No Gaps Settings

Installer How-To Guide : Irrigation Scheduling — No Gaps Settings

1. Overview

This guide covers the No Gaps setting in Loncel irrigation programs for many sprinkler configurations. Many sprinkler zones consist of multiple zones, each with one or more sprinklers. The No Gaps setting controls whether the scheduler inserts time gaps between sprinkler runs — understanding it correctly is essential for setting up accurate irrigation schedules.

Who this is for: Installers setting up a new many sprinkler irrigation program for the first time, or troubleshooting an existing one.

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2. Key Concepts Before You Start

2.1 The No Gaps Toggle

No Gaps is a checkbox in the irrigation program settings. It has only two states: ticked or unticked. By default it is unticked (gaps are allowed). The behaviour of almost every other setting changes depending on this one toggle, so always check it first.

2.2 mm/day — Maximum Application Rate

This setting appears in the zone configuration panel. It defines the maximum rate at which a zone can apply water, measured in millimetres per day. It applies to the entire zone, not to individual sprinklers. It is only active when No Gaps is unticked.

2.3 Target Application Depth

The target depth (mm) is set per zone and defines how many millimetres of water you want each sprinkler to apply to its area of influence in one cycle. You can find it in the zone settings or directly in the depth field for each zone in the program.

⚠️ Important: Clicking Cancel in the zone settings screen navigates away without saving. Always use Save Changes to confirm your entries.

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3. No Gaps Unticked (Default) — Gaps Allowed

3.1 How It Works

When No Gaps is unticked, the scheduler introduces time gaps between each sprinkler run. These gaps stretch the total zone cycle out to a target duration calculated from your depth and mm/day settings. The result is a zone that runs for a defined period — not just as long as the valves physically need.

3.2 Calculating the Total Zone Duration

The scheduler uses this formula to determine total zone run time:

Total Duration (hrs)  =  (Target Depth ÷ mm/day)  ×  24

Example: Target depth = 8 mm, mm/day = 4 → (8 ÷ 4) × 24 = 48 hours

The scheduler then distributes the remaining time (after all valve run times are summed) evenly as gaps between each sprinkler.

3.3 Working Backwards — Setting a Specific Run Time

If you have a target run time in mind, calculate the required depth:

Target Depth  =  (Desired Hours ÷ 24)  ×  mm/day

Example: To run for 25 hours at 4 mm/day → (25 ÷ 24) × 4 = 4.17 mm target depth

3.4 Effect of Sprinkler Count on Gap Size

The total zone duration is fixed by the formula regardless of how many sprinklers are active. Sprinkler count only affects the size of each individual gap:

Situation	Gap Size	Effect
Few sprinklers active	Very large	Long pauses between runs
Many sprinklers active	Small	Near-continuous running
Too many sprinklers — valve time fills the window	Zero	mm/day has no effect

Note: If the sprinklers physically take longer to apply the target depth than the calculated zone window allows, the scheduler cannot shorten actual valve run times. Gaps naturally become zero in this case.

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4. No Gaps Ticked — Back-to-Back Running

4.1 How It Works

When No Gaps is ticked, every sprinkler in the zone runs immediately after the previous one finishes — strictly back-to-back with no time gaps. The zone cycle ends exactly when the last sprinkler completes its run.

Key point: When No Gaps is ticked, the mm/day maximum application rate is completely ignored. It has no effect.

4.2 Maximum Concurrent Sprinklers

This setting still applies when No Gaps is ticked. If set to 2, two sprinklers will run simultaneously, back-to-back in pairs, until the zone is done.

4.3 Overlap

The Overlap setting is only available when No Gaps is ticked. It starts the next sprinkler at a set amounts of seconds before the current one finishes. Use overlap when you have diaphragm valves that close faster than they open, or any other reason where sprinkler overlap would be needed. Without overlap, there can be a brief moment where both valves are closed simultaneously, causing a pressure spike on the pump. Anywhere from 2-60 seconds is typical for varying use cases.

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5. Step-by-Step Setup

5.1 No Gaps Unticked — Staggered Schedule

1. Open the irrigation program settings, select “Scheduling” and Ensure No Gaps is unticked (this is the default).
2. Navigate to “Zone Configuration” and set the target application depth in mm for each zone.
3. Set the mm/day maximum application rate in the zone configuration panel.
4. Verify the expected run time using the formula: (Depth ÷ mm/day) × 24 hrs
5. Click Save Changes (do not use Cancel — it navigates away without saving).
6. Schedule the program and monitor the first cycle.

5.2 No Gaps Ticked — Back-to-Back

1. Open the irrigation program settings, select “Scheduling” and Ensure No Gaps is ticked.
2. Optionally set Maximum Concurrent Sprinklers if you want more than one running at a time.
3. If your valves close faster than they open, or there is another need for sprinklers to overlap, set an Overlap value in the “Scheduling” settings.
4. Click Save Changes.
5. The zone will run all sprinklers back-to-back and finish when the last one completes.

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6. Quick Reference

Setting / Scenario	No Gaps Unticked	No Gaps Ticked
Sprinkler scheduling	Gaps inserted between sprinklers	Back-to-back, no gaps
mm/day active?	Yes — controls total zone duration	No — ignored entirely
Overlap available?	No	Yes — set for valve changeover
Cross-zone coordination?	No — each zone is independent	No — each zone is independent

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7. Known Issues (Current Version)

7.1 Last Sprinkler Scheduling Conflict

When the actual time required to run all sprinklers exceeds the planned zone window (set by depth and mm/day), the scheduler shifts the last sprinkler earlier to try to meet the target end time. This can cause it to overlap with an earlier sprinkler, resulting in two sprinklers running simultaneously even when Max Concurrent is set to 1.

⚠️ Workaround: Tick No Gaps for the affected zone. Sprinklers will run strictly back-to-back, eliminating the overlap. Log the site for follow-up when the fix is deployed.

7.2 Cancel Button Navigates Away Without Saving

In the zone settings screen, clicking Cancel exits without saving changes rather than reverting them. Always use Save Changes to confirm any configuration updates.

7.3 Zones Run Independently — No Smart Cross-Zone Gap Filling

Each zone starts at the same time and has no awareness of other zones. Running multiple zones with No Gaps unticked will not stagger sprinklers across zones — each zone produces its own gap pattern independently, typically resulting in clusters of concurrent sprinklers across all zones at the same intervals.

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8. Formula Cheat Sheet

Goal	Formula
Calculate run time	(Target Depth ÷ mm/day) × 24 = Hours
Calculate depth for a target run time	(Desired Hours ÷ 24) × mm/day = mm
Example A	8 mm depth, 4 mm/day → 48 hour cycle
Example B	25 hr target, 4 mm/day → 4.17 mm depth

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Loncel · Installer Reference · Internal Use Only · Source: Many Sprinkler Configuration Training