This is a question I get asked allot and my answer depends on whether you have a mains system or a bore. 

For a mains system without a doubt my favourite type of nozzle is the MP rotator nozzle which works the best at both high and low pressure. At low pressure provided you don’t use too many they work to their full potential and if you don’t use enough nozzles you don’t get the same misting and fogging issues you do with standard nozzles. They do not use allot of flow per nozzle and their coverage on the same pressure is far superior to any other nozzle. The one big mistake I have seen from some landscapers who don’t measure the flow rates and pressure against the nozzles flow usage is they think they can just add nearly an unlimited number of these per station and if you use too many they either won’t pop up at all or they will work at 30% to 50 %, less is definitely more when using these nozzles as you will get better coverage with fewer nozzles because they need certain pressure to work properly.   They come in a wide range of spray patterns and you can adjust the throw and the radius on most of the nozzles apart from the strip nozzles which are fixed. Most of the nozzles are adjustable from 90 degrees to 210 degrees but they do go up to 270 degrees and even 360 degrees.  The only downside is that to decrease the throw you need a tool which you insert into the top of the nozzle to reduce the distance the water is thrown but to adjust the coverage you can do this by hand without a tool.

For bore systems the nozzle I like allot provided the bore is not pulling up too much sand and debris is the Rainbird Rvan. These need more pressure to operate and they use more flow than the MP rotators, but they can be flushed anytime to remove this debris simply by pulling up on the nozzle. This will let out any of the sand and debris the only issue is that if you have a dirty bore then you may need to do this every week or 2 to keep good coverage otherwise if left too long you can end up with large dead patches on your lawn or garden as your nozzles can block up significantly. A few retic guys I have spoken to like to use Hunter SRM gear drives because they will flush out the sand and debris better and block up less. They cannot be flushed like the Rainbird RVans, but they have a bigger hole for the water to flush through so block up less.  

Some people think that it is more expensive to use MP rotators because of the cost per nozzle however if the system is well designed you can actually save money because you don’t need as many sprinklers, risers, fittings, smaller controller, less solenoids, pvc pipe because they can be used in corners and you shouldn’t need 360 degree nozzles. The corner sprinklers can throw more than 10m if you use the 3500 series and are adjustable from 90-210 degrees. Having 4 of these in each corner you can cover a huge area 10m x 10m off a single station. 

RVans are good because you never have permanently blocked nozzles so they can last a long time. 

Another benefit of both nozzles and especially MP rotators is being more waterwise than standard nozzles they water over a longer period of time allowing for less run off and greater water penetration than standard nozzles. They are both more wind resistant than standard nozzles resulting in less wasted water that gets blown away or is off target. 

If reticulation is not your cup of tea or you do not know where your solenoids are please give us a call and we would love to help.