How to Make a Slow Drip Irrigation System
Drip irrigation has evolved from its origins in 1950s Israel to become an effective, low-cost watering method available to everyone. Drip systems use inexpensive polybutylene tubing and plastic microemitters to deliver water to roots, where it is needed most, avoiding the inefficiency of overspray characteristic of sprinklers. Drip systems don't have to be buried, and it is an uncomplicated procedure to install one yourself, as long as you have an accessible hose bib or outdoor water faucet. If you irrigate with drinking water, you'll have to protect it with a back flow preventer. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 5-gallon bucket
- Timer (optional)
- Filter
- Pressure regulator
- Back flow preventer
- Tubing adapter
- 1/2- or 5/8-inch polybutylene tubing
- Wire garden staples
- Utility knife
- 1/2- or 5/8-inch fittings
- 1/4-inch hole punch
- 1/4-inch polybutylene tubing
- 1/4-inch barbed tees, connectors and plugs
- Drip emitters
- Drip tubing
Instructions
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1
Run water into a 5-gallon bucket from the faucet you plan to use for your drip system and record the time it takes to fill it. Multiply 5 by 60 to get 300 and divide by the time taken to fill the bucket to get the number of gallons per hour your faucet delivers. This will help you determine the total number of emitters you can use in your system.
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Screw a filter onto your faucet to prevent contaminants from clogging the emitters, then screw a pressure regulator and back flow preventer onto the filter. If you plan to use a timer on your system, screw it onto the faucet before you install the other components. Prepare the faucet for the drip tubing by screwing a 1/2- or 5/8-inch tubing adapter onto the back flow preventer.
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3
Push the end of a length of 1/2- or 5/8-inch tubing into the adapter. While there is no rule, it is better to use 5/8-inch tubing for larger systems with more demand for water. Run the tubing throughout your garden, snaking it around so that no plant is more than 5 to 8 feet away from it. Stake it to the ground with wire garden staples.
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Join lengths of tubing with appropriately-sized compression couplings, and use compression tees to make branch lines from the main one. If you need to cut the tubing, do it with a utility knife. Fold over the end of a tubing run and secure it with tape or an end-of-run fitting that keeps the tubing folded together.
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Run a length of 1/4-inch tubing from the main drip line to the location of each emitter. Punch a hole in the main line with a 1/4-inch hole punch, push in a barbed connector and push the 1/4-inch tubing onto the connector. You can branch out 1/4-inch lines to service more than one emitter by using barbed tees.
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Push an emitter onto the end of each length of 1/4-inch tubing. Emitters come with various ratings, measured in gallons per hour, so choose one for each plant based on its water needs. Keep in mind that the total output of all emitters can't exceed the capacity of the faucet.
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Use in-line emitters or drip tubing if a plant needs more water than one emitter can deliver. In-line emitters have two connectors so you can connect tubing to both ends. Drip tubing is like regular 1/4-inch tubing, but it has a series of evenly-spaced holes for more thorough watering. Connect it to the 1/4-inch tubing with a barbed connector and plug one end with a barbed 1/4-inch plug.
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Tips & Warnings
Check your system frequently to make sure all the emitters are working. It's common for them to get blocked, because they siphon in dirt when the water is turned off.
If you have a large garden, you may need more than one faucet to make sure every plant gets enough water.
Push the connectors securely into the main tubing line until they snap and make sure the emitters are fully attached to the 1/4-inch tubing. Partial connections can result in popped-off components, wasted water and overwatered plants.
References
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