Thursday, January 29, 2009

Drip Irrigation Supplies: Using Drip Emitters for Your Watering System

Drip irrigation is more feasible than other watering methods that facilities the reduction of soil evaporation. This requires less water application .

When it comes to making a drip irrigation system, what is required is the emitter. You can use it for supplying water at a rate so slowly that the emitters give a way to drip or trickle . You water application rate needs to be less than the infiltration rate of the soil just to prevent runoff.

Install the emitter on a lateral . It is a black polyethylene pipe either 1/2 or 3/4 inches in diameter according to your length requirement. Several laterals can easily be tied together by a manifold of the same size pipe. This manifold is further connected by a frostproof hydrant and filter to the main water supply, with a pressure-regulator in between them. 

Water supply is offered from a water source to the hydrant with the help of a buried PVC pipe. Temporary supply lines just like garden hoses are more of a nuisance. They will prove to be more costly over the long run comparing to the permanent lines. Utilize a filter of a fine mesh at the hydrant just to avoid clogging the emitters.

The emitters must operate at a specific pressure, say 15 to 25 psi. The pressure regulator and small globe valve is required for keeping control on the pressure. You can connect them to the hydrant with the help of a polyethylene pipe by using it like a supply line to the laterals. Drip irrigation suppliers have an array of fittings that are suitable for installing a drip irrigation system.

All such irrigation equipments can be obtained from a hardware store that supplies irrigation equipment. Find out such store that can offer you the best prices on the drip irrigation supplies like drip emitters, drip filters, drip tubing, and other supplies.

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