KISSS Below Flow Flat (BFF)

Below Flow Flat (BFF)

Polyethylene dispersion layer: Forces water from emitters in capillary fiber. This eliminates water tunneling to the surface creating wet spots.
Capillary Fiber: Transmits (wicks) water to soil. Allows soil to take water from an infinite number of absorption points instead of a single point source.
Pressure compensating drip tape: Delivers water to the geo-textile fiber at certain pressure ranges when system is on or "engaged".
Anti-percolation layer: Prevents downward percolation of water minimizing water loss.

Scroll over the image below to see the drip tape contained within	Below Flow Flat is shiping in 200 meter (656ft.) rolls

Click here to see Below Flow Flats (BFF) wetting pattern

The Geo-Textile layer of Below Flow Flat evenly distributes water to soil through capillary action. This unique form of irrigation constantly adjust to soil conditions watering only dry soil.

KISSS (SCI) vs. Drip (SDI) A University Scientific Research Study...

This trial showing the difference of KISSS SCI systems vs. Drip SDI systems was conducted at an actual university under controlled conditions in sandy loam soil. KISSS Below Flow has a wetting pattern over 2X the size of standard subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) systems.

In this trial scientific trial of Below Flow FLAT and a top of the line drip irrigation system were each ran simultaneously for hours. The drip irrigation system took 6 days to dry down completely. The Below Flow system took 16 days. Watch the videos (below)). Notice the KISSS wetting pattern is so large that we could only fit the top left corner in the video, whereas the drip irrigation wetting pattern failed to even consume half of the screen area.

Click here to Compare KISSS Below Flow To Drip and Sprinklers

Attribute	KISSS (Subsurface Capillary Irrigation) SCI	SDI (Subsurface0 Drip)	Conventional (sprinklers)
Uniformity	Excellent	Poor	Excellent
Evaporation	None	Surface wetting, looses about 10% to evaporation	Maximum, 40% of the water never makes it into the soil
Oxygen Concentration	Excellent	Poor in the vicinity of the emitters	Poor on the surface good very deep.
Plant Health	Excellent-no plant fungi problems with 10 years of installations	Variable. Roots tend to be more susceptible to root rot in the vicinity of the dripper	Spraying the leaves tends to leave mineral deposits on the leaves and depends to make the plants more susceptible to fungi attach
Water Consumption	15%	60%	100%
Vandalism	Entire system is buried	Some of the systems are buried some are above ground making then susceptible to vandals	Very susceptible to vandals, a sport is made of removing sprinkler heads
Longevity	The system is buried out of UV rays and vandals so it has long life	Systems are buried but they have issues with root intrusion.	Lasts a long time as long as repairs are made often to the system and heads are replaced regularly
Safety and Liability	Does not produce wet surfaces for slipping or have objects sticking out the ground for trip hazards	Does not produce wet surfaces for slipping or have objects sticking out the ground for trip hazards	Sprays everything
Environmental	Reduction in the amount of fertilizer and runoff reduces environmental hazards	Reduction in the amount of fertilizer and runoff reduces environmental hazards	Regularly produces runoff because fertilizer is applied to the surface then sprinklers are used to water it into the ground
Weed Germination	No weed germination except when it rains.	No weed germination unless water comes to the surface or it rains	Every weed seed on the surface gets a chance to germinate because it's watered every day
Fertilizer consumption	50%	80%	100%
Scheduling	No Scheduling, Irrigate whenever it is optimum	Scheduling is required because of tunneling issues. Soft spots cause ankle injuries	Since it sprays in the air you can't water during or within 1 hour of an event
Root intrusion	No Root intrusion in over 10 years	Root intrusion is common and only stopped by using herbicides to kill the roots in the vicinity	Not an Issue until the turf become higher than the sprinkler heads
System cost	1.2 Times Sprinklers	1.5 times Sprinklers	The standard

Click here to see 24 Reasons KISSS is Better than Sprinklers

Low Application Rates - truly distinctive feature of KISSS is the very low application rate used. This system has show capability of irrigating turf fields in Sydney using less than ½” of water per week whereas a standard sprinkler system will use upwards of 2” of water per week.

Put the Water Where it’s Needed -KISSS is designed to supply an individual plant's water requirement directly to the root zone at a rate that suits the soil type. Applying the water to the root zone forces the roots to go deeper creating a healthier drought tolerant plant.

Less Expensive Hardware - A low application rate often means smaller and a more efficient use of pumps, filters and pipelines, because these system components may be sized for lower flow rates and used for longer periods. In short, a lower water application rate often means lower capital costs and lower operating costs.

Reduce Energy Consumption – Lower flow rates and less water mean lower pumping costs. If consumption is reduced by 75% so is energy costs for pumping.

Eliminate Runoff of Fertilizer and Effluents - Use of low application rates also presents distinct advantages when dealing with slopes or effluent water. With lower application rates water runoff in slopes can be minimized and in most cases eliminated. The creation of pools of stagnating effluent water is a major health concern when irrigating with effluent water on heavy soils. The low application rates provided by the KISSS products prevent such occurrences.

Uniformity of Water Application - Another highly desirable feature of KISSS is the excellent uniformity of water application achieved. Uniform water application means that all plants receive the same amount of water.

More Efficient Application of Fertilizer – By applying the fertilizer directly to the root zone it is distributed more evenly and more available to the plant thus reducing fertilizer requirement by over 30%. Automatically Sense the Soil Type -KISSS products are unique in the world in being able to sense soil types and water thirstier soils uniformly even along an individual lateral

No Water Loss Due to Over spray and Windy Conditions - Where spray systems are used a major part of the irrigation system is lost to wind drift, evaporation, over-spray and runoff.

The Classic Evaporation-Transpiration Equations are no Longer Valid - With KISSS systems the books need to be re-written to gauge the “water recovery” factor; as it is showing as even more efficient than drip line. Typically the factor is 1/3 of the evapotranspiration values typically arrived at.

The Root Zone Conditions are Automatically Optimized, wherein; a relatively constant soil moisture content is maintained and the oxygen concentration in the root zone is uniform. The root zone is never saturated with water.

Salinity Issues are Greatly Reduced – If the water is salty it is not sprayed directly on the plants. If subsurface salts are an issue due to percolation it will be eliminated with the KISSS product.

Improved disease control due to uniform wetting of the root zone - In addition, the spread of any existing disease organisms by water movement is much less likely since surface water run-off is eliminated. Fungal diseases such as 'Dollar Spot' are less likely to occur in turf as there is no water sprayed onto the turf blades.

Application in "problem soils" - Capillary irrigation systems are ideally suited to "problem soils". The low application rate that KISSS irrigation systems support is ideal for tight clay soils with low infiltration rates, as the water can be applied slowly enough for the soil to absorb it without surface run-off occurring. On the other hand, very sandy soils frequently cannot store large amounts of water, and under conventional irrigation systems, much of the applied water is lost to deep percolation. KISSS irrigation is ideal for such soils as it allows for a more effective use of the pulse irrigation method.

Reduced Surface Weed Germination – Seeds need to be in contact with wet soil for them to germinate. Many seeds have a coating that must be exposed to water to be dissolved before they can germinate. If the surface is not wetted the weed seeds that are deposited on the surface are not able to germinate.

Increased plant growth – Studies have show that vegetables and shrubs grow up to 15% faster and produce crops in up to 15% less time. As moisture stress increases, physiological changes within the plant cause a reduction in the growth rate. Ideally, an irrigation system maintains the soil moisture level slightly below field capacity to achieve maximum health and growth.

Lower Pressure Operation- than the conventional spray method. A spray system operates between 40 and 80 PSI whereas the KISSS Systems operates between 15 and 35 PSI. This means that systems can easily operate off water mains even under very low-pressure conditions.

Reduced risk of injury - There is an increasing concern over liability resulting from injury to the public, from such hazards as sprinkler heads on playing fields and slippery pavements and roadways. The KISSS solution eliminates those concerns, by providing a system with no exposed parts and no over-spray.

Reduced exposure to vandalism -For most municipalities, the problem of vandalism has become an incredible maintenance nightmare and a source of great expense. The KISSS irrigation option has proven to be an ideal solution to such a problem. Today, reduced vandalism is one of the major driving forces to the adoption and the spread of the subsurface system around Australia.

Flexible watering time - In sports turf, gardens, pools and other public facilities, watering time is a major concern and needs to be limited to hours when public is not present. This restriction of the watering time means that water has to be applied at a much higher rate in order comply with the imposed time restriction. With the KISSS solution this limitation is eliminated as the system does not interfere in any way with regular use of the turf areas. This means that a subsurface system provides a much longer (24 hours) irrigation time window, which allows for lower application rates, better use of a restricted water supply, and lower investment and operating costs.

Effluent water re-use -The most exciting application of capillary irrigation is in the area of effluent water re-use. KISSS irrigation resolves many of the health issues associated with spraying of effluent water onto landscapes via the conventional sprinkler systems. When the effluent water is applied underground through a dedicated effluent system the chances of harmful bacteria coming in contact with humans is minimized. This form of effluent water disposal allows for a much less expensive and a more environmental friendly treatment level of the sewage. This method of effluent disposal has been used for over ten years in Israel and the US and is considered by Israelis and Seppos today as the cheapest, most effective, and most environmental friendly way to dispose of their effluent water.

Reduce Liability – In parks, gardens and by roadways water over spray or leaking sprinklers create slippage risks that are overcome by this system.

Eliminates Staining of Structures – Sprinklers spray on fences, expensive masonry and on homes causing mineral staining, moss growth and leaching of natural oils from the woods. Wood structures will eventually mold and dry rot from the cycles of being wet and dry.