KidWash 2 : PVC Sprinkler Water Toy

Step 11: Try it out

Let the glue dry before testing. I know, it's hard. Clean up while you wait, it'll be dry in no time.

Turn the water on low enough that you get a little spray from all the misters. Check and adjust the direction of the misters to direct the water towards the center.

Turn it on full and look for leaks around the base of the misters. If you find one, you can use a wrap of teflon tape around the base of the mister to stop it.

This project uses 12 misters rated at 10 gallons per hour, for a total of 120 gallons per hour. I don't know how that compares with other water toys, but in an era of increasing water restrictions, getting the most out of the water you do use is a good thing.

Comments

[mschillerny]

AWESOME! IM Thinking BIGGER, Great ideas here people!
I picked up a PVC ball valve to turn it off at the sight, and they have half circle, and full circle spinner nozzles by the same company I picked up at Lowes.

[BOXHARD]

Hey, cool. I'll have to build one for my niece and nephews... A note on the water usage part, I use to design and install small irrigation systems (like the sprinkler heads you used) and as for water output the rating on the heads is for a specific psi. The standard is 25psi, or at least it was. Some areas have much higher pressure than that though, especially mountainous areas in order to deliver water to everyone high up. If you are concerned about usage you can pick up an inexpensive regulator ($15 - $20) at depot or lowes...

[m32825]

Good to hear from someone with professional experience. I've noticed that you can vary the flow rate quite a bit by adjusting the spigot, so I wondered how to figure out the actual flow rate. Sometimes I'll sit near it and crimp the hose to cut off the water when the kids aren't near it. That way it can be off most of the time, but full on when the kids are using it. They love the "interactive" behavior, and much less water is used, I'd guess 90% less at times. With that kind of regulation you could run for an hour on 20 gallons or so. This is where the real savings lie, we've got a sensor project in the works to automate it.

[woodyardboy]

I like this a lot, thanks for posting it. I've got a question though. If you automate it, won't you be losing the interactive behavior that your kids love?

[thinkdreams]

Here's mine, and it's very easy to do. I made some modifications that add easy storage and some height (for adults - hey, we need to have fun too!)

Post: http://www.bushwoodworking.com/
Pics: http://www.bushwoodworking.com/zenphoto/projects/kidwash2/

[itsme242]

Would it be possible so send me the mods specs. Like what you used for dimensions and for the "easy storage".

[thinkdreams]

The mods are easy. Essentially I just used an arbitrary length piece of PVC with the same diameter as before, and just cut the legs at the same spot on each side, added four pipe "joins", and thus added more length to each leg (length is up to you - depends on how tall you are). For the storage-ability mod, I just purchased some threaded pipe joints (as pictured on my site - http://www.bushwoodworking.com/2008/07/05/the-kidwash-project/) that makes it able to be dismantled into 3 pieces.

[m32825]

Well done, good mods, thanks for sharing!

[bearcat73]

I would like to make mine taller too, because my kids are tall. I'm thinking 6 foot. Would that be doable (stability wise)?

[fl_james]

There are two types of spray heads - fogging and misting. The fogging type will produce smaller water particles, which will result in lower condensation. Of course, here, getting wet is part of the fun, but the little foggers are great for other places, like the porch. They work well even in humid places like here on the West Coast of Florida.

[katalyss]

Any idea where I could find the fogging type?

[fl_james]

I got mine at Home Depot. They are in the sprinkler section.

[m32825]

What pressure do you use with your fogging heads? Do they work well with regular water line pressure, or do you have to go a lot higher? Seems like I recall the pumps I looked at for fogging systems deliver water in the 1000 psi range, which requires a lot more strength than PVC can offer. Or maybe that's just for best performance?

[mdmaddox]

If you want to make a motion activated you might modify one of these. Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler
http://www.backyardstyle.com/shop/index.php?page=shop-flypage-2573

[m32825]

Thanks for the link. We're working on something that I think will be really neat, stay tuned for future developments...