Intro To Filtration And Technology

Note: The following catalog of content covered in this webinar is time stamped to allow you to follow along or skip to sections of the video that are relevant to your questions. You can also search for content on this page using the FIND command in your browser (CTRL + F in Windows, Command + F in Mac OS.)

• Intro/TOC
• Water Source
• Flow Rate
• Operating Pressure
• Required Filtration (Manufacturers' Rec)
• Maintenance
• Filter Types

00:00 – 4:35: Intro/TOC

4:36 – 9:40: Water Source

Learn what water source is available to your site:

• Municipal water.
• Surface water.
• Well water.
• Grey water.
• Rain/storm water.
• Recycled water.

How dirty is the water?

• Simple test: Total suspended solids (TSS).

Water sources (5:40):

• Municipal water (potable or culinary water) – good.
• $$$$ Limited supplies, expensive water.
• Filtration micro-irrigation is still required.
• Surface water (ponds, lakes, surface aquifiers, canals) – poor.
• $ Can be hard to access, becoming a better/popular alternative if available.
• Filtration sands, silts, organics, etc.
• Well water (below-surface aquifiers) – good/average.
• $ Not all properties have this option.
• Filtration sands, silts, debris.
• Grey water (reuse from discharge of property) – poor.
• $ Expensive setup.
• Requires a more specific filter than an off-the-shelf filter.
• Filtration sands, silts, organics, hair, fibers, debris, etc.
• Rainwater (storm water collection and reuse) – very poor.
• $ Expensive initial setup, dependent on rain.
• Filtration sands, silt, organics, etc.
• Recycled water (effluent, non-potable) – poor/average.
• $ Initial setup and only if available.
• Filtration sands, silt, debris, organics.

High vs. low TSS percentage (8:55)

9:41 – 11:03: Flow Rate

• System flow rate.
• Design flow rate.
• Filters are designed based on flow maximum and minimum.

11:04 – 12:11: Operating Pressure

Static pressure/dynamic pressure (11:04)

• Static pressure.
• Dynamic pressure.
• Filters have pressure ratings for maximum and minimum.

12:12 – 17:34: Required Filtration (Manufacturers' Rec)

• Filtration is the separation of solids from water.
• Particles larger than a certain size need to be removed in order to protect irrigation systems' emission devices.
• 80, 100, 130, 200, 300, and 500 are some of the various micron rates used in filtration.
• Micron is a more accurate way to measure the filtration degree.
• Mesh is the common terminology but is not quite as accurate as micron.
• Most manufacturers have a recommended filtration requirement for their product.

What is a micron? (13:09)

• Micron describes the 3D diameter of particles.
• The official symbol for a micron is µ, sometimes simplified as um.
• A micron is defined as 1 micron = 0.001 millimeter, a little more than 1/25,000 inch.
• The human eye can see 40 microns.

Micron vs. mesh (13:45)

Mesh of screen:

• Number of wires in 1 linear inch of screen.
• The definition is taken from the garment industry (shirts and sheets).*

*Mesh is a U.S. measurement standard and comes from the garment industry. It is a count of the number of openings in 1 linear inch of screen. The count is the mesh number. The more openings per linear inch is proportional to the size of the particle that can pass through the screen. However, wire thickness is not a factor in determining this number.

Micron of screen:

• 1/1000 millimeter
• The actual dimension of the opening of the screen between the wires.
• Micron is usually more accurate.

Manufacturer filtration requirements (14:32)

• Manufacturer has operating range for filtration.
• Drip emitters: 100 to 13 micron.
• Precision spray/rotor: 200 micron.
• Standard spray: 300 micron.
• Increasing filter size causes potential issues for devices and efficiency.
• Severe effects on distribution uniformity the term used to describe a system's efficiency and performance.
• 10% increase in distribution uniformity is calculated as 30% wasted water.

17:35 – 22:04: Maintenance

• • Tough locations may dictate type of filter.
• Service times.
• How often someone can service.
• Weekly maintenance.
• Water source.
• Dirty water requires more cleanings.
• Efficiency issues increase cleanings.
• Downtime for cleaning.
• Flow and pressure.
• Funding for maintenance.
• Limited labor funding.
• Water efficiency issues.

Screen filters cleaning cycle (20:22)

Manually

• Physically remove filter element, scrub. and wash.

Back flush

• Reverse water flow through filter dislodging and washing out particulate.

Focused back flush

• Reverse water flow through nozzles concentrating cleaning to less than 1 square inch, which increases suction force.

22:05 – end: Filter Types

Manually operated filters (22:18)

Pros:

• Low-cost option.
• Simple installation and maintenance.
• Some manufacturers offer high-quality 316L stainless-steel screen.

Cons:

• Time-consuming manual cleaning process.
• Require constant supervision.

Amiad Tagline (23:11)

• High-quality 316L stainless-steel screen.
• Polypropylene housing for corrosion resistance.
• Landscape applications.
• Available sizes: 3/4" to 3".
• Rated to 116 PSI.
• Low-cost option.

The 2 by 4 rule: When you double the surface area of a filter element, you quadruple the time between cleaning. (23:39)

Amiad Manual Black Plastic (25:26)

• High-quality 316L stainless-steel screen.
• Polypropylene housing for corrosion resistance.
• Small ag and landscape applications.
• Available sizes: 3/4" to 3".
• Rated to 150 PSI.
• Screen or disc elements.

Semi-automatic filters (25:58)

Pros:

• Low-cost option.
• Simple installation and maintenance.
• Some manufacturers offer high-quality 316L stainless-steel screen.
• Typical sizes 3" to 8".
• Clogging indicator.
• Can be cleaned without interrupting irrigation cycle.
• Low-pressure requirement for proper cleaning.

Cons:

• Require constant supervision.
• Require presence of an operator to perform the cleaning process.

Amiad Semi-Automatic (27:23)

• High-quality 316L stainless-steel screen.
• Small ag and landscape applications.
• Available sizes:
  • 2" to 3" (plastic housing).
  • 2" to 8" (steel housing).
• Clogging indicator.
• Can be cleaned without interrupting irrigation.
• Requires less than 35 PSI for proper cleaning.

Self-Cleaning: How It Works (27:51)

Mini Sigma parts (27:55):

• Coarse screen.
• Fine screen.
• Hydraulic turbine.
• Suction-scanner shaft.
• Suction-scanner nozzles.
• Flush valve.
• ADI-P controller.
• Integral anti-vacuum.

Automatic filters (30:55)

Pros:

• Can be cleaned without interrupting irrigation.
• Some manufacturers offer high-quality 316: stainless-steel screen.
• Polypropylene or steel housing.
• Typical sizes: 2" to 20" (varies depending on the manufacturer).
• Fully automated and optimized cleaning process.
• Consistent performance of the irrigation systems.
• Some manufacturers offer electronic and/or wireless control with added HMI features.
• Flexibility of installation (varies depending on the manufacturer).

Cons:

• Some products require high minimum pressure to sustain cleaning cycle (varies depending on the manufacturer).
• Some products require long flushing cycle with significant rejected water volume (varies depending on the manufacturer).

Amiad Sigma screen filters (32:26)

• High-quality 316L stainless-steel screen.
• Good to poor water quality.
• Small/medium ag and landscape applications.
• Available sizes:
• 2" (NPT threaded).
• 3", 4" (flange).
• ADI-P controller.
• Can be cleaned without interrupting irrigation.
• Requires 22 PSI for proper cleaning.
• 2 versions: Online model and angle model.

Amiad Mini Sigma self-cleaning screen filter in landscape applications, examples (33:30)

What's the best filter for my application? (33:41)

Manual filters:

• Water quality does not clog the screen in a very short time.
• When a worker has time to clean the filter manually as needed.

Semi-automatic filter:

• Manual filter will require too frequent cleaning.
• Water quality average.

Automatic filter:

• Semi-automatic filter will require too frequent cleaning.
• Water quality is average/poor.

Installation applications for manual and semi-automatic, examples (35:47)

City Sports Complex – Centerville City, UT (36:58)

• Application: Landscape irrigation for city park.
• Water source – quality: Ground – average
• Operating condition: 400GPM, 80PSI
• Solution: Automatic self-cleaning screen filter with 200-micron screen significantly improved water quality, removing sand and debris and minimizing human intervention to regular annual maintenance.

Lehi City Parks – Lehi, UT (37:53)

• Application: Landscape irrigation for city park.
• Water source – quality: Surface – average
• Operating condition: 100GPM, 100PSI
• Solution: Automatic self-cleaning screen filter with 200-micron screen was installed to replace semi-automatic filter, increasing irrigation performance consistency and drastically redacting human intervention.

Canyon School District (38:27)

• Application: Landscape irrigation for junior high school.
• Water source – quality: Surface – average/good
• Operating condition: 275GPM, 90PSI
• Solution: Automatic self-cleaning screen filter with 300-micron screen proved to be effective at removing the large debris and particles present in the water source, allowing for the use of a secondary water and reducing operating costs of the system.

Lehi Sports Fields (Lehi, UT) (39:09)

• Application: Landscape irrigation for city park.
• Water source – quality: Surface – average
• Operating condition: 300GPM, 100PSI
• Solution: Automatic self-cleaning screen filter with 200-micron screen proved to be effective at removing the debris and particles present in the water source, allowing for the use of a secondary water and reducing operating costs of the system.

Discussion on installation requirements for manual filters, closeness to the ground, and the need for pads (41:02)

Discussion on where the flush water goes (42:36)

The importance of cleaning the screens (44:35)

Discussion of how the automatic flush for the auto filters works when the filter is enclosed in a box (45:38)

Discussion on the use of chlorine (49:41)

Discussion on which irrigation controllers are also compatible with the automatic filters (51:42)