Soaker hose: do I need a pressure regulator or not?
julianna_il
16 years ago
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ronalawn82
16 years agobilmo
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Soaker hose problems
Comments (2)Our water is horrible like that too. I have to wash my hair in vinegar regularly, because it gets mineral build up and gets all dull and straw-like. Oh, how I hate our water. Do you have the filter for it? We have a drip line that we use for our shelterbelt trees, and I've used it for 2 years and it still works great. But I have to clean out the filter with a toothbrush every 2 times or so that I use it. My 100 ft. drip line works fine with a 30 psi regulator, so maybe I'll try it with that regulator instead. But for that to work, we must have at least 30 psi...which means the 25 psi regulator should work even better. UGH! Why can't things just WORK!? LOL....See MoreDo you use sprinkler, sprinkler system or soaker hoses?
Comments (9)Hi Marti, this is the info that came with some of our hoses. The manufacturer recommends spacing between soaker hoses based on soil type. On sandy soils the hose should be 1 to 1.5 feet apart. On loam soils, hose spacing should be 1.5 to 2 feet apart. And on clay soils spacing should be 2 to 3 feet apart. If you have a heavy soil, which is hard to dig, then use the 2 to 3 feet spacing as you wind or spiral the hosing in and around the plants to be watered. The manufacturer also indicates that the hose should be operated at low pressure and flow  10 to 30 pounds per square inch (PSI). However, this requires the addition of a pressure regulator at the supply end of the hose. Rather than attaching a pressure regulator, I suggest just barely opening the hose bib to obtain the smallest amount of water flow through the hose. Although not scientific, my tests have indicated that by just opening the hose bib slightly, the flow rate of water out the hose is about .6 gallons per foot-of-hose per hour. So, a 50 foot soaker hose would apply about 30 gallons of water per hour. Comparing this to the output of one gallon drip emitters on standard 3-foot spacings, the soaker hose applies double the amount of water over the same given time. The time needed to water with a soaker hose will depend in great part on the type of plants being watered. Trees require the longest soaking since their roots can extend down 3 feet. Small garden plants and ground covers need the shortest soaking since their roots extend down only 12 to 18 inches. The object is to allow the water to penetrate down to the rooting depth. When laying out the hose over the area to be watered, remember to watch spacing. When watering trees, start the soaker hose a few feet from the trunk. Spiral the hose out several feet beyond the edge of the branches. This will allow watering of a substantial portion of the roots. When watering shrub or ground cover beds, snake the hose through the area, extending the hose just a foot or so beyond the outermost branches. Turn the hose on and allow the water to run 30 to 60 minutes, then check the depth of wetting. You can do this by using a metal soil probe. A 3-foot piece of metal re-bar or a thick wooden dowel will work. The rod can be pushed through moist soil, but stops when dry soil is encountered. Measure the depth of wetting and adjust the watering time of the soaker hose accordingly. It may take several hours to properly water a tree. A final suggestion. Rather than run your soaker hose for a continuous time period, try running it in cycles  one hour on and one hour off until the desired depth of wetting is reached. This will further slow the rate of application and increase absorption....See MoreSoaker hoses, where and how much time left on?
Comments (1)We added a slab/foundation planting circuit to our sprinkler system years ago using 1/2 inch laser drilled soaker hose. No expert, so here's some amateur feedback on your questions: 1) “15 minutes x 2 to 4 per day” sounds like some pro’s general rule of thumb for maintaining somewhat consistent foundation moisture during the hot months. Doubt much consideration was given to what’s best for the foundation plants. Agree that the brief 15 minute cycles would probably not be best for most, though some would get along fine with it. The recommended soak time and frequencies can only be guesstimates at best without knowing the flow rate of the hose, water pressure, and other factors. 2) Buried hoses are "hot". They are the future in several parts of the country where they are now required for new lawn irrigation installations in place of the common sprinkler heads. There is likely some small advantage for a foundation soaker in terms of evaporation loss, but just hiding it under mulch helps with evaporation, protects from UV, and makes it a LOT easier to maintain. If you do bury it, it’s imperative that you have some sort of backflow prevention device installed at any potable water source; while often not required for surface hoses, one really should be used for any drip/soaker lines that are left in place, whether on the surface or buried. 3) If the instructions on the hose didn't specifically mention connecting additional soakers together, then it's probably safe to assume poor results connecting two or more "end-to-end". Running a large diameter hose to a “T” or “Y” fitting between your two 75 ft soaker hoses should give better results. A variety of pressure regulators are available to help manage the pressures at the source and/or each segment of hose. There are several threads about this over on the GW irrigation forum. 4) Our previously installed sprinklers already reach most of the foundation [plants] when we deep water the lawn, so we add 33 minutes from the drip line only as needed - usually during the hottest stretches of July through September at a maximum of twice per week. Future intentions are to reduce the flow on these lines so that we can go with a slower multi-hour drip. The lawn deep watering that reaches the foundation is also done as-needed, which usually means as much as twice per week when temps are in triple digits and maximum once per week at other times. These run for 36 minutes based on our sprinkler heads and tap pressure. So, slab gets up to 138 minutes of combined irrigation per week (per side/circuit) depending on the heat and rain conditions. 5) You’re touching on a few of the factors that make it tough to get “perfect” results by design alone. On our lot, slope is as big (bigger?) an influence as Sun exposure. Seems more effective to keep checking soil moisture a foot or so down on the different sides of the foundation and adjusting the sprinkler/soaker frequencies and durations until you get fairly consistent results throughout the week. Here is a link that might be useful: Soaker hose: do I need a pressure regulator-Irrigation Forum...See MoreWant to recycle old 5/8" garden hose as a soaker hose
Comments (3)You can use something hot, such as a curling iron, to melt the rubber at your geysers. Just be careful you don't burn a bigger hole in it. Poking holes doesn't work too well. You will get more water out of the beginning and not so much at the end. Reducing tee, from what to what to what? And what size? There are different sizes for drip irrigation....See Moredavidandkasie
15 years agoaubade
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12 years agoLily 131
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