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Should I be concerned about dirty water (algae) fouling the nozzle?

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Should I be concerned about dirty water (algae) fouling the nozzle? Empty Should I be concerned about dirty water (algae) fouling the nozzle?

Post  wesk Mon Jun 28, 2010 10:34 am

I've been interested in the laminar flow nozzles for quite some time (DisneyWorld/Epcot in my youth, and more recently the Detroit airport). My wife and I built a house a year and a half ago, and also had a pond put it. This is not a typical backyard landscaping pond, but a 1/4 acre farm pond. We plan on doing a little bit of landscaping around it (benches, lighting, etc.), and I've been wondering about adding a few laminar nozzles.

My big concern at this point is water quality. The pond is supplied by field tiles and drains by field tiles on the outlet side, but the water is pretty stagnant and can grow a lot of algae. Obviously I can't treat it with chlorine and other chemicals (although there are some algaecides that are made for farm ponds that work pretty well, but don't keep it as clean as a swimming pool). With that said, I'm also planning on adding a bubbler to oxygenate the water and keep algae growth down (hopefully).

So, I'm concerned about fouling of the laminar flow nozzle. I've seen the designs that use the drilled discs instead of the sponges and straws, and I think that's better in my case to reduce opportunities for plugging, but I wanted to get the opinions of others. I'd also use a "sock" or some type of strainer to keep the algae out of the pump and piping, but I'm afraid that a very "fine" secondary filter would plug easily, and this would need to be a project that would require minimal maintenance (otherwise I'm likely to not use it).

What are your thoughts and experiences with your nozzles? Have you had problems with algae growth on the inside of your nozzles? How have you dealt with this? Is this a deal-breaker for me?

Thanks,
Wes

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Should I be concerned about dirty water (algae) fouling the nozzle? Empty Re: Should I be concerned about dirty water (algae) fouling the nozzle?

Post  John Mon Jun 28, 2010 10:54 pm

Hey Wes!

It really depends on the quailty of the laminar arc you want. If you want it shooting extremely far, and to have the BEST quaility stream possible then algae will affect it. If you want a semi-laminar nozzle or one that doesn't shoot to the moon, then you might be able to swing it.

I have a prototyping lab in my basement and I have been battling algae. I've taken a break because I need to go to the pond/pool store to get some chemicals to treat the water. The laminar nozzles are extremely sensitive to small changes like vibrations, and quaility of water. Then again I'm trying to make my stream go as far as possible with the most clarity possible.

There are a couple of people here that have purchased a nozzle. Anyone with a purchased nozzle, can you shed some light on whether they are just as sensitive as the DIY ones??? What sort of filter or chemicals do they suggest using in there nozzles?

John

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