TIMERS
Timers are used to automate your system so that you can water while you're
away at work, sleeping or even out of town. They also insure that watering will
be done on a regular basis.
On clay soil or a hill side, short cycles repeated frequently work best.
This prevents runoff, erosion and wasted water.
Timers
help prevent the too-dry, too- wet cycles that stress plants and retard
their growth. They also allow for watering at optimum times such as early
morning or late evening.
We carry
wind-up timers,
battery operated timers and
electronic (multi-valve) timers.
Wind-up timers allow you to run water for a certain period and will turn off automatically.
They're great for people who forget to turn off their water, but they won't
turn on automatically when you're on vacation.
Battery operated timers are simple to install and allow you to program when and
how long your system will run.
Most of these can even be set for multiple start times per day.
Electronic timers are the most reliable, but can be overkill for systems with
fewer than three zones.
All timers should be protected from freezing during the winter.
FILTERS A
filter
protects your drip system by screening out particles of sediment that can clog tubing and emitters.
We highly recommend filters and will only warranty a system that uses an appropriate filter.
Y filters, Tee filters and In-Line filters are the basic filters recommended for most home drip systems.
Filters are placed at the faucet or just after the timer.
PRESSURE REGULATORS Generally there should be
a
pressure regulator on any drip system
since typical household pressure can range from 50 to 100
PSI.
An exception would be if you were using pressure compensating emitters and the
pressure coming into the system was less than 50
PSI,
in which case the pressure regulator could be left off.
Most of our products operate best between 20 and 40 pounds
of pressure, so a good "default" pressure regulator would be 30
PSI.
Sprayers and mini sprinklers are most affected by changes in pressure.
See the sections on
adjustable sprayers,
sprayers and
sprinklers for specific recommendations.
We offer
pressure gauges and
pressure regulators to deal with specific situations.
MAINLINE TUBING 1/2" Polyethylene tubing is
the most common
mainline tubing for home drip systems.
It carries a maximum flow of around 240
GPH.
For systems with higher water requirements 3/4" poly tubing (up to about
480
GPH) or 1"+ Flat tube can be used.
Use a hole
punch to make holes in the
mainline for emitters or transfer barbs,
or cut the tubing with scissors or pruning shears to attach fittings.
FITTINGS Fittings are used on the
mainline tubing to shape it and to make connections.
The most common fittings are female hose beginnings, ends, elbows, T's and couplers.
Fittings can be
compression,
barbed or
Easy Loc.
Compression fittings hold well up to 70
PSI
and are inexpensive, but can be difficult to install and remove.
Barbed fittings require the use of clamps to hold them in place and are used
with
Flatube, poly tube above 3/4" and
Aquapore.
Easy Loc fittings are easiest to use and are suitable for most home applications.
1/4" micro-fittings attach micro-tubing
to the mainline and can also be used to branch off along a 1/4" run.
EMITTERS (DRIPPERS) AND SPRAYERS
Emitters or Sprayers are the pieces that actually distribute the water from your
tubing to your plants.
We carry a wide range of emitters, sprayers, mini-sprinklers and misters.
Personal preference and plant water needs determine which to choose.
Emitters or spray heads can be inserted directly into the mainline or can be
attached to 1/4" micro tubing for placement away from the mainline.
Drip vs. Spray
Drippers are the best choice for low pressure situations, individual plants
or for plants that won't tolerate water on the foliage.
Sprayers are good for evenly wetting larger areas and for increasing humidity
around moisture-loving plants.
Sprayers are also useful in areas where you want to minimize the amount of
tubing visible in your plantings or where it's too difficult to lay emitter
tubing or soaker dripline.
Sprayers and mini-sprinklers tend to put out much more water than drippers,
but are still water saving compared to traditional sprinkler systems.