Bob NH
In the Trades
Many of the threads on this board about irrigation pumps are related to mis-matching the pump to the system.
The ideal pump for irrigation would have nearly constant pressure across a wide range of flow. Then the inevitable variations in sprinkler demand would have less effect on the pressure and the sprinklers would all work about the same when there are different demands on different sections of the system.
Definite purpose "irrigator" pumps such as the Goulds GT series and others are pretty good for systems that get water from ponds or from very shallow wells with a lot of capacity. Shallow well jet pumps can be used for low capacity systems up to 15-20 GPM, but they are much less efficient and should be used only for low flow situations or where the lift from a shallow well is too great for a straight centrifugal pump to operate well.
Submersible pumps intended for use in wells are terrible choices for irrigating from a pond or shallow well. They have steep head/flow curves and at less than design flow the pressure is usually too much for the system. Stock pumps at "big box" stores are just about the worst possible choice because they stock pumps that are certain to provide high enough pressure from a fairly deep well to a home water system.
High capacity/low head submersibles are readily available from sources such as Goulds distributors (and I'm sure others) that will provide good flow at the operating point. They are good for providing pressure margin but are not as forgiving of mis-matched pump/system conditions as a good single stage centrifugal.
You can irrigate with almost any kind of pump if you spend enough for tanks, valves, and controls and if the electric power is not a significant factor. There are ways to waste that energy you are buying over the wires to make just about anything work.
But if you want an efficient system you should take the trouble to match the pump to the system.
The ideal pump for irrigation would have nearly constant pressure across a wide range of flow. Then the inevitable variations in sprinkler demand would have less effect on the pressure and the sprinklers would all work about the same when there are different demands on different sections of the system.
Definite purpose "irrigator" pumps such as the Goulds GT series and others are pretty good for systems that get water from ponds or from very shallow wells with a lot of capacity. Shallow well jet pumps can be used for low capacity systems up to 15-20 GPM, but they are much less efficient and should be used only for low flow situations or where the lift from a shallow well is too great for a straight centrifugal pump to operate well.
Submersible pumps intended for use in wells are terrible choices for irrigating from a pond or shallow well. They have steep head/flow curves and at less than design flow the pressure is usually too much for the system. Stock pumps at "big box" stores are just about the worst possible choice because they stock pumps that are certain to provide high enough pressure from a fairly deep well to a home water system.
High capacity/low head submersibles are readily available from sources such as Goulds distributors (and I'm sure others) that will provide good flow at the operating point. They are good for providing pressure margin but are not as forgiving of mis-matched pump/system conditions as a good single stage centrifugal.
You can irrigate with almost any kind of pump if you spend enough for tanks, valves, and controls and if the electric power is not a significant factor. There are ways to waste that energy you are buying over the wires to make just about anything work.
But if you want an efficient system you should take the trouble to match the pump to the system.