Drip irrigation systems help gardeners conserve water, are highly efficient, cost relatively little and are extremely easy to install.
Drip irrigation systems are astonishingly easy to install. Most systems are available with easy-to-follow instructions, making it ideal for the do-it-yourself gardener.
Unlike other watering systems, including permanent sprinkler systems, the drip irrigation mainlines do not need to be buried.
Connecting to A Water Supply
Water sources can be a well, a pond, a rainwater collection system, an existing sprinkler system (using easily-purchased adapter kits) or a municipal water system.
How to Connect
- Faucet. This is connected directly to the water source. In some drip systems which are simply added onto a water source, the system is operated manually by turning the faucet on and off.
- Backflow prevention valve. This prevents water in your irrigation lines from backing up into your source system. If the water source is the same as the potable water system, this valve keeps water in the drip system from mingling with drinking water.
- Control valve. This opens and closes to control water flow. Control valves can be sophisticated or they can be very simple. There are even solar-powered devices which sense rainfall, gauge the amount of rain received, and then regulate the flow of water into the drip system to reflect the amount of rain already received.
- Timer. This opens and closes the control valve. Timers can be solar powered, battery powered, powered through an outside electrical source, or a mechanical (wind-up) timer.
- Filter. A filter keeps debris, algae, sand, tiny soil particles and other materials from entering the system and clogging up tiny emitter pores. If the water source is a well or a pond (where algae might be more prevalent), more sophisticated systems may be necessary. Filters (made of plastic, stainless steel or other long-lasting material) have different sized mesh openings. The higher the mesh count, the greater the screening ability. A 100 to 140 mesh filter (which is a suitable size for most municipal systems) has mesh openings of .006” to .004.”
- Pressure regulator. This controls the pressure flow: how fast or how slow the water flows through the system and how much water flows onto plant root zones. Flow specifications may be differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. Flow will also be affected by changes in elevation. If the ground slopes down from the source, less pressure will be needed than if the ground slopes up from the source. For uphill slopes, add five pounds per square inch for every 10-foot climb in elevation from the water source. Pressure compensating emitters helpprovide uniform irrigation on uneven slopes.
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The copyright of the article How to Set Up Drip Systems in Desert/Water-wise Gardens is owned by Robert Dailey. Permission to republish How to Set Up Drip Systems in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
