Unpowered Measured Irrigation Controller
Universal Measured Irrigation Controller
Automation Kit for Farm Pond Irrigation
Farm Pond in Kenya for gravity feed drip irrigation
As well as the User Manual, the kit includes the following four components
Waterproof pump controller with solar charge controller inside
Double pump (two pumps connected in series) with an inlet filter, fittings to connect to 19 mm poly pipe, and 9 metres of waterproof electrical cable
The Automation Kit for Farm Pond Irrigation is for smallholders with a farm pond and gravity feed drip irrigation from a header tank. Water is pumped automatically from the farm pond to the header tank and your small farm is irrigated automatically by an Unpowered Terracotta Irrigation Valve. You can leave your farm unattended for weeks on end, and so you can become involved in other activities away from the farm; for example, travelling to the market to sell your produce.
It is assumed that the bottom of the farm pond is no more than 4 metres lower than the irrigation drippers. The water supply pressure from the header tank should be at least 1 metre head.
The Kit includs an Unpowered Terracotta Valve to supply water to approximately 500 non-pressure compensating (NPC) drippers on flat land (assuming that each dripper has a flow rate of 2 L/H at 100 kPa). If your farm requires more than 500 drippers, you can subdivide your farm into zones with up to 500 drippers per zone (each zone has a separate controller).
The Unpowered Terracotta Valve can be purchased separately from the Measured Irrigation Shop
Unpowered Terracotta Valve
Float switch
The following items will be required to install the kit and may be purchased locally:
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12V battery
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20W solar panel
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2-strand electrical cable
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wire connectors
Connect the water supply to the inlet pipe and connect the irrigation application to the outlet pipe
The Automation Kit for Farm Pond Irrigation can be purchased online from the Measured Irrigation Shop.
Installation of the Unpowered Terracotta Valve
Position the Unpowered Terracotta Valve in a suitable location on your farm so that the evaporation matches the evaporation at your plants.
Connect the water supply from the header tank to the inlet pipe and connect the irrigation application to the outlet pipe (note that the control dripper is connected to the outlet pipe).