Automated irrigation for Bedford School's cricket facilities
Independent trade coverage records that JK Irrigation designed and installed a fully automated irrigation system for Bedford School's cricket facilities. The project combined control, field equipment, water storage, pumping and underground distribution, with capacity for later expansion.
The starting point
The school had limited mains pressure and relied on moving a single sprinkler repeatedly to cover its cricket areas. The published project coverage records pressure of approximately one bar at the previous supply and a need to reposition the sprinkler eight to ten times.
Designed as one working system
- Hunter ACC2 controller with internet connectivity and Centralus remote access
- Hunter G-800 TTS valve-in-head sprinklers around the main cricket squares
- Hunter I-25 sprinklers serving smaller areas
- Two 25,000-litre water-storage tanks
- Lowara pumping, reported as operating at approximately seven bar
- Approximately 2,000 metres of underground pipework
- Thirteen water boxes positioned across the site
The control arrangement allows individual members of the grounds team to manage their allocated areas. The below-ground infrastructure and water-box arrangement were planned to support future additions to the site.
Reported operational change
Bedford School's Head Groundsman reported that the first-team cricket square could be watered in approximately 15 to 20 minutes, including overnight operation. The school also described using the system to water in granular fertiliser during dry conditions.
These timings and operational observations are the school's reported experience of this project. They are not general performance claims for other systems or sites.