Transcript Slide 1

DO IT YOURSELF
DRIP IRRIGATION
SYSTEMS
WHY CONSIDER?
 No great skill needed to install
 No trenching required
 No electrical connections necessary
 No precise pipe connections to make
 Inexpensive to install
DRIP IRRIGATION ADVANTAGES
 Reduces loss through
evaporation
 Eliminates runoff
 Does not spray leaves,
petals, trunks thus
reducing fungus
potential
 Does not waste water
irrigating surrounding
areas (discourages
weeds)
ADVANTAGES
 Reduces overall time to
water a given area
 Ensures consistent
moisture to individual
plants
 Works especially well
on difficult hillsides
 Can be used for small
irrigation additions
MINOR PROBLEMS
 Occasional minor adjustments do to:
 Dogs chewing
 Children kicking
 Spider web clogging
PLANNING
Planning is essential
 Draw a design to include all your
plantings under consideration
 Determine the size and requirement
of each circuit/zone
 About 200’ max per circuit
Matches your needs to your
purchases
PLANNING
Think “HYDROZONES”
 Think drip and/or spray systems
Sprayer systems for closely spaced
systems
 Drip systems for widely spaced
plantings
 Regardless, the system selected should
cover 50% of the root zone
 Think about the soil type in your garden
area

TOOLS & OTHER BASIC MATERIALS NEEDED
 Tools…cutters and punch
 Materials :
Garden hose?
Staking device
OPTIONAL UPGRADES
 Filter
 Timing device
 Fertilizer injector …needs anti-siphon valve
 All sorts of interesting toys
TUBING & FITTINGS
 ½” main tubing
 2 wall thicknesses
.052 and .060
match fittings to wall
thickness
 3/8” main tubing
TUBING AND FITTINGS
FITTINGS (i.e. connectors)
Used to connect pieces of tubing
 Fittings are color coded:
Red fittings for 3/8” tubing
Blue and green for 1/2” tubing
 Three insert types
 Compression
 Barbed
 locking
EMITTERS & SPRAYERS
Emitters let the water drip onto the plant
roots
Generally come in three sizes
½ gallon per hour
1 gallon per hour
2 gallons per hour
Have barbed ends to fit into micro tubing
Color coded…color end into tubing
Also sprayers in ¼, 1/2, ¾ and full turn
Also available as a pre-constructed line
with emitters attached
SOME ADDITIONAL ITEMS
 Punches
 Goof Plugs
 Stakes
Output rate
Number of emitters
Placement
Vegetables close spacing
½-1 GHP
1
Every 12”
Vegetables -widely spaced
1-2 GPH
1
At base of plant
Flower Beds
1 GPH
1
At base of plant
Ground Covers
1 GPH
1
At base of each plant
Shrubs
2-3 ft tall
1 GPH
1-2
At plant base
Shrubs and Trees
3-5 ft tall
1 GPH
2
12” opposite sides
Shrubs and Trees
5-10ft tall
2 GPH
2-3
2 feet from trunk
Shrubs and Trees
10-20 ft tall
2 GPH
3-4
3 feet apart at drip line
Trees
Over 20 ft tall
2 GPH
6 or more
4 feet apart at drip line
INSTALLATION
 Each main line (1/2”…large diameters) diameter has a
maximum length…200’
 Each micro line (1/4”) has a maximum number of
emitters
 If possible try to connect emitters directly to the larger
drip tubing lines.
MAXIMUM TUBING LENGHTS
DRIP TUBING
Diameter
Flow rate
Maximum Length
Polyethylene Tubing
½”
320 GPH
200 ft
3/8”
100 GPH
100 ft
¼”
15 GPH
25 ft
¼”
10 GPH
20 ft
Heavy weight vinyl
HELPFUL TIPS
 Allow ½” poly to sit in the sun
 Buy a good punch
 Measure twice …cut once
Maximum Number of Emitters
To determine the maximum number of emitters on
each line:
 For each ½” line add up the water volume
of the emitters…maximum volume of
emitters is 320 GPH
 For each ¼” micro line maximum
volume is 15 GPH
FINDING A SUPPLY SOURCE
Local
 Lowe’s and Home Depot
Internet sources
 The Drip Store
 www.dripirrigation.com
 Sprinkler Warehouse www.sprinklerwarehouse.com
 Drip Works USA www.dripworksusa.com
QUESTIONS ?
WATER INFORMATION
A typical area of 20’X40’ (800 sq. ft.) requires about 4000
gallons of water per month
Garden hoses deliver:
Dia. Hose Flow gal/hr Hrs of watering
 1/2 “
300
13hrs/mo
 5/8”
500
8hrs/mo
 3/4”
600
6.5hrs/mo