I'm just about to purchase and layout the 1/2" drip irrigation system and was wondering if there's a difference between brands, seems like DIG corp and Orbit are the 2 main brands for drip carried at the local big box stores which is a huge plus so i'm able to easily pickup any random parts I may need without having to wait for shipping and whatnot. is one brand any better than the next?

also I was just searching for random stuff in regards to drip and got reminded about fertilizing when I saw EZ Flo systems, i have 6 total zones for my yard space and will have 3 of those zones dedicated for palms and drip lines so is it worth it to use those in-line fertilizer reservoirs, especially seeing as how i would need 3 of them? how long does the water soluble granular last in those EZ Flo tanks and what size should i consider getting since they range from 1.5gal reservoirs to 10gal

I've been very happy with DIG brand. Make sure you're using the filter and pressure regulator. Everyone who I've talked to that has problems with clogged emitters has not used the filter. Plus flush out all the lines thoroughly before capping the ends.

i'm considering these EZ Flo systems since i know how much time it will save me in the long run. also does the granular stuff completely disappear once it's all dissolved so i'm easily able to tell when i need to add more? what if i wanted to add liquid fertilizer (would it need to be diluted as well) ? would it all disappear after one use or would even the liquid fertilizer pretty much go pretty sparingly into the drip system?

I've been very happy with DIG brand. Make sure you're using the filter and pressure regulator. Everyone who I've talked to that has problems with clogged emitters has not used the filter. Plus flush out all the lines thoroughly before capping the ends.

right now all my PVC pipes are ran under ground and most of the heads are currently capped off, if it's not capped off i will cap them off after i get the drip in. but from what i read i pretty much use one of the 1/2" risers from the 3/4" PVC attach a filter then a 25psi regulator and then the 1/2" main drip line right? does it matter which comes first in regards to the 25psi regulator and the filter?

The filter usually goes back adjacent to the valve, that way it filters the entire station if you have multiple pvc laterals. You can install the pressure regulators at each riser if you want or again, only 1 back near the valve. I've always done Valve, Filter, Pressure Regulator, in that order.

from right to left, valve, filter, heavy duty adjustable pressure regulator. I'm on a slope, so I use additional cheap fixed pressure regulators on the downslope pop ups as needed.

thanks for the visual ..... i don't intend to put on the actual main valve since it would be a lot of digging and cutting/adjusting all the inground PVC. since i have all the sprinkler heads capped off i'm probably going to keep them capped except the one i convert to drip, just to make it a bit easier on myself. hopefully it works the same but my front zone that will be drip will need a lot more parts since there's 4 planter areas that will be drip and the grass zone is on its own zone. i'm glad i somewhat thought ahead and ran the PVC pipes the way i did.

thanks for all the quick responses so far Matty

Yep, that'll work.

Do you use the EZ Flo system?

One thing you reminded me to do is putting a filter over anywhere there will be a drip conversion, i have 2small areas where i was just going to put one of those attachments where it auto converts the 1/2" sprinkler head to a 4-12 port 1/4" line drip that also auto regulates pressure

Yes, you need to filter, but where you put it doesn't really matter. It seems most practical to me to put one filter back at the beginning of the line.

I don't fertigate so I don't have any expertise on that.

One thing avoid is the RainDrip, and Accudrip brands which are common at big box stores and hardware chains. They use their own dimensions (a smaller .620 O.D. compared to .700 O.D.) which do not mate properly with the fittings of all the other brands out there. Their fittings are made of a crappy, brittle type of plastic which tend to crack after a few years in the sun. I find their attempt to trap customers into their products fairly annoying. Theirs is the anomaly while all the others are interchangeable.

If you want assurance against leakage, use barbed fittings with hoseclamps on mainlines rather than compression fittings which can come apart if someone or a deer trips over the lines. Rarely does the offender let you know you drip system is leaking and your plants are wilting. Costs more money initially but less than replacing dead plants.

I've found the DIG timers (also branded as GalCon) are more reliable in the long haul over the Orbit brand. The actuating mechanism gets tired in the Orbit valves after a few years of use. For a little more money you might want to check out Irritrol timers and valves which tend to be preferred in commercial applications. The DIG timers have worked great for me and a lot of small farms use them for field set-ups.

If you find that you need pressure compensating emitters I really like the Toro Turbo SC which can be taken apart to clean out the diaphragm. Have been the most reliable out of the dozens of brands that I have used.

I also find the 1/2" drip tubing rolls very convenient as they have the pressure compensating emitters factory installed. Saves a lot of time not having to punch in all of the emitters and about the same price as buying the tubing and the emitters separately. Available in 12", 18", 24", 36" spacing and with 1/2, 1, or 2 gph emitters. Again avoid the RainDrip brand.

Check out Dripworks.com and get the free paper catalog sent to you. It is very well organized and comprehensive. Useful for planning projects when there are several ways design a layout and you need to see all of the part options. They are located in Willits in NoCal. Their prices are competitive and delivery fast but I still use the catalog for reference when I visit our local irrigation supply.

Good luck.

I use the EZ-Flo and have had good success with it. I have three zones, and since my main water line also feeds my pool I couldn't use the mainline system, and put in three of the in line tanks, one at each valve. I did put filters on each one. I use peters 15-5-15 fertilizer, and the three tanks hold one 25 lb bag... so I just fill them monthly during the growing season.. sometimes 2x monthly if I'm being aggressive. you can see the color of the liquid change gradually to clear to tell when the fertilizer is gone. It's not as scientific as some of the higher end systems, but I just set it at the most dilute setting and let it go. The fertilizer dilutes completely.... I just pour it in the tank, fill with water and forget it.

I wasn't the best at consistency when I fertilized manually, so this has really helped, and I have seen good results with it.

here's a pic of the setup at the valve.... you can see the pressure reducer and filter, but the spot where the lines from the EZ Flo go in are buried....

Hi Kenny

I use a half inch drip irrigation system and use staked variable flow bubbler's instead of the dripper's that lay on the ground they allow me to keep an eye on the bubbler's to ensure that they are not clogged up like the ones that lay on the ground.