PVC Drip System

[Tabasco]

Calling this a system is a little overblown, but it's working great.
Pretty self explanatory, but I just ran 3/4 on top of bricks, right angled up to a ball valve and quick-connect.
Then I drilled a few small holes on each side of each pipe in front of each plant...

[Lindsaylew82]

I've thought about making something like this. Does each paired row have to have its own hose attachment for its inflow water source?

Also, do you have loss of water pressure on the farthest drip sets from the inflow?

I would need to daisy chain several rows.

[Tabasco]

So far this is all there is to it, but I can imagine adding another set with just the one inlet no problem.
The pressure equalizes and they all spray about the same, but gravity does affect it, I just leveled it all with bricks.

[Lindsaylew82]

Thanks!

[Tabasco]

You're welcome.
The best part, other than how easy it is to water, is that it took less than an hour to construct.

P.S.
It only cost $20

[Lindsaylew82]

I've been pricing already, definitely doable! I have also been putting together (in my mind) plans for a greenhouse made with PVC. I already have a bunch of sheet plastic.

[Tabasco]

Ha! I just did a mini version yesterday!

Just wanted a way to spread bird netting.

Kids are to big to swing anymore

[Lindsaylew82]

Hmmmmmmm.... I like it! My almost 3 year old doesn't have anything like that yet, but I like that you're reusing it!!!

Tied in with rebar at the ground?

Pretty spectacular view ya got there!

[Lab_Man]

How long are each run?
What is your water pressure?
How many GPM is the water source that hooks up to this watering system?

I love anything that makes watering more effective/easier.

Very nice.

[Lindsaylew82]

You could make a pretty sweet trellis out of that "A" frame!

[Tabasco]

Lindsaylew,

Great idea!

[Tabasco]

Trying to salvage my cuke disaster.

[Tabasco]

Lab_Man,

Each run is 8'
I just added a 4' cuke waterer...

No idea about the gpm but I can get a bucket and check, it's municipal water, neighbor says it's between 40 and 60, but we don't have a gauge.

Puts out fine along it's entire length and I only have the bib open about half way.
It's at the end of a 50' hose.

I'm going to bury a pvc pipe to it so it's neater and I don't have to rig the hose to it.

[Lindsaylew82]

Plant some MO! Just nestle some more cuke seeds on the side there closer to your trellis. I like it!!!

[Tabasco]

Lindseylew,

That's about 4' across.
How many could I fit in there?

[Lindsaylew82]

Personally, I would plant 3 holes (of 3 seeds each hole) about 6" away from the trellis. I'm very sure opinions differ, but that's how I'd do it.

Leave your established cukes there.

[Lindsaylew82]

I like to plant climbing peas with my cucumbers. I think zone 9 is too hot now? But you could plant some nice pole beans with them! Zig zag a seed every 4" or so.

[Lab_Man]

Lab_Man,

Each run is 8'
I just added a 4' cuke waterer...

No idea about the gpm but I can get a bucket and check, it's municipal water, neighbor says it's between 40 and 60, but we don't have a gauge.

Puts out fine along it's entire length and I only have the bib open about half way.
It's at the end of a 50' hose.

I'm going to bury a pvc pipe to it so it's neater and I don't have to rig the hose to it.

Thanks Tabasco, (I like your moniker) I bet you have around 60 psi if you have municipal water. I live in the country and have between 35 and 50 psi. My pressure range is due to the pressure tank. It kicks on at 35 and kicks off at 50 psi.
The GPM would tell you how much flow is available and could be useful.
Are you talking of plumbing the water to omit the garden hose? If you do keep in mind that the larger OD PVC will allow more water flow. Also each 90 degree elbow further reduces water flow.

I like your watering system and your use of the A frame as a trellis. Keep it up and growing.

[Tabasco]

I'm going to use 3/4" sch 40.
I'm only going 30' so it should be good.

I'm already planning to expand on the other side of the playground.

[Tabasco]

Personally, I would plant 3 holes (of 3 seeds each hole) about 6" away from the trellis. I'm very sure opinions differ, but that's how I'd do it.

Leave your established cukes there.

3 days later!

[Lindsaylew82]

YEA!!! Diggin your mulch, too!!!

[Tabasco]

Amazing how fast that sprouted!

[Lindsaylew82]

Quick when the conditions are right!

(You should give my husband pointers on taking suggestions and running with them!! )

Enjoying your enthusiasm!

[Tabasco]

Enjoying your enthusiasm!

Family is diggin it too!
They brought me home a care package yesterday!

[Tabasco]

So, my enthusiasm is spreading...!

[Joyfirst]

I am wondering, if PVC piping has lead in it? Then putting it under the soil might not be such a great idea.

[Lindsaylew82]

New PVC additives have been regulated. PVC is used in home plumbing to provide water for human consumption and is considered safe.

[Tabasco]

Tough subject to research. I found a bunch of conflicting information.
Best I can tell, less than one percent of U.S. made pvc pipe has any trace of lead added.
Not able to tell you what brand the 1% would be, but it's unlikely that you will find it at your local builder depot type store.
They do use it routinely in California for fresh supply, so considering how crazy strict they are out there, I'd say it's as safe
as is practical.

[DDMcKenna]

An inexpensive lawn sprinkler timer and a solenoid valve might make an interesting addition to that setup.
But that might take some of the fun out of it too.

[Tabasco]

An inexpensive lawn sprinkler timer and a solenoid valve might make an interesting addition to that setup.
But that might take some of the fun out of it too.

That is actually part of my long term plan.
It's been raining so much lately that I barely have to water.
Once I ramp things up near fall I'm going to make some changes and additions.

[cdog222]

I set up a slightly over ambitious PVC drip system a couple of years ago and I'm very interested to track your progress - seems very similar to mine. I basically ran a 3/4 main trunk line through my garden, and branched off with 1/2" pipe to each bed or area. I had a ball valve at each location, so I could pressure the main trunk and water whichever areas I wanted. I even pre - drilled additional pieces of pipe for each bed with different hole patterns to accomodate different plant spacing, and labeled each one to make for easy swapping when needed. Unfortunately, I didn't clear water out of the main trunk during the first winter, and the pipes burst in several locations - I should have known better!

A couple of my observations - I have municipal water, but I have no idea what the pressure is. I glued my 3/4" connections, but simply pushed together the 1/2" connections in the bed areas. I read somewhere online that the water pressure wasn't enough to blow the connections apart in the 1/2" pipe - seems to be true! I initially ran a 'sub' trunk for each bed, and then a lateral line for each plant row within each bed. I quickly found that the pressure quickly lessened the further away from the ball valve that the holes were. By connecting all of the lateral lines on the opposite end of the initial trunk, the pressure was better balanced and water was emitted more equally across the entire bed. The system was a little finicky - if I were to open the valve for one bed 1/2 way and then open the valve for another bed, the pressure within the first bed would drop a bit. It would take a little bit of tweaking the ball valves each watering to balance the whole system. Certainly not a deal breaker - it/s a fun project to work on and a challenge to figure out how to make improvements as I go.

I intend to repair the main trunk and then bury it this fall, as well as make a few other improvements as I go. I like the idea of burying pipe all the way back to the main valve at the house (about 50' or so away as well). Post some updates once you get back at it - I'd like to compare notes!

Thanks

[DDMcKenna]

Sounds like another great watering system. I've always liked the idea of assembling that kind of stuff.

Where I live now, there are no freezing issues. It hasn't dropped below freezing for two years and when it did, it was a couple degrees for a couple hours at most, not enough to pop the garden hose.

But I used to live up there and my kids still do. So I've dealt with freezing a bit. It seems like you may have to bury that main trunk over a foot or where ever your frost line is for your particular area. But it may be possible to leave it exposed and accessible if you do other things. The main one being, of course, draining it before any freezing weather. I might also explore the use of some specially created joints. Using the very same coupler that you would to join two pieces of PVC pipe, I might try to create a joint every so often that uses some kind of sealing tape or putty and only a single tiny drop of PVC cement. So, acting like the freeze-plugs in an engine block, (which, by the way, weren't designed to be "freeze plugs", but a place to remove the sand from the casting molds), but perform the very same function. These couplers could pop apart and easily be put back together.

[Tabasco]

Still haven't elaborated on the system yet, rain has been pretty steady here.

I did notice that the reduction and then increase in diameter from hose to pipe
resulted in a loss of pressure in the house when watering.
I agree, the system is a bit finicky, but tweaking with valves and leveling gets it done.

I'm planning some significant plumbing changes soon and I will post the goings on.

[Tabasco]

I reduced the pvc size to 1/2" and greatly simplified the layout.
Just 3 - 10' lengths, 1 - T, 1 - 90 degree, 2 - caps, and a hose adapter.
Took 5 minutes to construct.
Works way better and the pressure doesn't drop in the house.

[cdog222]

What sized holes did you drill into the PVC? I forget what size mine are, but I did notice that when only a small area was pressured I had to really tweak the ball valve to get the water somewhere between a fast drip and a steady trickle. I think I may have drilled them just a little too big!

I haven't gotten back to working on my system, but once the summer crops wind down I'll get back at it. Hopefully I'll have it functional before the season ends so it will be ready to go for next year.

[imafan26]

It looks like a great setup. I use regular drip tubing for my system and it works great too and it has a bit more flexibility. I am finding I need to change out the mainlines now because my system is primarily above ground and the plastic has become still and degraded so it is starting to have leaks I can't repair easily, but it lasted over twenty years.

A lot of people find it easier to work with pvc, but I hate dealing with the glue and the clogging and the inflexibility of the system, but mostly I hate having to repair it when I hit it with my pick.

[DDMcKenna]

I can certainly attest to that. If I don't dig down eight inches and break through a lawn sprinkler pipe, my wife will drive over it. But PVC is very cheap and easy to replace when it wears out. The auto shop uses it for their shop air pressure. That can be a little exciting when one of those joints break.

[Tabasco]

What sized holes did you drill into the PVC? I forget what size mine are, but I did notice that when only a small area was pressured I had to really tweak the ball valve to get the water somewhere between a fast drip and a steady trickle. I think I may have drilled them just a little too big!

I think I did that too on the last one.
I went out and did some follow up research and found that 1/16" is the "Ideal".
Sure enough, it sprays just right, is more even, and doesn't need as much leveling.
I do suspect that it may also be attributed to the smaller dimension pipe.

[Tabasco]

A lot of people find it easier to work with pvc, but I hate dealing with the glue and the clogging and the inflexibility of the system, but mostly I hate having to repair it when I hit it with my pick.

I didn't have to glue any of it.
It comes apart in ten seconds, so I can flush it clean anytime.
But the old one never did clog.
I keep it just like you see it, I never intend to bury it, so it just doesn't clog.