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Irrigation System Guide


ahosey01

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I'm currently hand-watering everything.  Started a new job recently, though, and it's like a consistent 50-60 hours a week.  Also in a Master's program, another 20-30 hours.  I barely have time to see my kids or my wife, or go pee or eat food.  Hand-watering is really getting challenging.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a good how-to guide for setting up an irrigation system?  I don't even know where to start.

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I don't know of a guide, but I built a multizone dripper setup for my yard.  I use standard 0.5 inch tubing to rout each zone, and button drippers and 1/4 inch line going to each palm.  I use 1 or 2 drippers per palm in a combination of 0.5gph, 1gph, and 2gph flow rates.  My systems are set for 30 minutes per zone, so a small palm might get 0.5 hours * 0.5 gallon/hour dripper = 0.25 gallons of water.  You could estimate your necessary dripper size and duration by guessing how much you hand water each palm.  You can also use the 90, 180 or 360 degree fan sprayers on a stick for doing small areas. 

The only problem I have had in 2 years with the drip system is that the cheap plastic pressure regulators get clogged with my well water.  The drippers and lines seem fine, but I have to check the pressure regulators every 6 months or so to make sure they are still working right.  I replace them for $5ea, or just clean and replace them if they aren't too crusty.

If you have a nearby sprinkler head you aren't using, they sell sprinkler head drip converters.

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To start, I would  consider a smart controller as the center of the system. Download the app and manage from anywhere. There are several brands out there.

 

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18 hours ago, Palm Tree Jim said:

To start, I would  consider a smart controller as the center of the system. Download the app and manage from anywhere. There are several brands out there.

 

Thinking of a Hunter Node controller. Is this kind of what you’re referring to?

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I think drip is the way to go.  I have 9 stations for my garden and use the Hunter Pro C controller. They make a 'Smart' controller as well that you can program with your phone.

Installing a drip system is not very difficult if you have the right tools and know the basics in working with PVC pipe and fittings.

I recommend you visit an irrigation supply store in your area. Most places are very helpful and will guide you through the process. You can definitely save yourself a lot of money and do this yourself, even with your limited amount of free time.  Just do a little at a time (before the weather heats up). Don't neglect your family though. You can always skip a few meals and hold your pee.  And think about all of the free time you will have once your system is all set up and you don't have to go outside to water anymore.

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21 minutes ago, NorCalWill said:

I think drip is the way to go.  I have 9 stations for my garden and use the Hunter Pro C controller. They make a 'Smart' controller as well that you can program with your phone.

Installing a drip system is not very difficult if you have the right tools and know the basics in working with PVC pipe and fittings.

I recommend you visit an irrigation supply store in your area. Most places are very helpful and will guide you through the process. You can definitely save yourself a lot of money and do this yourself, even with your limited amount of free time.  Just do a little at a time (before the weather heats up). Don't neglect your family though. You can always skip a few meals and hold your pee.  And think about all of the free time you will have once your system is all set up and you don't have to go outside to water anymore.

I’ll have to ask you some questions at some point on Sundays, Will. This is an area I have quite a knowledge gap. Although I have a full system front and back I’m not experienced with it’s use. Gonna get schooled up this spring and crack open the manual!

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28 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Eating and peeing are overrated 

This is unquestionably the proper mentality.

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Just now, ahosey01 said:

This is unquestionably the proper mentality.

I work in hospitality. That's kinda how it works lol 

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If you are new to drip systems, check out youtube DIY videos. 

 

But basically, for a simple setup, you just need:


A faucet Y adapter (one side for your hose, another for the drip system.

A hammer arrest (search amazon, they are inexpensive and help prevent pipes banging).

A timer. I use the battery powered Orbit timers. They are simple, easy to program, and have lasted years. Choose one for as many "zones" or areas you want to irrigate. 

A drip system for your particular setup. (Check out drip depot kits, they are well priced and quite easy to install).

 

Basically, a drip system is a timer, and some tubes.... It's far easier than most people think it is. 

 

You can get all fancy and get one that is hardwired in, and has wiring and electrical, or you can do the above. It's simple and effective. 

Also, trust me, drip irrigation is a life saver, and you'll be shocked at how well things grow with consistent moisture. 

 

 

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I'm not a fan of drip irrigation. Conditions are not the same everywhere, but where I live, its useless. If you have well draining soil and hot periods without rain, the water will wick away faster than it is emitted, resulting in no water savings, shallow roots and plants dying from lack of water. I know my experience may not be typical, but do some local research.

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9 hours ago, amh said:

I'm not a fan of drip irrigation. Conditions are not the same everywhere, but where I live, its useless. If you have well draining soil and hot periods without rain, the water will wick away faster than it is emitted, resulting in no water savings, shallow roots and plants dying from lack of water. I know my experience may not be typical, but do some local research.

There are many different types of drip emitters. When I want to apply more water to a particular plant, I space out a few adjustable flow emitters, which are like mini sprinkler heads. What is nice about drip is that the water is released right in the soil and right where you want it to be. Do you mulch?

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7 hours ago, NorCalWill said:

There are many different types of drip emitters. When I want to apply more water to a particular plant, I space out a few adjustable flow emitters, which are like mini sprinkler heads. What is nice about drip is that the water is released right in the soil and right where you want it to be. Do you mulch?

Yes, I mulch. Like I wrote, my experience may be non typical, but it requires a large volume of water to keep plants alive during a prolonged period with no rain.

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The nice thing about a drip setup is that you can do as little or as much water as necessary for any one plant or area.  For example:

My front garage and front of house beds are "tropical areas" and have water-loving plants like bamboo, colocasia, philodendron, Hawaiian TI, oysters, bird of paradise, peace lily, a few water-tolerant palms, etc.  I have it on a regular underground sprinkler system, with spray-heads-on-a-stick and a couple of popups.  Most of it was installed when the house was built.  This area gets drenched every morning.

My front yard bed (on the other side of the driveway from the "tropical area") I took one of the existing sprinkler heads and used an Orbit drip conversion kit.  I routed about 100 feet of 1/2" pipe in a big loop, and have individual drippers for each plant that needs it.  That way palms that like lots of water (B. Alfredii) can get a pair of 1gph drip emitters, and ones that want very little (C. Humilis) get a 0.5gph single emitter.  In the same area I have desert-type Encephalartos that want no supplemental water, and agaves and cacti that want no water at all.  Big broadcast spray heads would make that combination of plants impossible.  The Encephalartos and agaves would die of rot, or the palms would die of thirst.

Most of what I have set up (2 zones up front, 3 on the East side, 4 on the West side with 3 timers) is individual drippers using the RainBird pressure-compensating button emitters.  I do NOT use the perforated drip hose, it gets clogged with my well water and is mostly useless.  To do a drip setup from a hose off the side of your house:

  • 500' 1/2" drip tubing T70-500S
  • 100' 1/4" distribution tubing T22-100S
  • Faucet connection kit FCKIT-1PS2
  • 1/2" barbed couplings (for when you need to splice or expand a zone) BC50/4PKS
  • 2gph 30 pack emitters SW20-30PS
  • 1gph 30 pack emitters SW10-30PS
  • 0.5gph 10 pack emitters SW05-10PS
  • 1/2" valve (if you want to manually turn it on and off) BVAL50-1S
  • 1/2" end closure EC50-2PKS
  • Riser connection kit (if you have an existing popup sprinkler you want to convert to drip) RCKIT-1PS
  • Microspray-on-a-stick (for covering a small zone if you want to) MSSTKTH1S, there are also 1/4 pattern and 360 pattern sprayers.  I use 3 of these for my "nursery" area.
  • 1/4" plugs, you'll screw up and need to plug one eventually!  :D  TP25/10PS
  • Drip hole punch (trust me you WANT this) HPUN1-1S
  • 1/4" plastic drip stakes (I use Orgrimmar 250 packs from Amazon)
  • 1/2" plastic drip stakes (I use Harrier 32 packs from Amazon)

Pick a small zone and lay out the 1/2" main tubing.  Just route it around and somewhat near the plants you want to water.  It's kind of irritating to unroll from the big 500' roll of tubing, but once you get the hang of it, it's not too bad.  And remember it is super easy to splice and join sections together, add a T-splice to go a different direction, etc.  I try to rout the 1/2" so that it is within 3-4 feet of all my plantings, just so I don't end up using hundreds of feet of 1/4" tube.  After you have a basic layout hook it up to your timer/hose bib converter/riser converter and then purge the 1/2" tube by running water for a minute.  This cleans out any dirt and prevents you from clogging the emitters.  Once that's done cap the end with the end closure.  Punch a hole with the drip hole punch on the horizontal side, insert the drip emitter, pop on the 1/4" tubing, and rout the tube over to near your plant.  Cut the 1/4" tube at a reasonable spot and put it in with the little drip stake.  Rinse and repeat for each plant.  It's a little time consuming and irritating to begin with, but after the first small area it'll be pretty easy.  I probably have 500-600 emitters out in the yard and haven't had a single one of them clog up or fail in 3 years of use.  A single run of 1/2" tubing is good for up to around 200' in length and 240gph total emitters.  That's a LOT of gallons per hour, so just don't do a single huge run with 500 emitters on the single line.

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On 2/25/2021 at 4:43 PM, Merlyn said:

I don't know of a guide, but I built a multizone dripper setup for my yard.  I use standard 0.5 inch tubing to rout each zone, and button drippers and 1/4 inch line going to each palm.  I use 1 or 2 drippers per palm in a combination of 0.5gph, 1gph, and 2gph flow rates.  My systems are set for 30 minutes per zone, so a small palm might get 0.5 hours * 0.5 gallon/hour dripper = 0.25 gallons of water.  You could estimate your necessary dripper size and duration by guessing how much you hand water each palm.  You can also use the 90, 180 or 360 degree fan sprayers on a stick for doing small areas. 

The only problem I have had in 2 years with the drip system is that the cheap plastic pressure regulators get clogged with my well water.  The drippers and lines seem fine, but I have to check the pressure regulators every 6 months or so to make sure they are still working right.  I replace them for $5ea, or just clean and replace them if they aren't too crusty.

If you have a nearby sprinkler head you aren't using, they sell sprinkler head drip converters.

 20 years ago I did something similar but used battery powered timers around the yard.  Problem I found is that as the palm grows and the roots move away from the trunk the dripping is not where the active root growth is so I change from dripers to little spray heads of either 90, 180 ore 360 degrees.

YouTube...answers to all your questions.  You just have to figure out who knows best what they are talking about.  LOL

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=drip+irrigation+installation

 

Edited by WaianaeCrider
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Steve

Born in the Bronx

Raised in Brooklyn

Matured In Wai`anae

I can't be held responsible for anything I say or do....LOL

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