Calculate precipitation rates, distribution uniformity, and optimal zone runtimes.
An irrigation precipitation rate calculator helps landscape architects, agronomists, and turf managers design highly efficient watering schedules. By determining the exact inches per hour delivered by your sprinklers, you can match infiltration rates to soil types, preventing costly water runoff and promoting significantly deeper root growth.
The standard formula is Precipitation Rate = (96.3 x Total GPM) / Total Area. The 96.3 is a constant that converts gallons per minute into inches per square foot per hour.
DU measures how evenly water is applied across the zone. A low DU means some areas stay dry while others are overwatered, requiring longer runtimes to fix the dry spots.
Heavy clay soils have low infiltration rates. To prevent runoff, irrigation must be applied in short bursts using a cycle-and-soak method rather than one long continuous runtime.
No. Rotors, spray heads, and drip lines have vastly different precipitation rates. Mixing them makes it impossible to apply water uniformly across the landscape.