Automatic Backwash Sand Filter for Drip Irrigation System Main Buyer Country

When you hear about an automatic backwash sand filter, you immediately imagine something complicated and expensive. But in reality, it’s just a working tool that saves drip lines from blockages. The main thing is not to overpay for unnecessary functions and understand who really needs it.

Why a sand filter is not just a 'can of sand'

Many people still think that a filter is just a container with quartz sand. In fact, the key here is automatic backwashing. If the drip irrigation system does not have automation, the staff will “forget” to rinse the filter, and within a month the emitters will become clogged with silt. I saw this in the cotton fields in Uzbekistan - people paid twice: for repairs and for downtime.

Structurally, it is important that the control unit is mechanical and not electronic - in field conditions, pressure sensors often fail due to voltage surges. UShandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,Ltdin this regard, a good solution - it uses a hydraulic valve with a timer, which is not afraid of dust and power surges.

By the way, about sand: the 0.8-1.2 mm fraction is not just numbers. If it is smaller, there will be entrainment into the system; if it is larger, it will not retain small suspended particles. We once installed a filter with 2-3 mm sand - after two weeks we had to change all the drip tapes on the tomatoes.

Main buyers: where they look for reliability, not price

The main market is not Europe, as many people think. The Germans and Dutch prefer disc filters. But in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and partly in the UAE, it is sand automatic systems. There, water often comes from open channels, with a high content of organic matter and suspended matter.

The reason is simple: a sand filter holds a load of up to 100 ppm, and a disk filter - up to 50. At the same time, washing with sand is more effective - especially if there are algae in the water. I remember a project in the Almaty region: they installed disk filters on water from a ditch - after a month, washing took more time than watering. We switched to automatic sand ones - the problem went away.

It's interesting that inhttps://www.lyzhihuinongye.ruoften come from these regions. Apparently, because they have ready-made solutions for troubled waters - with pre-gravel loading and an enlarged neck for cleaning.

Typical installation mistakes

The most common is installation without a bypass. If the filter fails, the entire system will stop. I have seen how, at the height of the season, farmers waited for days for spare parts from abroad. I always advise installing a parallel line with at least a simple mesh filter.

The second mistake is saving on shut-off valves. They install ball valves instead of valves - then during flushing they get a water hammer, which disables the control unit. This is especially critical for automatic systems—repairs cost more than all the faucets combined.

And yes, pressure gauges! Work without themautomatic backwash sand filter- like driving blindfolded. A pressure drop of 0.5 bar is already a signal for flushing. But many people save $20 and then wonder why the emitters are clogged.

What to combine the filter with for maximum effect

One filter is not a panacea. If the water is from an open source, a sump is needed in front of the pumping station. At least the simplest one - from concrete rings. This will increase the inter-flush cycle by 2-3 times.

For algae, an ultraviolet lamp in front of the filter works well - but this is for advanced farms. StandardShandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,Ltdoffers solutions with UV sterilization - but from experience, our farmers rarely order this. Expensive, and not always necessary.

But what is really worth installing is a mesh filter after the sand filter. In case sand leaks out. It's a small thing, but it saves me from headaches. By the way, in their projects of smart agricultural parks this is always included by default - it’s clear that people know the practice.

Maintainability - what breaks most often

The control unit is the heart of the system. In cheap models, the membrane wears out within a season. In normal cases, it works for years. I look at the designautomatic backwash sand filterfrom Linyao - they have a reinforced EPDM membrane, which is ideal for our conditions. Rubber does not tan in the heat and does not crack from frost.

Another weak point is the drain valve. If it gets stuck in the open position, the system will release pressure. I saw this in a cotton field near Tashkent - I had to change the valve in the field. It’s good that our Chinese colleagues have standardized spare parts - we didn’t have to wait a month.

The sand also needs to be changed - but everyone forgets about this. Over the course of a season, sand grains wear out, the fraction becomes smaller, and efficiency decreases. I recommend changing it every 2-3 years - but only if washing is regular. I know farms where the sand was not changed for 5 years - then they wondered why the filter did not work.

Outlook - where technology is heading

Nowadays, more and more people want not just automation, but integration into the overall irrigation control system. So that the filter itself transmits data on the number of flushes and pressure drops. BShandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,LtdThere are already such solutions - but so far the demand is more for basic versions.

It is interesting that in projects of high-quality agricultural fields they are beginning to install a cascade of filters: first gravel, then sand, then disk. Expensive, but justified for crops like lettuce. Every grain of sand on a leaf is a defect.

Personally, I believe that the future lies with hybrid systems. Not justautomatic backwash sand filter, but a smart complex that itself detects contamination and selects the washing mode. But this is still expensive for the CIS - in five years, maybe mass solutions will appear.