The MP rotator is a type of sprinkler head that since its inception into the irrigation scene has been excruciatingly popular because it has the potential to throw water a long way, the MP head because it closes when the irrigation is turned off is therefore harder to be blocked with sand and last longer then the conventional sprinkler heads.

The MP rotator comes in a variety of sizes that can suit any lawn area and is also very handy in a medium to large harden scenario as well. The MP heads can be manually adjusted with a hand as far as the arc of the spray is concerned and this is a very simple task. The throw of the MP head can be adjusted by a little screw that is on top of the sprinkler head. This can be done by a small flathead screwdriver or there is a special tool that hunter makes which can also do this (personally I rather use the tool that hunter provides).

Over the years that the MP rotator head has been in existence there has been some substantial improvements made as far as the different sizes are concerned. When the MP rotator head first came out on the market the MP rotator head only came in the three sizes as far as the arc is concerned these were the 90/210, 210/270, 360 degree’s. There is now side strips as well and there is smaller throw sizes like the MP 900. Recently there has been a new MP rotator head on the market recently it is called the MP 3500 and under pressure at a job recently I had it spraying nine meters.

The arc sizes that the MP rotor is available in are: 90/210, 210/270, 360 and there is the left side strips and the right side strips. The distance that the MP rotator can throw will depend on the type of head that you install from the MP 800, MP 1000, MP2000, MP 3000, MP 3500 and with this range potential depending on the head that you select you can throw 2m to 9m.

One of the important and often un noticed realities about a irrigation system especially when the irrigation system is servicing a lawn area is the precipitation rate and how even or therefore un even it is. For example if you had a square lawn that was say 5m by 5m and you were to put a container that is capable of holding water in different areas of the square if the container has different amounts of water in it depending on where it is placed then the precipitation is different this is normal to a extend. However if you have one area of the lawn that is receiving a substantial amount more water than other areas of the lawn then this will create a problem going forwards. The MP rotator if installed to a adequate standard has the potential to minimize this issue substantially. This is because the MP rotator head no matter what the size of the arc it has a very even precipitation rate across the heads.

I am a fan of the MP rotator and I have used them in many circumstances and will continue to do but there are some things to be wary of:

• They are not cheap per unit but they do pay for themselves however because you need less units and they last longer.
• They need to run for a longer period of time then the normal sprinkler heads this is because they do not let out as much water as the convention sprays which is one of the key reasons why they spray further.
• It is not a good idea to mix them with other types of sprinkler heads because they do not let out that much water per min and you other sprinkler heads will let out different amounts of water per min. this will not help precipitation rate.
• Like all sprinkler systems it is vital that every sprinkler head is getting wet from another sprinkler head this is because no sprinkler can water a area directly around like behind a half spray for example.