songbird wrote:
David Hare-Scott wrote:

It has been dry lately so I have been irrigating the orchard. I
moved the sprayers this morning and then started the pump. One of
the four heads wasn't working at all. These are the type with two
nipples, one has a tapper, a spring loaded arm that rotates the
whole assembly using the pressure of the water. Normally they will
give out some dribble of water from either of the two jets even if
blocked with organic matter sucked through the pump from the river.
On closer inspection something slimy was being squeezed out of each
jet. I pulled at it but did no good as I couldn't get hold of it.
So back to get some tools and take the head apart. As I lifted it
off the stand what should be hanging down out the inlet
side - legs. Green legs with webbed feet.

Imagine you are a frog and have curled up inside a bit of pipe for a
kip. Then a gush of high pressure water hits you and you are
travelling at speed down the main pipe, waterslide! Then you take a
branch into a much narrower pipe and round a few bends, upside down,
wow water rollercoaster! Then you reach the sprinkler head where
some of you goes out one jet and some goes out the other....

how sad for the froggie.


yes

i hope you'll put a screen around the end soon.


This is the first time for this kind of problem as normally there is no
opening to the system.

also, it may be worth the time to set up a small
wetland/sandbox/pondlet to filter the water before
you suck it up as then you'll keep stuff out of the
lines/heads.



No need, the drawing end is a foot valve in the river which is screened.
The screen is fine enough to exclude frogs etc but will occasionally admit a
bit of grass or stick. The frog got in because I opened the system to add
in a new section of pipe.

D