Rain Bird's new High-Efficiency Variable Arc Nozzle received the Irrigation Association's 2011 Best New Product of the Year Award in the Turf and Landscape Category.

Rain Bird variable arc nozzle wins award at Irrigation Show

Rain Bird’s new High-Efficiency Variable Arc Nozzle (HE-VAN) received the Irrigation Association’s 2011 Best New Product of the Year Award in the Turf and Landscape Category. The award was formally announced at the Irrigation Show in San Diego on Nov. 6, 2011. This marks the second year in a row that a Rain Bird product has received this honor, with XFS Subsurface Dripline achieving Best New Product of the Year status in the Turf and Landscape Category at last year’s show.


“A great deal of time, effort and analysis went into the development of the HE-VAN,” said Tom Kundrat, product sales manager for Rain Bird’s high-efficiency nozzles. “We’re extremely gratified that the end result has now received this tremendous honor from the Irrigation Association.”


Like other variable arc nozzles, the HE-VAN’s spray pattern is adjustable from 0 to 360 degrees, making it possible to irrigate unique landscapes of all shapes and sizes. It’s the HE-VAN’s water efficiency that makes it stand apart from its competition. It provides a level of distribution uniformity (DU) that few nozzles—fixed or variable arc—can match.


In independent testing conducted at the Center for Irrigation Technology (CIT), the HE-VAN nozzles delivered a consistently repeatable increase in DU performance.  Throughout testing, the HE-VAN demonstrated an impressive 41 percent* increase in DU performance over competing variable arc nozzles.


The HE-VAN’s scheduling coefficient was also stellar at less than 1.4, representing a 37 percent reduction over competing variable arc spray nozzles. Because of its overall higher efficiency, the HE-VAN shortens watering windows while also decreasing energy costs and reducing system wear-and-tear. For all these reasons, the HE-VAN is the first variable arc nozzle to meet the stringent guidelines of both the EPA WaterSense Program and California’s Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance.


A number of new features make it possible for the HE-VAN to achieve its high distribution uniformity and low scheduling coefficient. Patent-pending Flow Control Technology provides lower trajectory streams for superior close-in watering and more uniform coverage across the entire spray pattern. Thicker water streams and larger droplets offer better wind resistance.


Adjusting the HE-VAN to the desired arc is easy with Rain Bird’s unique Exact Edge™ feature that locks the nozzle securely into place for a clean, consistent right edge that resists stress and accidental adjustment in the field.  The HE-VAN isn’t just more efficient—it’s also more durable, with a thicker deflector for enhanced strength and crack resistance.


“By combining outstanding water-efficiency, design versatility and durability, the HE-VAN is taking variable arc nozzles to an entirely new level,” Kundrat said. “We feel that it truly has the power to change the way irrigation systems are designed and installed.”