Types of Irrigation Pipes In Kenya

Grekkon Limited supplies and installs various types of irrigation pipes in Kenya. These pipes are of different diameter sizes, lengths, and wall thickness. The larger the pipe diameter, the more volume of water it carries, and the lesser the frictional losses. With a longer pipe, a grower requires less connections between pipes. Wall thickness determines the amount of water pressure a pipe will withstand. The thicker the wall, the greater the water pressure withstood. It is indicated as pressure nominal (PN), with a number. The higher the number the thicker the walls

Types of Irrigation Pipes in Kenya

1. HDPE pipes (High density polyethylene pipes)

They are black in colour and are manufactured as rolls of 100M for these diameter sizes below

16mm, 20mm, 25mm, 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 63mm, and 90mm.

Larger then 90mm, we supply them as 50M rolls. Grekkon Limited’s HDPE pipes are UV treated for surface application. They have a long lifespan because they are not easily degraded by the sun when exposed.

 

HDPE Pipe prices in Kenya

Size in MM	PN6	PN8	PN10	PN12.5	PN16	PN20	PN25	Length (M)
16	17.00	17.00						100M
20	25	28	31	33	36	41	49	100M
25	34	36	40	46	52	64	74	100M
32	49	49	59	71	86	101	120	100M
40	61	76	90	112	132	157	187	100M
50	95	115	139	169	206	243	289	100M
63	151	178	222	269	324	390	454	100M
75	207	255	313	382	453	547	648	100M
90	300	364	450	547	657	789	930	100M
110	441	548	669	810	974	1,170	1,394	50M
125	568	700	854	1,044	1,264	1,514	1,793	50M
140	716	876	1,073	1,307	1,575	1,898	2,254	50M
160	940	1,149	1,399	1,706	2,063	2,472	2,932	12M
180	1,171	1,444	1,770	2,165	2,614	3,126	3,706	12M
200	1,451	1,789	2,183	2,655	3,223	3,866	4,584	12M
225	1,824	2,168	2,771	3,372	4,080	4,895	5,797	12M
250	2,254	2,767	3,395	4,153	5,017	6,015	7,154	12M
280	2,819	3,492	4,265	5,205	6,291	7,560	8,972	12M
315	3,592	4,389	5,401	6,596	7,963	9,562	11,358	12M
355	4,538	5,573	6,875	8,363	10,108	12,147	14,401	12M
400	5,755	7,106	8,688	10,605	12,833	15,408	18,288	12M
450	7,277	8,987	11,007	13,433	16,251	19,507	23,137	12M
500	8,976	11,087	13,601	16,576	20,052	24,038	–	12M
560	11,252	13,877	17,038	20,796	25,120	30,158	–	12M
630	14,257	17,529	21,579	26,285	31,828	38,163	–	12M

 

2. PVC Pipes (Polyvinyl chloride pipes)

PVC pipes are 6M long, come in different diameter and wall thickness sizes. They have no UV treatment and are thus for sub-surface irrigation application.

PVC Pipe Prices in Kenya

Size in MM	PN6	PN8	PN10	PN12.5	PN16
					379
				425	532
32		553	588	694	795
40	698	744	877	1093	1220
50	935	1,162	1,383	1705	1760
63	1,475	1,833	2,177	2722	3359
75	2,024	2,529	3,111	3839	4702
90	2,955	3,664	4,459	5527	6755
110	3,508	4,388	5,951	6717	8260
140	5,782	7,060	8,795	10805	13229
160	7,295	9,195	11,536	14189	17032
200	11,566	14,538	17,915	22116	27086
225	14,610	18,210	22,521	27991	34312

 

3. Delivery/ Lay-flat pipes

They are highly flexible irrigation water pipes made from UV treated PVC material.They are supplied as 30M, 50M or 100M long. The diameters are 2″ and 3″, with thicknesses of PN6, PN8 1nd PN10. These pipes are designed for surface use.

In sprinkler irrigation systems, they are connected to a water pump, or a HDPE or PVC pipe main line, then to a water sprinkler. In drip irrigation systems, it will be a main, or sub main line

 

4. Drip Irrigation Pipes

These are 0.3mm, 0.4mm, and 1mm thick pipes with a 16mm diameter. They are the lateral that deliver water to the base of the crop. The 0.3mm and 0.4mm are for vegetable crops, while the 1mm are for hedges and orchards. They all have pre-perforated emitters spaced at 15cm, 20cm, or 30cm. The choice of emitter spacing depends on the crop type; 15cm for closely spaced crops like onion and garlic, 20cm for moderately spaced crops like tomato, and cabbage. 30cm is for further spaced crops

5. Rain Hose Pipes

Rain hose irrigation system with nanotechnology punched holes is an affordable irrigation system for overhead irrigation. Rain hose irrigation system uses nano technology to convey water to the plant. It has a series of holes spaced at intervals which sprays water flow by high gravity, or from a water pump is initiated. Our 0.5mm thick, 100M long rain hose pipes are UV treated to last for 10 years in use

Features of a rain hose irrigation system

1. It simulates natural rainfall by delivering water to the base of the crop, with the right droplet sizes
2. The overhead water is discharged in a 3 dimensional manner; vertically, horizontally, and diagonally
3. It is connected directly to a main line
4. It is not easily blocked as the water is delivered under high pressure
5. The operating pressure is from 15M head / 1.5 bar

Advantages of Grekkon rain hose irrigation pipes

• It is easy to install and maintain, and more economical to install than sprinklers
• It has anti-UV treatment, so it is not easily degraded by the sun
• These spray holes are made with nanotechnology to ensure uniform flow of water
• Irrigate both under gravity flow, and high water pump pressure
• Irrigate an area in just 10 minutes
• Highly portable
• A variety of diameters to select from depending on the farm size

Downsides of a rain hose system

1. It is less water efficient compared to drip irrigation
2. Water loss due to evaporation
3. It cannot be used on crops, for intance, crops that are highly susceptible to fugal infections due to foliage wetness
4. It requires high operating pressure
5. Rainhose are more prone to clogging than large sprinklers because the have tiny emitters
6. Under extremely high pressure, the pipes get damaged

Ideal crops for rain hose irrigation system

Crops that can be irrigated using the grekkon rain hose are:

1.  Vegetable such as carrots, brassicas, potatoes
2. Closely spaced bulbs such as onion and garlic
3. Fruit tress; avocado, pixie orange, macadamia, coffee
4. Agro forestry
5. Lawns, gardens, pasture, and football pitches

They are idea for tree or vegetable nursery irrigation

Types of Irrigation Pipes In Kenya

How to select your irrigation pipe

1. Farm ownership method. A leased farm will have the surface HDPE pipes which will be disconnected when the lease period expires. A permanent farm will have sub-surface PVC pipes
2. Irrigation method. Drip and rain hose kits will have HDPE and PVC as the main and sub main line often times. Sprinkler systems are best done with delivery pipes due to sprinkler movement in the farm
3. Farm size. A larger farm will have larger diameter pipes because more water is needed to irrigate
4. Pressure type. Irrigation water flow by gravity is through less thicker pipes such as PN6 or PN8