Elland Road – home to English Football League Championship soccer club Leeds United – has upgraded its irrigation system with an investment in conversion assemblies.
The stadium, the 12th largest in England, has upgraded 10 existing sprinklers by replacing only the sprinkler internals and keeping the existing body and piping system intact. The benefits of upgrading include trajectory adjustment, full and part circle in the same sprinkler, the ability to clutch the nozzle base and ratchet the riser, which allows riser positioning without riser removal, and an extra 1½” pop-up height.
“We were looking to change our heads and it was cheaper to just switch the inside workings. In doing so, we’ve gained significant advantages while not having to stretch our budget,” says Kiel Barrett, Leeds United head groundsman.
“The previous ones would pause at the end of the turn, flooding the area, and didn’t turn very well, taking five to six minutes to turn 180 degrees. The new ones take just three minutes and there is no dwell point.
“They’re also easy to switch; all you need is a screwdriver and 30 seconds. And it’s easy to get an arc. If I want to go to 140 degrees, I can do that by hand, where previously I’d need a screwdriver to change the angle. Now it’s much more convenient when we need to change the angle if, for example, it’s windy.”
June 12, 2015
