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Sprinkler Catch-Can Precipitation Record Check

Reconcile aggregate catch-can volume, collector geometry and runtime with a comparison sprinkler precipitation rate.

Use this result well

Inputs that matter
Aggregate catch volume, whole collector count, collector opening area, zone runtime and a matched comparison precipitation rate
Output to expect
Average catch volume/depth, calculated precipitation rate and signed comparison difference
How it works
Reconciles aggregate catch-can precipitation only; individual collector values are required for distribution-uniformity analysis
  • Keep every individual catch value, collector geometry/grid/location, zone contribution, runtime, wind, pressure and nozzle/head condition with the audit record.
  • Do not infer low-quarter/low-half uniformity, infiltration/runoff, runtime or an irrigation schedule from the aggregate; use the complete field audit and qualified guidance.

Choose your path

Built around the job you need to finish

Reconcile one zone’s aggregate catch-can volume, collector opening area and runtime with an independently recorded precipitation rate.

Irrigation auditor checking a field worksheet

Reproduce average catch volume, depth and precipitation rate from the aggregate record.

Enter total catch, collector count, throat area, runtime and the comparison rate.

Sees the signed comparison and can trace the unit conversion.

Technician evaluating distribution

Know that aggregate volume cannot recover low-half or low-quarter uniformity.

Retain every individual catch and compute uniformity with the complete grid outside this aggregate check.

Does not infer DU from one total.

Landscape manager planning runtime

Avoid turning one measured rate into an automatic schedule.

Review wind, pressure, nozzle/head condition, infiltration/runoff, plant water need and current weather separately.

Does not accept runtime advice from the arithmetic alone.

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Reference & details

How it works

Average catch and depth

Divide total collected milliliters by the whole collector count. Divide that average volume by 16.387064 cubic centimeters per cubic inch and by the entered opening area to obtain average caught depth in inches.

Per-hour rate comparison

Multiply average caught depth by 60 and divide by the zone runtime in minutes. Subtract the entered field or independently calculated comparison rate and retain the direction of the difference.

Uniformity boundary

An aggregate total cannot reproduce low-quarter or low-half distribution uniformity. Keep every individual catch, collector grid, wind, pressure, nozzle condition and overlapping-zone runtime with the audit.

Updated: August 2026

Example Scenarios

A technician independently reproduces the zone-average precipitation rate from an aggregate catch-can record.

An auditor checks that the level throat/opening area and runtime—not a container base or nominal head spacing—drive the conversion.

A manager compares matched zone audits while retaining the individual catches needed to interpret distribution changes.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using one head flow and square spacing as the measured field rate

Use a representative catch-can audit for actual zone delivery, or keep a specification calculation explicitly separate from measured performance.

Discarding individual catches after summing them

Retain every value. The aggregate supports average precipitation, but distribution uniformity depends on the sorted individual measurements.

FAQ

Total volume, collector count and opening area preserve the raw aggregate measurement and make the unit conversion auditable.

It can represent a documented no-delivery test, but investigate zone operation, collector placement and recording before interpreting it.

No. Low-quarter or low-half uniformity requires each individual catch value; it cannot be reconstructed from an aggregate total.

Not by itself. Review plant demand, soil storage and infiltration, runoff, weather, application uniformity and current management guidance.

Keep date/time, wind, zone and overlap, collector grid and opening area, runtime, pressure, head/nozzle condition and every individual catch.

About Sprinkler Catch-Can Precipitation Record Check

This worksheet reproduces one zone-average catch-can precipitation rate from measured volume, collector opening area and runtime. It does not infer application uniformity or recommend a runtime.