Set up pump engines, irrigators, runs, and water allocation tracking
Irrigation setup requires some initial configuration. Make sure you have:
The irrigation system has several interconnected parts. Understanding how they relate helps you set everything up correctly.
Pump engines power your irrigation system. Tracking them separately lets you monitor engine hours, fuel consumption, and service schedules.
From the Home screen, tap Irrigation → Pump Engines → +. Enter the engine name (e.g. “Diesel Pump – North”) and select the engine type: Diesel, Petrol, Electric, or LPG.
For diesel, petrol, or LPG engines, enter the Fuel Consumption Rate in litres per hour. For electric engines, enter Energy Consumption in kWh per hour. Electric pumps display energy used in kWh instead of fuel litres on logs and reports.
Enter Season Start Hours (the current reading from the pump’s hour meter) and Service Interval (hours between services, e.g. 250 or 500). The app calculates current hours automatically from your irrigation logs.
Understanding Engine Hours
Season Start Hours is your baseline reading from the pump’s hour meter (e.g. 500 hours on July 1). As you log irrigation, the app adds run time to calculate Current Hours automatically (e.g. 500 + 550 logged hours = 1,050). When service is due, a warning badge appears on the Irrigation hub.
The app monitors service requirements and warns you when maintenance is due.
To record a service: open the pump engine, scroll to Service History, tap +, enter the date, current hour meter reading, service type, and notes.
Irrigators are your physical irrigation equipment. Each irrigator is classified by category and specific type, and linked to a pump engine for automatic hour and fuel tracking.
Hard hose traveller (hose reel), soft hose traveller, big gun cart. Travelling irrigators that move across the field.
Centre pivot. Rotating arm around a central point covering large circular areas.
Lateral move (linear). Moves sideways across rectangular fields.
Roll line (wheel line), hand shift, bike shift, surface spray line. Manually repositioned between shifts.
K-Line, pod line (pods on layflat). Portable pod-based sprinkler systems.
Permanently installed sprinklers. No repositioning required.
Drip line (surface), subsurface drip (SDI). Low-pressure precise water delivery for orchards and vineyards.
Micro-sprinkler, micro-spray / jet, bubbler. Low-volume precision irrigation.
Flood (border check / bays), furrow, basin. Gravity-fed surface irrigation for broadacre crops.
Tap Irrigation → Irrigators → +. Enter the name (e.g. “Gun 1”), select the Category then the specific Type. Set Nozzle Count (default 1 — increase for multi-nozzle setups), Max Run Length (metres), and Flow Rate.
Select the pump engine that powers this irrigator. Engine hours and fuel/energy estimates are then tracked automatically whenever you log irrigation on this irrigator.
Each irrigator has its own spray data collection. From the irrigator detail screen, tap Spray Data to manage nozzle performance charts. You can enter data manually, import JSON, or use the Alffi Spec Sheet Scanner to photograph a manufacturer’s performance chart and auto-extract all values (costs 1 Alffi credit).
If required for compliance, add your Water Access Licence ID and Water Approval ID to the irrigator. Multiple irrigators can share the same licence.
Multi-Nozzle Irrigators
Many irrigators have more than one nozzle (e.g. a travelling gun with 2 guns, or a bike shift sprinkler with multiple risers on a lateral pipe). Set Nozzle Count to the actual number — water calculations multiply flow rate by nozzle count, while area coverage remains unchanged. This ensures accurate precipitation and water usage figures.
For bike shift irrigators, Alffi includes a dedicated calculator that plans shift positions around one or more hydrants.
Access the calculator from the irrigator detail screen when the type is set to Bike Shift. The Shift Rounds tracker appears automatically once runs are created.
An Irrigation Run defines a path the irrigator travels — from a valve marker to a target marker. Each run has its own soil and crop data for scheduling calculations.
Tap Irrigation → Runs → +. Enter a name (e.g. “North Paddock – Run 1”), select the valve marker, target marker, and irrigator.
Tap Select on Map to visually pick your valve and target markers. A line shows the run path for confirmation.
Open the run and configure soil settings. Select a Crop Type to auto-fill root depth and scheduling parameters, then adjust Soil Texture (Sand, Sandy Loam, Loam, Clay Loam, or Clay), Root Depth, Depletion Trigger, and Refill Target.
Need to update soil or crop data across many runs? Tap Edit in the Runs list, select multiple runs, then tap Bulk Edit to change crop type, soil texture, root depth, depletion trigger, or refill target in one go. A “Use crop defaults” toggle auto-fills scheduling parameters from the selected crop type.
Select a crop type when configuring a run and the app auto-fills soil parameters. Adjust values for your specific conditions.
Root depth: 150mm
Suggested trigger: 50%
Root depth: 300mm
Suggested trigger: 60%
Root depth: 200mm
Suggested trigger: 50%
Root depth: 100mm
Suggested trigger: 30%
Root depth: 400mm
Suggested trigger: 40%
Root depth: 75mm
Suggested trigger: 50%
Property-level settings control water allocation tracking, scheduling defaults, and time windows. Access via Irrigation → gear icon.
Enter your licensed annual allocation in ML (megalitres) and the Allocation Start Date (usually July 1). The app tracks usage against this allocation on the dashboard and in reports.
Set default Crop Type, Root Depth, Depletion Trigger, Refill Target, and Changeover Time (minutes between logs on the same irrigator).
Define when irrigation can occur (e.g. “Day Shift” 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM, weekdays only). Used for conflict detection and suggesting available time slots.
Alffi integrates with personal weather stations and the Bureau of Meteorology for data-driven irrigation scheduling.
Access via Irrigation → Weather. Set up your weather station in the Conditions tab by entering your Ecowitt Application Key, API Key, and device MAC address.
Once setup is complete, record irrigation events using the 5-step log wizard to track water usage, engine hours, and compliance.
Choose which irrigation run you’re logging. Use the Map button to select visually, or the Rounds button (for bike shift irrigators) to select an entire shift round for aggregate logging. The run’s irrigator, pump engine, and soil data load automatically.
Record current soil moisture content. This feeds into scheduling analysis and the PAW (Plant Available Water) calculations.
Set the Start Date/Time for the irrigation event. The finish time is calculated automatically from run time and equipment settings.
For travelling irrigators: set Ground Speed (m/hr), Length of Run, nozzle size, and pressure. For stationary irrigators (bike shift, K-Line, etc.): set Programmed Run Time instead of speed and length. If spray data is configured, the app calculates water usage, area, and precipitation automatically.
Review calculated results (water used, area watered, precipitation, fuel/energy) and set Status: Planned (future), Completed (done), or Reported (submitted to authorities). Only Completed and Reported logs count towards engine hours and water usage.
Quick Log Mode
For fast entries, the wizard also supports a Quick Log mode that shows 5 steps: Run Selection, Soil Moisture, Date & Time, Equipment Settings, and Review — skipping only the Schedule Analysis step. Access from Irrigation → Calendar or Logs → +.
Each irrigator has a comprehensive detail view that serves as a hub for all related data and actions.
With irrigation setup complete, you have access to the full irrigation management system.
Record completed irrigation events with the 5-step wizard. Supports single-run and aggregate round logging for bike shift.
Plan future irrigation with the scheduling wizard, using PAW calculations based on soil type, crop, and BOM weather data.
Track water usage against your annual allocation. Generate compliance reports, run reports, efficiency analysis, and seasonal comparisons.
Keep pump engines maintained with service interval warnings, full service history, and automatic hour tracking from logs.
Visualise your irrigation schedule in weekly format with conflict detection and available time slots.
Monitor live weather station data, track rainfall automatically, and use BOM evapotranspiration for scientific scheduling.
The run needs soil data configured (soil texture, root depth, depletion trigger). Open the run and tap Soil Settings. Also check the run has both a valve marker and target marker set.
Ensure the irrigator is linked to the pump engine (edit the irrigator and select the pump). Also check that your logs are set to Completed or Reported status — Planned logs don’t count towards engine hours.
Verify the marker type is set to Valve (not a general marker). Check it’s a property-level marker, not an area-level marker. Valve and target markers must be placed at the property level in Map Setup.
Verify the flow rate and nozzle count are correct on the irrigator (water = flow rate × nozzle count × time). Check run time is accurate on your logs. Confirm the log status is Completed or Reported — Planned logs don’t contribute to water usage calculations.
Stationary irrigators (bike shift, K-Line, hand shift, pod systems, drip, etc.) use Programmed Run Time instead of speed and run length. Make sure you’ve set a run time greater than zero in the Equipment Settings step.
Spray data has moved from property-level settings to each irrigator. Open the irrigator detail screen and tap the Spray Data card to manage nozzle charts for that specific irrigator.
Download Alffi and set up your irrigation system today.