4 Things You Can Learn From Tracking Flow and Pressure at a Block Level

When growers start tracking flow and pressure at a block level on every irrigation they run, they learn practical things about their system’s performance and how to optimize it over time.

1. How many blocks or acres can be irrigated at once

Typically the lesson here is that fewer blocks need to be scheduled together to achieve good distribution. 

The upside is that Lumo allows growers to run sets continuously, one after another, so it’s actually practical for an irrigator to run 2 blocks at once, instead of 3, and simply schedule them back to back.

The result is that growers are able to irrigate an entire farm faster and more efficiently, with better distribution uniformity and fewer pressure issues.

2. How long it takes for your tanks to run dry

When a tank runs dry, the flow rate falls off a cliff. Without someone on site, this can regularly go undetected. 

With Lumo, you get an alert, can shut off the pump, and get a much better sense of how long or how much volume you can put out before you run into issues.

3. Whether your emitters are performing to spec

1 gallon emitters rarely drip exactly 1 gallon an hour. We’ve seen issues in both directions. 

Sometimes old emitters stop pressure compensating and let out 1.2 or 1.5. Sometimes clogs and build up leads them to put out 0.75. It just depends. 

But until you have clear visibility into flow rates, you have no way to adjust your scheduling to compensate or to target your maintenance and repair dollars on the blocks that need it most. 

4. Whether your pump performance is suffering

Sometimes when growers start using Lumo, they already suspect that their pump performance has been funky. 

But it’s only after they gain a clear line of sight into volume and pressure that they can confirm their hunch, quantify the extent of the problem, and make a data-driven case to the owner or management about making the necessary repairs or upgrades. 

How many acres can I irrigate at once? 

How much volume can I put on before my tanks run dry? 

How much water drips from each emitter in an hour? 

Is my pump hitting the right pressure? 

These are simple questions.

But without block-level data, clear cut answers are hard to come by. 

If you're interested in learning more about irrigating better and the power of block-level data, you should check out one of our upcoming irrigation workshops.