Drip Irrigation Installation

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Drip irrigation is today’s need because Water – nature’s gift to mankind is not unlimited and free forever. World water resources are fast diminishing. So we have to use the resources with due care. For Drip irrigation installation it takes a long procedure. Quotation, Graph Design, then actual installation of the system. Let’s discuss it in detail. Drip Irrigation installation involves following steps:

Step 1: Plan The Drip Irrigation System​

Either you can buy it from the shops or you can order it online. Drip Irrigation providers have dealers in various areas. This will provide you drip irrigation kit according to your farm calculations.

Let’s see the process before the drip irrigation installation. You need to have a graph design for the installation of drip irrigation for your farm. The engineer will do the graph design and then according to that your Drip Irrigation setting is implemented. Dripwala can help you with this. You can design graphs and approve them with the Engineer. Also, Dripwala app is free and very easy to use.

Parts Of Drip Irrigation Systems:​

  • Battery-operated timer. One nine-volt battery will last an entire season.
  • Backflow preventer. Prevents dirty garden water from flowing back into your household water lines.
  • Screen filter. Traps particles that could clog the emitters. May be separate or part of the backflow device.
  • Pressure regulator. Lowers the incoming water pressure to a level the drip system can tolerate; 25 to 30 psi (pounds per square inch) is standard.
  • Hose adapter. Connects water source to the mainline.
  • ½-in. mainline. Don’t exceed 200 ft. of tubing in a single circuit.
  • Elbow fitting. Connects sections of hose to one another or other components.
  • Preinstalled emitter. Spaced every six to 12 inches; good for straight rows of plants and for shrubs.
  • Hole punch. Makes ports in the mainline to connect watering devices and ¼-in. tubing.
  • ½-gph pressure-compensating dripper. Ideal for flat and hillside terrain and heavy clay soil.
  • Hose end clamps. Closes off the end of the mainline.
  • ¼-in. barbed tee. Allows branching to ¼-in. from ½-in. lines.
  • Tubing stakes and adjustable sprayer. You can mix and match watering devices, but don’t use more than 150 gallons per hour (gph) on a single circuit.
  • ¼-in. micro tubing. Good for containers, zoned areas, and customizing your system. Comes in multiple colors to help hide it. Don’t exceed 50 ft. of ¼-in. tubing in a single circuit.
  • ¼-in. barbed connector. Connects ¼-in. micro tubing to the mainline.
  • Goof plugs. Plug unneeded holes when you change the placement of your tubing, watering devices, or landscaping.
  • Assorted emitters. Adjustable emitters, also called shrubblers and drippers, can apply as little as ½-gph or as much as 10-gph. The right number, type, and size of emitters depend on plant type, soil, and weather conditions. The yellow flag dripper shown can be taken apart and cleaned.
  • Tee fitting. Creates branch lines to expand and customize the system.
  • ½-in. universal coupler. Allows you to cut out damaged tubing and install a new line.

Step 2: Assemble The Hoses (Rubber Tubes)​

Drip irrigation tubing is ¼-inch and 1/8-inch plastic hoses. They make up the bulk of a drip irrigation system. Assembling the hoses properly is key to a properly running system. Here’s how to assemble them:

  • Install a backflow preventer valve to the outdoor faucet. This will keep groundwater from backing up into your drinking water.
  • Attach a hose adapter to fit the diameter of the system’s mainline.
  • Connect the systems mainline to the backflow preventer and run it to the garden.

Step 3: Connect To An Outdoor Faucet​

The Y-splitter with shutoffs allows you to keep the drip system on all the time (and operated by a controller) and still use your regular garden hose. You don’t have to use a controller, but you must use a backflow preventer.

  • Mount a ‘Y’ with shutoff valves to your faucet.
  • Then attach the optional timer, backflow preventer, filter, pressure regulator and adapter.

Step 4: Lay Tubing Around Shrubs And Trees​

Position loops of ¼-inch tubing around the trees and shrubs. Use a hole punch to pierce the ½-inch tubing where the loop will begin. Insert a small tee connector into the hole. Attach one end of ¼-inch tubing with emitters to one side of the tee. Now make a lasso shape around the trunk of the tree. The loop should be big enough to extend halfway out to the edge of the tree’s canopy. Cut the tubing and attach the end to the other side of the tee.

Step 5: Install Ground Stakes​

Once you’ve got the tubing in position, use plastic ground stakes to hold it down. Be sure the hook at the top of the stakes fits over the tubing.

Wherever the tubing has to turn at a sharp angle or branch out to another section, cut it and reattach it with tee or elbow connectors. Cut the end of the tubing when you are finished; leave it open so you can flush it with water later.

Step 6: Install Emitters And Feeder Lines​

Knowing how to install a drip irrigation system is the most efficient way to water your garden. The last step in drip irrigation installation is putting in emitter and feeder lines. Once you do this, your drip irrigation system will be ready. Here’s the step-by-step process:

  • Punch holes in the line for all drip irrigation emitters with an emitter tool. Place emitters in the desired locations next to plants.
  • Selected plants should not be more than 1 foot away from the line. Cut an appropriate length of 1/8-inch emitter tubing. Attach the feeder line to the emitter on the branch line. Attach an emitter to the end of the feeder line.
  • Plug the ends of the individual lines with caps and secure them with band clamps.
Tip: Flush the system every four to six months by removing the end caps and turning on the water, allowing it to run until the water flows clear.

Learning how to install a drip irrigation system is even easier with drip irrigation kits. They’re budget-friendly and assembly is straightforward. Nevertheless, a drip irrigation installation from scratch can be done in as little as a day. Very few tools are required. You don’t need years of landscaping experience either. Just follow these drip irrigation basics to learn how to install a drip irrigation system like a pro. First, layout the irrigation grid and install the hoses. Attach branch lines, emitters, and feeder lines.

Do you need help identifying drip irrigation fittings, a tool for graph design, or finding out vendors or sellers of Drip irrigation systems? Click here.

Visit: https://dripwala.com/index.php/2021/07/19/drip-irrigation-installation/

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