Outdoor Arenas:
Nelson Big Gun® Sprinklers are the perfect fit for outdoor riding arena dust suppression systems. Nelson Big Guns are the original high-volume sprinkler and have been settling dust at riding arenas for decades. The radius of throw capability of the Big Gun® Sprinkler compared to other sprinklers makes it the ideal solution for arenas. The SR75 and SR100 are the most commonly used models as they can easily cover an entire arena with just a few perimeter sprinklers.
Nelson 800 or 1000 Series Control Valves have very low pressure loss across the valve. This becomes important in Big Gun® systems, where maintaining optimum pressure is critical. You’ll want to provide your outdoor arena Big Gun® with as much pressure as you can, typically around 70 psi for the SR100. Additionally, Nelson control valves are easily automated with TWIG wireless controls, which prevents puddling and runoff due to overwatering.
Big Gun® Sprinkler rotational speeds are adjustable, allowing you to settle the dust very quickly.
Indoor Arenas
If you have a covered indoor arena, the S10 Spinner is the premier choice for the interior part of the arena. With the 10mm feed tube assembly parts, the S10 is easily hung from the rafters of an arena building. Either gray PVC pipe or LDP pipe can be used, but white PVC pipe should be avoided.
Nelson's Mini Drain Checks can be used at each sprinkler to prevent drain-down, which would create puddling in the arena. Drain Checks should not be used where freezing may occur prior to winterization.
The S10 Spinner with a Gray plate provides a very flat trajectory, and can be mounted as close as 10" below the lights. At a nozzle pressure of 35 psi, using the #12 Purple nozzle, the flow rate is 1.5 gpm, and the sprinklers can be spaced 15-21' apart in both directions, depending on arena size and rafter spacing.
In conjunction with overhead S10 sprinklers, a separate dust control zone using MP Rotator® sprinklers on the arena perimeter is often desired to quickly wet the perimeter of the arena, and get the riders back out to safely exercise their horses. An interview with Dr. Sara Campbell, DVM explains the importance of such a system on horse and rider health.
