Drip irrigation... drip tape new to me...

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daveomak

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Omak,Washington,U.S.A.
Well I've started a garden.. Drip tape... cool stuff...

Double regulators to control pressure... The pressure at my place is 110 PSI when irrigation
is low use.. Can drop to ~50 PSI ish when my neighbor and I are irrigating our crops...
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To keep the quail from devouring the newly sprouted seeds..

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Three varieties of bush peas.... Corn and other veggies will come, as it warms....

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The main line and splitters....

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Individual emitters... Irritec P1 5/8" drip Tape 15 mil 6" Spacing 0.25 GPH 500' Roll
Very cool stuff...


DRIP1.JPG
 
Wow 110 psi is way high....mine is only 55 which is considered high for here.
This is one of several irrigation districts that irrigate thousands of fruit trees... My place is about 3 miles from the pump station... There's probably 1000's acres it waters April to October...
The pressure comes from I'm the last property on this particular water line and I'm at the bottom of the hill... I'm over 100' lower in elevation than the next property up the line... It's normally 60 PSI to the other folks... The 50+ PSI comes from my elevation...
 
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Dave did you get drip tape or drip tube? If true drip tape anything over 10-12 psi will blow it up. If drip tube they will take higher pressures. Drip tape is flat and expands when the water turns on. Drip tube is more like a piece of poly pipe. It looks good.
I use drip tube for our blueberries and drip tape if I plant crops in the ground.
The first time I ever used drip tape nobody told me about the 10 psi so I ran a bunch of it at my fathers house and turned it on and everything looked good for a few minutes until it started blowing apart everywhere lol. Needless to say I ended up having to redo it all
 
Dave did you get drip tape or drip tube? If true drip tape anything over 10-12 psi will blow it up. If drip tube they will take higher pressures. Drip tape is flat and expands when the water turns on. Drip tube is more like a piece of poly pipe. It looks good.
I use drip tube for our blueberries and drip tape if I plant crops in the ground.
The first time I ever used drip tape nobody told me about the 10 psi so I ran a bunch of it at my fathers house and turned it on and everything looked good for a few minutes until it started blowing apart everywhere lol. Needless to say I ended up having to redo it all


Gerry, morning... It's a 15 mil wall tube that supposed to support 30 PSI... it' the thickest wall for this product... they make many products... I chose the longest lasting for a few bucks more... It's flat until pressureized.. I have a 15 PSI final pressure regulator, after the fancy brass initial regulator I have set to 30-40 PSI... 0.25 gal/hour drip rate...
 
This is the tube with the emitters installed...

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You install the tube with the emitters up so the dirt doesn't collect on the emitters....
I've just installed this tube so I don't know how much "fines" get through the filter... It's a 155 mesh filter...
 
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indaswamp indaswamp , thanks for posting that. I need to do something similar. To much of a problem trying to water with sprinkler in our consistent winds. I use a timer set for about 4 Am which helps beat the wind.
 
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No problem winterrider. I like the pvc piping because it's easier for me to fool with, it stores well, and I can move the entire watering system from one bed to the next in a snap. I can also meter the water with the valves for different crops, some less, others more. I point the holes down, but I raise the piping on scrap 2X4 blocks. It is a very versatile system.
 
I'm not a fan of overhead watering systems on tomatoes and peppers for here in hot and humid Louisiana....too risky for foliar diseases to take hold. I like watering at the roots.
 
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Funny how supply pressure can vary from place to place, and even residential community to community. (Funnier yet how few people even measure this!) Esp with wide use of plastics/polymers in plumbing (from toilets to crops) bringing the pressure down is key to avoiding leaks or catastrophic failures. Valves are no substitute for a regulator, esp when the pressure varies in time (and not just by locale.)

This thread is also reminding me I've got some brass misters and copper tubing I want to implement into a cooker at some point for higher-humidity cooks...supercharged water pan so to speak. Controlling pressure to a mister is key to controlling flow and avoiding large drop formation.
 
Gonna try something similar this year Dave, but without all the paraphernalia. Water source will be tied in to my 2 way timer and will have a valve on downside to regulate pressure. Wondering about going 1/2" or 3/4" PVC.
Garden is about 100' x 6' now. Had to move fence to give evergreens a little room. Probably have to move garden in a couple years to allow growth.
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It looks good Dave and your right it does the best job of watering than anything else I've tried.

Winterrider there is very little difference in the price of 3/4 vs 1/2"I'd go bigger than risk not having enough. You can run 3/4out there and reduce it to 1/2" once in the garden that should give a little better pressure
 
I want to thank you guys for posting this. This is a crude looking setup, but so far I am very impressed. Very little water pressure needed as of now. I put on two different zones as to not overload and leave the ends with little water. Will put on timer also
Spuds on this end
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Corn on opposite end
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Will have onions up the 2 lines from corn with cuc's on main feed line.
Tomatoes, spinach, peppers and a zucchini plant on the spud line.
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More holes to drill when planting of others take place. Too cold for anything else yet. Low 30's° at night.
I think this is gonna work great, no wasted water and blowing around from sprinkler. Thanks again !
 
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