If you are pulling water from a lake, pond or canal, odds are you’ve noticed how unclean it can be at times. There is a misconception that clean water is only important for health reasons and it is only necessary to clean potable water. It’s important, however, that any water you run through a system and intend to make use of gets cleaned up for a variety of reasons. We’ll spend some time in this article focusing on why this is, and also, if you are pulling from an open body of water, how Vu-Flow has a product to help you out.
When it comes to open bodies of water, there are a number of different particles that can get in there. Whether you’re dealing with sediment, silt, sand, grit, shell or leaves, these are all things that can be very problematic in your system for a couple of reasons.
First off, all of these things can be problematic for the system you have set up itself. Any type of substance in water that isn’t meant to be there has the potential to cause damage to the different parts of your system, whether that be the pump, pipes, fixtures, etc. Pulling water from a lake or pond where any of the above particles are present can only stand to cost you more money in the long run. For example, homeguide.com lists average prices for installing sprinkler systems. The average total cost to install a new sprinkler system is $1,800 to $5,200. Someone looking to install an in-ground sprinkler system would end up paying between $500 to $1,000 per zone. The majority of homes end up needing three to five zones, so this can turn into an expensive venture. A lawn irrigation system can cost anywhere from $6,000 to $10,000 an acre to install. Even a do-it-yourself sprinkler system can cost anywhere from $500 to $1,500 for a small yard. When it comes down to it, if you're paying anything between these ranges for an irrigation system, you'll want to ensure it runs efficiently for as long as possible. If you don’t and damage occurs to your system, you’re going to have to spend quite a bit of money on replacement parts and certainly even more money if you need to replace your entire system.
Another reason why having these substances in your water can be problematic has to do with the health of whatever it is that you’re feeding water to. We certainly know the dangers that unclean water presents to humans, but unclean water can also cause problems for plants. Gardeningknowhow.com points out that when water is contaminated that the contamination ends up getting dispersed throughout the entire plant. If someone is growing fruits or vegetables, and a person eats one of these that came from a contaminated plant, it can lead to them getting very sick. It’s also entirely possible that plants themselves end up with discoloration, grows irregularly and even end up dying as a result of water contamination. Regardless of the types of plants being grown, the water quality must be high in order to avoid these issues.
If you are pulling from an open body of water for irrigation purposes, installing a basket strainer (also known as an intake filter) from Vu-Flow can help you out. The Vu-Flow basket strainer is specifically designed for use in a lake, pond, or even canal. Several mesh options are available, similar to those offered in our regular screen and sand separator filters. You can choose one that comes in 24 mesh (700 micron), 60 mesh (250 micron) or 100 mesh (150 micron). Due to the size of these intake filters, which are considerably larger than the normal screen and sand separator filters, they are a bit more convenient for helping to clean up water coming out of a lake or pond since they have a larger surface area.
Basket strainers offer up to 100 gallons per minute capacity. They are designed entirely with PVC, an easy-to-clean screen, and come with a 2-inch IPS female inlet slip fitting. An intake filter should be placed at the start of a water pump. Ultimately, as water is pulled into the system, the substances you’re trying to eliminate from the water will collect on the outside of the strainer screen. You'll want to make sure the unit sits above the bottom of a lake or pond, so it’s important to place it on a concrete block or a similar object. If the basket strainer is connected properly, it can do wonders to help clean up the water you have running through your system.
If you’re pulling from an open body of water for irrigation purposes, look into installing an intake filter from Vu-Flow. Call 1-800-833-5171 to speak to a customer service representative who can provide you with more information.
Source Notes: All information in this article relating to the costs for different sprinkler systems came from homeguide.com. Information regarding how contaminated water can affect plants came from gardeningknowhow.com.
