Irrigation - Carrying Out Routine Checks On Your Garden Irrigation System

!±8± Irrigation - Carrying Out Routine Checks On Your Garden Irrigation System

The winter is the ideal season for checking out all the different components of your irrigation system. It may be stating the obvious, but from my over 20 year's worth of experience as a professional gardener in a hot dry country, many people tend to forget about it during the rainy season, only to wake up in a panic at the first sign of hot weather in the spring. So make a commitment to go through the system 8 weeks or so before the onset of spring. Let's see then what has to be done, section by section.

Underground lawn sprinklers

Firstly open the tap to see which sprinklers if any are not working properly. Underground or pop-up sprinklers can sometimes sink somewhat in the ground. Adjust the height of the whole housing if necessary, even if that involves some digging to do so. Modern sprinkler heads have small filters inserted in the housing. Clean out each one. Three minutes work per unit can save a lot of frustration later, as part of the grass browns off in the summer, due to poor water coverage. It's also important to check the state of the nozzles. They become worn over time, and should be replaced every 3-5 years.

Drip irrigation

Irrigation drippers tend to get blocked in time. Switch on to see which ones are not emitting water. If the drippers are pre-set in the pipe by the manufacturer, then insert a "button" dripper next to the blocked up units. To reduce blockages in the future, it is essential to flush out the lines at least once a year. After turning on the tap, simply open the end of the line and let the water flow for about 5 minutes or so. The life span of dripper lines is usually up to 10-15 years, as mineral deposits in the water eventually make the line inoperable. However, neglecting to periodically wash out the system will significantly reduce their operable life span. I've seen drippers block up after 3 or 4 years when this simple routine task is ignored.

The Irrigation head unit

A professional irrigation system will include a controller, or timer, filters and pressure regulators. Needless to say, wash out the filters thoroughly. A dirty filter reduces the water flow rate, resulting in reduced pressure to the sprinklers, and blockages in the dripper lines. The operating efficiency of the pressure regulators should also be checked. These are vital for ensuring that the drip system is operating at the prescribed dynamic pressure, which is something between 1-2 Bars for a home unit. You may need professional assistance in this, but don't neglect the task, because high operating pressure can cause the connections to come away and even to burst. Replace batteries where necessary.

Finally, spray oil on all the metal parts of the unit. What a pain it is to try and unscrew a fitting attached to the wall, only to find the screws are totally rusted! As a very great comic actor and writer once said - "Silly little point but it does seem to matter!" I wonder if you know who that might have been.

Irrigation - Carrying Out Routine Checks On Your Garden Irrigation System

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Make-shift Drip Irrigation Project -Pt. 3- Assembling Parts

!±8± Make-shift Drip Irrigation Project -Pt. 3- Assembling Parts

Assembling the pressure regulator unit and drip line plug for our makeshift drip irrigation project. To find the parts you need to complete your own drip irrigation project, head over to www.sprinklerdaddy.ca

Make-shift Drip Irrigation Project -Pt. 3- Assembling Parts

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Direct-Acting Solenoid Valve Animation

!±8± Direct-Acting Solenoid Valve Animation

How does a direct-acting solenoid valve work? This video will help you understand the basic operation principle.

Direct-Acting Solenoid Valve Animation

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Sprinkler Systems - Lawn Sprinkler System Repair

!±8± Sprinkler Systems - Lawn Sprinkler System Repair

www.IrrigationRepair.com Do It Yourself lawn sprinkler system repair. Learn how to repair pipe, sprinkler heads,timers, pumps and more http

Sprinkler Systems - Lawn Sprinkler System Repair

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Installing Drip Irrigation

!±8± Installing Drip Irrigation

Drip irrigation is the process of applying small amounts of water, slowly and directly to the root base of the plant or shrub exactly where it needs it. Drip is best suited for shrub or flower beds and will not work to water a lawn area. A professionally designed irrigation system consists of a combination of rotors, sprays, and drip. Rotors are great for large lawn areas, sprays are used for smaller lawn areas or shrub beds, and drip can be used for shrub beds and more delicate flowers.

There are several great things about drip irrigation. First off you are only applying water directly where the plant or flower needs it, right at the root of the plant, which cuts down on a lot of waste. Secondly since you are applying water right where it is needed you will cut down on weeds since you will not be watering unnecessary areas. If your water source is a metered supply such as city water, drip irrigation can save you hundreds of dollars per year. Drip irrigation consumes up to 300X less water than conventional sprays when watering the same area.

If you have an existing irrigation system you can actually easily convert to drip irrigation fairly easy. For example, if you have a shrub bed that currently uses spray heads, you can remove the sprays and cap them off and run drip tube in its' place. Rain Bird makes a product called a 'retro-fit kit' that can be installed directly into the case of an existing 1800 series spray head (the most commonly used spray head in residential irrigation.) Even if you have a different brand or model of spray heads, you can just remove a spray head near the middle or center of the zone and install the Rain Bird 1800 retro fit.

The retro-fit drip has a built-in pressure regulator to reduce the pressure to be suitable for drip and it also has a screen to filter out junk that would clog up the drip emitters. You can then come off the retro-fit and run drip tube with pre-installed emitters along the bed and right near the roots of the plants. Rain Bird makes a drip tube that is called 600 series drip and has pre-installed emitters spaced one every 1 foot. You can also get the drip with emitters installed every 18" if you'd like.

If you don't want the drip with pre-installed emitters than you can choose the 'naked' drip tube which is just the tubing alone. You can then manually install emitters in the size and spot where you want them. Drip is measured in gallons per hour (gph) instead of gallons per minute (gpm) like conventional sprinkler heads. The 600 series drip tube with pre-installed emitters that I mentioned allows 0.9 gph out of each emitter. This might not seem like a lot, but it is almost one gallon of water in one hour coming out of each emitter. Imagine filling up a gallon milk container 90% full and that is the amount of water that is being delivered.

There are many areas that may be suitable for drip irrigation, it is up to you if you want to use it. I will say one negative thing about drip is that even with the filters and screens, the tiny emitters do tend to get clogged on systems that have shallow wells as their water source. This is because of the dirt and minerals like iron that tend to be in this well water. Most deeper wells do not have as much of a problem and drip works best with a clean source like city water. I tend to use drip mainly on systems tied to city water because of the clean water and the cost savings. Sprinkler systems tied to shallow wells do not cost the homeowner an arm and a leg in water costs, so I tend to stick with sprays for those systems.

Installing Drip Irrigation

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Drip Irrigation System Installation - A Guide to Making Your Irrigation Plan

!±8± Drip Irrigation System Installation - A Guide to Making Your Irrigation Plan

As the seasons change, you purchase and plant new seeds. Then watering task follows. It becomes very crucial which irrigation method you adopt for better result. From a couple of watering techniques, a well-planned and designed drip irrigation system can be effective for your seeds or plants.

Proper level of water supply only adds boosting power to garden plants and vegetation. Therefore, you need to control the water consumption going behind your irrigation task. If you pay a visit to a nearby home improvement store, you will come across a huge variety of irrigation tools like emitters, tubing, timers, sprinkler heads and sprays, rain bird, sprinkler system and many more to choose from. You get confused how to get started?

There are couples of reasons behind recommending drip irrigation systems as your watering device. First and foremost, they save your time and water. With the help of a good timer, your system can take care of irrigation your plants. More importantly, by supplying water at the roots of your plants, you hinder the progress of unwanted weeds.

Making a Plan:

Before getting started, you need to make a proper irrigation planning for your garden. The size of your garden and the types of your plants are important factors. Different types of plants require different level of watering. You can make different zones for similar kinds of plants for making your watering task easier. You can set timers for them to offer watering as per their requirement and keep watch on them.

What to Shop:

Once you have planned out your watering plan, get hold of necessary irrigation equipments and supplies. You will need a hammer, timer, pressure regulator, various emitters, connectors, 1/2" tubing, hose-plug and terminals, shears, clamps and a hole-punch for drip irrigation system from a well-known home improvement store.

Setting Up Your System:

Lay out your main lines. Insert the barbed connectors into the feeder tubs as to reach to your plants. Place your emitter on one end, attach the other to the barbed connector and then connect it to the main line. Once everything is connected, turn the water supply on and check all your connections. Use clamps for anchoring the lines to the ground. If you need fixing your mainline with wall or wood structure, use c-clamps.

Setting the Timer:

For making your drip irrigation system function properly, you can install the timer correctly. You can set or reset it according the climate. In order to maximize your watering uptake, to minimize the chance of evaporation, you can water early in the morning.

Drip Irrigation System Installation - A Guide to Making Your Irrigation Plan

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How to install Drip Irrigation baptize antecedent affiliation genitalia w/ Hose Inline FIlter

!±8± How to install Drip Irrigation baptize antecedent affiliation genitalia w/ Hose Inline FIlter

How to video on installing Drip Irrigation water source connection parts. Including Hose Vacuum breaker, Hose Inline Filter, Pressure Regulator and Drip Hose Swivel Adapter. Video explains each part in detail and the order of assembly.

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How To Replace A Lawn Sprinkler Irrigation Valve

!±8± How To Replace A Lawn Sprinkler Irrigation Valve

Irrigation Tips, Tricks and Information For Do-It-Your-Selfer's.

How To Replace A Lawn Sprinkler Irrigation Valve

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Irrigating Your Vegetable Garden - 3 Easy Systems You Can Install Yourself

!±8± Irrigating Your Vegetable Garden - 3 Easy Systems You Can Install Yourself

Vegetable gardening is different than general lawn care. Overhead sprinklers work well for watering grass but vegetable gardens benefit much more from an in-ground irrigation system that delivers the water directly to the plants' roots. Of the three methods discussed here, two don't even require any tools for installation. All can be left in place for the entire growing season and one of them can be left in place all year long.

Soaker hoses are fibrous hoses, kind of like a wire strainer, that allow water to seep out along the entire length. They are primarily made of ground up, recycled automobile tires. These usually work best when gardening with the traditional row method.

Lay a soaker hose about 3 to 4 inches from the base of the plants. You can bury them in mulch and leave them in the garden until the end of the growing season. Lay all or part of one soaker hose in each row of your garden, then wind it around to the next row, space and length permitting. For installing multiple soaker hoses, use a hose coupler that allows you to attach two soaker hoses to the spigot.

Drip irrigation tapes are essentially flat garden hoses with a series of holes all along their length. If you get the kind that are pressure-compensating, you won't need to install a flow regulator at the spigot. Without either of these, the water pressure can cause the hose to burst before the water reaches the end of the hose. Use drip irrigation tapes in the same manner as soaker hoses: place alongside the row of vegetables just a couple of inches from the base of the plants.

Drip emitter systems are water outlet heads which are connected to feeder hoses underground. They basically act like an underground sprinkler. The water seeps out of the emitter outlet head at a slow rate and saturates the soil.

Drip emitter feeder lines are installed by driving a flat spade into the soil, wiggling it back and forth and laying the feeder line into the resulting "trench." The water emitter head is then attached to one end of the feeder hose. The other end of the feeder hose is attached to the main line coming from the spigot. The feeder hose is then buried in the trench simply by stepping on the soil or sod with your foot.

Each emitter waters an area of several square feet; this distance varies with the manufacturer of the irrigation system. They are available as kits, as well as ala carte. You can leave these in the ground all year round. This type of irrigation system is best for intensive vegetable gardens, annual or perennial flower gardens, trees and shrubs.

Soil-borne disease organisms can be splashed onto the leaves of the plants when using sprinklers. Irrigation systems reduce the possibility of pests and diseases attacking garden vegetables because they deliver water directly to the roots.

Copyright Sharon Sweeny, 2009. All rights reserved

Irrigating Your Vegetable Garden - 3 Easy Systems You Can Install Yourself

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Installing a Drip Lawn Irrigation System Yourself

!±8± Installing a Drip Lawn Irrigation System Yourself

Most people look at the task of building a lawn irrigation system with dread. The dread that they feel can often lead them to calling in the professionals for a job they could well do themselves. Installing a lawn irrigation system is quite a bit of serious work; but it's straightforward enough that anyone handy about the house could complete the job themselves and pat themselves on the back for a job well done. Let us look at how it is done with a drip lawn irrigation system.

A drip irrigation system is great in an area where drought conditions exist, where the local authorities don't allow regular watering. With a timer regulating the way drip irrigation occurs, you can easily make a little water go very far. Let's look at how you would install a drip irrigation system above ground.

It's easy to set up a makeshift above ground drip irrigation system with nothing more than flexible garden hose and a few pressure regulators. It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours to cut a few holes in a length of garden pipe, and connect it to a pressure regulator. It's easy to buy ready-made rigid piping with holes cut at at equal distances too. That could actually make for a better design.

With an underground irrigation system, you certainly do have a lot more work going in, but you're rewarded with more aesthetically pleasing results. There's nothing above ground to see except a beautiful green lawn. There is a certain amount of additional efficiency to using an underground drip irrigation system. When you place piping within the ground, you bring water directly to the roots of the plants, and there is no water at all lost to evaporation. It makes for the best kind of use of your water. No one will oversee you watering your lawn, they'll just to see how beautiful the results are. You do have to put in a little extra work in the beginning to bury all the pipes though.

So why would anyone ever choose anything but underground? To begin with, some people just like to change the layout of their garden all the time. They like to keep putting in new plants and taking out the old. With an underground system in place, you do lose a little bit of this kind of flexibility. Still, in an age where the watering of our lawns is closely supervised by the authorities, an underground system might let you do more with less.

Installing a Drip Lawn Irrigation System Yourself

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Drip Irrigation - The Three Factors That Mean Success Or Otherwise

!±8± Drip Irrigation - The Three Factors That Mean Success Or Otherwise

Other than lawns, watering the garden plants by means of drip irrigation is unquestionably more effective than by sprinklers and more efficient in terms of water management. Roughly speaking, drip irrigation, if installed and applied correctly, can save at least 20% of the water that is lost in run-off, especially where trees and shrubs are concerned. However, the great benefits of drip irrigation are often not attained by the home gardener, because three aspects are not addressed properly.

Working at the correct pressure

Drip irrigation should operate at as low a pressure as possible. In small, private gardens, a pressure of about 1.5 bars is appropriate. For this purpose, a pressure regulator ought to be installed at the system's head unit.

Very often, the drippers at the end of the line barely emit water. The reason is usually that the dripper line itself is too long and not because of insufficient pressure to begin with. A common mistake is to snake a line or two around the plants, instead of the correct method, which is to connect several shorter lines to a feeder or supply pipe. For most home garden situations, each dripper line should not be longer than about 15 meters, (45ft) and a lot less with micro-drippers.

Correct Spacing

It is best to use integrated lines, where the drippers are inserted at fixed intervals by the manufacturer. Distances of between 0.5m to 1m are appropriate for trees, shrubs and most ground covers, whereas an interval of 0.3 m (1ft) is usually necessary for flowers.

Likewise, the dripper lines should be parallel to each other and as evenly spaced as possible. However, the distance between the lines does not have to equal the distance between the drippers. In heavy soil for instance, where drops of water spread laterally, if the drippers are spaced at 0.5m then the lines can be laid 0.75m or even 1m from each other. Alternatively, in light, sandy soil, through which water tends to move vertically, the spacing between the rows ought to be closer.

The aim is to apply water at a rate at which it can be absorbed by the soil, while supplying an even cover of moisture for the plants' roots. For this reason, it is important to know the flow rate of the individual drippers. It is best to choose those with the lowest flow rate available (flow rate is the volume of water emitted per unit of time) especially in heavy, clay soils and on slopes. For flowers, where complete coverage is usually necessary, it is wise to use micro-drippers, where the flow rate of each unit is 1 liter per hour.

Care and maintenance

Blockages are the main problem associated with drippers. Firstly, a filter designed for drip irrigation should always be installed. Secondly, it is wise to flush the lines once or twice a year. This from my experience can extend the lifespan of the system to some 10-15 years, whereas failure to carry out this simple procedure is liable to result in blockages after 2-3 years. Ultimately, the drippers will block up from the mineral deposits that accumulate over time.

Drip Irrigation - The Three Factors That Mean Success Or Otherwise

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