Rain Bird rotary nozzles have a precipitation rate between .4 and .6 inch/hr.  This means they have matched precipitation rates with regular Rotary sprinklers like the Hunter PGP or Hunter I-20.  The main difference between using a rotor like a Hunter Ultra and a Rotary nozzle is the orifice size is significantly smaller on rotary nozzles.  Therefore, it is usually a bad idea to use rotary nozzles on systems that aren’t clean potable water.

Do not use rotary nozzles on well or lake water systems they clog immediately!  There are a few advantages to using rotary nozzles.  One is if your spray head spacing is to far apart and you are limited to adding any more zones you can change your regular spray nozzles out with rotary nozzles for better coverage.  This method we try avoid because it reduces the precipitation rate by half and you spend a lot longer time watering.  Longer watering times enable the water to evaporate into the air and typically humidify the air causing bug and fungus problems.

So, while rotary nozzles look interesting, they typically are not considered for use by educated irrigation contractors.  There are several pest control companies in the central Florida area who have pushed heavily to use rotary nozzles for the quick sale and easy installation.   This approach is not holistic and typically does not resolve dry spots and issues with an unhealthy lawn.   Below of is a list of reason why not to use rotary nozzles

Don’t use rotary nozzles for these reasons

• Rotary nozzles have a low precipitation rate causing longer watering times
• Longer watering times at lower precipitation rates causes humidifying the air and fungus problems
• Longer watering time also causes more evaporation
• Rotary nozzles have very small screens and get clogged very easily
• Rotary nozzles are typically used by lazy contractors as a hack for not installing additional heads and zones of irrigation
• It is basic irrigation theory to water more less often and rotary nozzles go against this premise.

So if you have been sold by your local pest control company or irrigation contractor on rotary nozzles and are still experiencing difficulty in watering your lawn and landscape properly, contact Quality Services.  Most times we find that there are fundamental organizational issues with a system in which rotary nozzles have been uses as a lazy hack to fix the problem.

For any more advice about Rainbird rotary nozzles or any of our professional landscape services in the central Florida area call Quality Services today at 407-314-9852. Request a free estimate by phone or email us at: [email protected]

Our Orlando irrigation service areas include: Lake Mary, Florida, Heathrow, Winter Park, Maitland, Orlando, Longwood, Sanford, Altamonte Springs, Winter Springs, Oviedo, Wekiva Springs, Apopka, Casselberry, Debary and Seminole County Florida. We are located at 120 E. Crystal Lake Ave. Lake Mary, FL 32746.