Insufficient pressure in my sprinklers

Causes

There may be several reasons for too little pressure in your sprinklers, and the most common ones relating to sprinklers in combination with a water pump are listed below.

Please refer to the next blog if you want to spray your garden from an outside tap and there is insufficient pressure in your sprinkler or sprinklers.

Garden hose too narrow

The most common cause of insufficient pressure in sprinklers is a garden hose that is too narrow. Standard garden hoses have an inner diameter of 13 mm, which is fine if you want to connect just one sprinkler to a 20-metre hose. However, problems may arise if a longer distance needs to be bridged and/or several sprinklers simultaneously need to be provided with water and pressure. A garden hose with a diameter of 13 mm causes considerable pipe resistance, as a result of which the pump is unable to perform at full capacity and pressure.

Pipe resistance is increased by:

• the length of the hose;

• the inner diameter of the hose;

• pump capacity (the amount of water per hour it needs to push through the hose).

A long hose with a small inner diameter and a pump's high capacity will lead to pipe resistance. See below for the best way to deal with it.

The required length of the hose is a fixed variable and cannot be changed. However, the inner diameter of the hose and/or the type of pump you select play a role in this respect. If you already have a water pump but do not wish to replace it, your only option will be to select a wider hose. In order to reduce pipe resistance and increase pump performance, we always advise using a garden hose with a minimum inner diameter of 19 mm.

If you are considering buying a new pump, we advise you to make use of our pump configurator. Enter details about your situation, and the configurator will automatically calculate which pump is most suitable for you. The configurator will take into account aspects such as pipe resistance, thereby automatically providing tailored advice.

Narrow fittings

The handy Gardena quick-click coupling system have their own advantages and disadvantages. The quick-click system is especially popular because it is extremely handy and fast. However, the passage of the couplings is very narrow (about 8 mm). If you make use of one or several Gardena quick-click couplings, either directly connected to the pump or further down, between the hoses, this will cause significant resistance relating to pump capacity and pressure. We advise you to replace the Gardena quick-click system with a different type of quick couplings. If possible: for example, a similar system but with a larger passage.

Using a Gardena click-quick coupling at the end of the hose

A quick-click coupling at the end of a hose is nothing to worry about. After all, you usually click an accessory, such as a hand-held sprayer or sprinkler, onto it. Because the water needs to be sprayed, a narrow passage will be no problem.

Kinked or narrow suction hose

By way of a suction hose, a self-priming pump, such as a garden pump or booster pump, draws in water from a source. If this hose is kinked or narrowed, the pump will be unable to draw in sufficient water. Make sure the hose is not narrow or kinked.

Dirty nozzles

When you make use of natural water, there is always a risk of the pump drawing in dirt particles. The pump will usually be able to process the dirt particles without effort, but your sprinklers will not. If one of your sprinklers is not performing adequately, the nozzle should be checked for dirt.

Dirty pre-filter

If you make use of a separate pre-filter, or your water pump has a fitted one, the filter needs to be checked for dirt, and cleaned if needed. A dirty pre-filter reduces the passage capacity, which you will notice with a poorly performing sprinkler or sprinklers.