Started irrigating

Today I started up my irrigation.  While not really dry, it is dry enough.  The rain last week really helped the grass and hayfield crop.  So more water should be a good thing.

Today I finished laying the pipes with the sprinklers.  This time I am starting out differently.  I am laying just one row.  The row goes along the road and then turns and goes along the north side of the NE pasture.

Tomorrow I will lay two rows to the south and switch to using those lines.  This will give the field under the first line a little time to dry.  Because the hayfield is newly planted I am concerned the field that was irrigated will be muddy for a while. I'll see tomorrow.

Fortunately I have enough pipe to pre-position two more lines.

The moment of truth was when I turned on the irrigation pump.  Since last year I cut and split and intake pipe and put a union in the pipe.  This enabled me to drain the pipe for Winter but added a potential air leak.

Did I drain the pump correctly for Winter or would there be problems from unforeseen freezing?

Lastly, as time went on last year the pump got more finicky to restart each time.  Eventually I left the pump running and switched pipes as the water ran.

Donna pressed the start button and "voila!", the pump started up and began pumping.  The first time.  Fantastic.

This was first time use for the year so to make sure the water 'cleaned' the pipes I left the end caps off the mainline and sprinkler line.

And how do you get the end caps back on when the water is running?  I opened the three valve openers - one for the sprinkler line and the other two openers made two 'lakes'.  Once I inserted the mainline endcap I went to the end of the sprinkler line.  There I removed the last pipe, inserted the endcap, then inserted the pipe back into the line.  One has to be fast.  It took three tries as the pipe's hook didn't latch in time.

Naturally I got wet.

Tomorrow when I switch sprinkler lines I have to replace one sprinkler.  It sprays but does not rotate.  The spring is shot.

For now it is difficult to drive off the ranch as the sprinkler line crosses my driveway and other gates to the road.  The only way is a round-about way through my field into a neighbor's field then his driveway.

My planted hayfield crop of barley hay, oats and peas.