I like flood irrigation for the garden and 1/3" of water 3 times a week for lawn. Flood irrigation means different things in different soils, but plants need to dry up a bit for air and not leach the nutrients. This hot dry summer was the flood irrigation year that saved me alot of time and kept the plants actively growing, even when I was wilting away. Flood irrigation, IMHO moves the silt and nutrients into the root zones very effectively and keeps things going until next week or so.

Hi tdscpa, Thanks for your suggestions. I had checked out the rainbird and other websites but I did not see explanations on having the manifold at the water faucet with the lateral lines going 25 feet underground verses having the main line going 25 feet under ground with the manifold in the irrigation area. But see my comments below. Hi homr, Thanks for taking the time to key in all that information. Especially explaining the pressure loss problems. But it looks like my whole plan will have to be revised due to what I learned. See my comments below. REVISED PLAN: Thanks to all who contributed to this thread. I really appreciate it. I talked to a city tech and he gave me a link to city ordinances which deal with irrigation systems. From what I read, it appears that the backflow preventer (BP) has to be installed in the main line prior to any branching. This means the BP will have to be installed near the front corner of our property where the main line first enters our property. This will require longer runs from the BP to the irrigation areas in the front and back yards. I'll have to check with a licensed plumber with experience in irrigation systems confirm whether the BP has to be installed before any branching. But it looks like I have even bigger problems if the BP has to be installed at the front corner of our property: 1. If the BP has to be installed at the front corner of our property, the main line will have to go across our concrete driveway and entry sidewalk to get to our front yard. IÂm reluctant to cut our concrete driveway and entry sidewalk to do this. 2. The path from the BP at the front corner to the back yard is all concrete. That side of the house has concrete from the house to the hollow tile perimeter wall. A DIFFERENT QUESTION: Any licensed plumbers reading this? Is there a universal code that says all main lines have to be buried in the ground? Or is it "generally" permissible to run a main line above ground? (Like attached to our hollow tile perimeter wall above the concrete sidewalk?) Assuming I can get the main line from the BP at the front corner to the back yard, I will have to run the line around the house (buried under ground) to get it to the front yard without having to do item-1. (The other side of the house does not have concrete.) Sorry for the long post. I guess there is no such thing as a simple drip irrigation system if it is to be done right, Sky

CW, To answer your last question the method I use to come off a former sprinkler is as follows: 1. Remove sprinkler and the nipple that has been inserted in the bottom tee (usually 1/2"). 2. Place a longer threaded nipple that rises slightly above ground. 3. Put a sch 40, 90 degree bend threaded on the nipple. 4. Thread into the 90 degree bend an adapter to go from pipe thread to hose thread(in hardware or irrigation supply store). 5. Screw in your soaker hose(make sure your put in a new gasket for your hose). 6. For all threaded parts use Teflon Tape on the threaded before joining the two fittings. The rest will be trial and error on your part. If there are any questions don't hesitate to ask. Good luck. Aloha

HI there, My name is Maarten and I am a designer researching water irrigation systems and hoping to learn more about different views on how you take care of your garden. Here are some questions which I greatly appreciate getting your feedback on. The list may seem a little long but feedback on any question would be super helpful! You can respond directly to this posting or e-mail me at gardenresearcher@yahoo.com Thank you. Questionnaire - Water irrigation General Info ÂDescribe your garden (what vegetation, size of lawn ÂWhy do you like your garden, how does it make you feel, mood? ÂAny other activities that make you feel that way? ÂHow long have you been gardening, and why? ÂHow often in the week do you garden, and are there occasions when you pay extra attention to the garden? ÂWhen during the day do you garden, and for how long at a time? ÂDo you garden alone or with others? ÂWhich part of the garden(s) requires the most attention, and what do you enjoy the most? Your system ÂWhat is your current process or system for watering? ÂWhich parts of the garden do you water regularly, and are there different areas to the garden with different needs? ÂHow often do you water, are there different schedules throughout the seasons. ÂWhat do you like and dislike about your current system? (any big pain points) ÂWhat (if anything) do you worry or get concerned about? (e.g. poor coverage, water conservation, enough water, etc) ÂAny Improvised homemade solutions ÂWhy + when + where did you buy your current water irrigation products (features, functions?) ÂWhat are you looking for when you are shopping for water irrigation products (material, form, color?) ÂWhat would you replace next  and what would you look for  same or different? ÂHave you had any issues installing or setting up the current system in the past  what elements are most apparent? ÂDoes it require maintenance and how do you maintain it? ÂIf applicable, where do you store the product(s) (indoors and outdoors)? ÂAre you looking into expanding the existing or buying a new system entirely? Where do you shop for them? ÂHave you seen anything that you think is really great on the market that you would like to get?? (innovative features, and functional improvements) Your Ideal garden irrigation system oWhat could make the process better for you? oWhat other features would you like to introduce?