What Are The Common Filters Used for Preventing Clogging in Irrigation?

To prevent impurities in the water source from clogging irrigation system equipment and ensure the normal operation of the system, an irrigation filter is essential. Irrigation filters can remove impurities from the water source and improve water quality. Common filters include primary filters (such as centrifugal filters and sand filters) and precision filters (such as screen filters, disc filters, and automatic backwash disc filters).

Primary filters are usually located at the entrance of the irrigation system. They have a lower filter rating and are mainly used for coarse filtration of irrigation water, removing larger particles and impurities to ensure that large particles in the water source do not enter the subsequent irrigation system.

In a complete irrigation system, primary filters are usually used in conjunction with precision filters. In environments where the water source is relatively clean, with fewer particles and not many fine impurities (such as cleaner well water or river water), primary filters can be used alone.

Centrifugal Filter

When irrigation water passes through the centrifugal filter, the flow takes on a centrifugal pattern, separating larger sand particles, which enter the sand collection tank. After accumulating for a certain period, the sediment is removed manually or automatically.

Sand Filter

The sand filter uses a steel tank filled with quartz sand to filter impurities. It is usually used as a primary filter, often in multiple tank combinations for convenient alternating cleaning. It is recommended to choose a configuration with an automatic backwash function for easier subsequent cleaning.

The precision filter has a higher filter rating and is used for further fine filtration of the water source, removing smaller impurities such as suspended solids, silt, algae, and tiny organic matter to ensure the water quality meets the requirements of irrigation equipment. It is particularly suitable for drip and sprinkler irrigation systems that have higher water quality requirements. In a complete irrigation system, a primary filter is usually used first to remove larger particles, followed by a precision filter to further remove smaller particles and impurities.

Screen Filter

A screen filter is a device that uses a screen to directly intercept impurities in the water, remove water impurities, and protect other equipment in the system for normal operation.

Disc Filter

The disc filter is a device where grooved discs are stacked together, forming channels through the grooves for water to pass through, intercepting impurities to achieve filtration.

Automatic Backwash Disc Filter

It consists of multiple disc filters and has a self-cleaning function. It can be used independently in simple irrigation systems with good water quality and is suitable for large-scale precision irrigation.

• Type of Water Source
  The types of impurities contained in different water sources vary greatly. For example, open water sources commonly used in southern regions, such as ditches, ponds, rivers, and lakes, often contain organic impurities such as algae and grass roots. Therefore, a sand filter should be used as primary filter, installed at the head of the drip irrigation system. In the northern regions, well water commonly contains silt and sand impurities, requiring the use of a centrifugal filter to separate a large amount of gravel.
• Types of Irrigation Emitters
  Different crops require different types of irrigation emitters, and the flow paths of different emitters vary significantly. For example, drip tapes, drippers, and arrow drippers typically require two-stage or even three to four-stage filtration, with the final filter rating not less than 120 mesh, while micro-spray systems can be reduced to 100 mesh, and sprinkler systems can be reduced to 75 mesh.
• Maximum Flow Rate of Irrigation Zone
  Based on the above two points, after determining the type of filter, the specifications and model of the filter are determined according to the maximum flow rate requirement of the irrigation zone or other maximum flow requirements.