Drip Irrigation Problem

Hello. I recently purchased and installed a Raindrip drip irrigation kit that was marketed specifically for use on a patio which is what I used it for.

I have approximately 15 pots on my patio but they are not all on the same side of the patio. In order to get all the pots on this circuit I put a “t” connector into the mainline (a 1/4 inch line) and ran the line all the way across the width of the patio to the other pots.

I used the ½ gallon per hour pressure compensating drippers at the end of each branch and gave each pot its own branch.

Now, here’s the problem. Even though I connected the 25 PSI regulator to the faucet it seems like I’m not getting equal water pressure to all the drippers. The drippers closest to the faucet produce more of a jet stream than a drip. A few of the other drippers further down the line seem to perform like they are supposed to but then there are some that don’t seem to work at all. Across the patio there are a few more “jet stream” drippers and then some that don’t work at all.

Any ideas?

I’m thinking of switching out my main line and replacing it with ½ inch tubing instead of the ¼ inch tubing but I don’t know if that’s really the problem. Seriously, any suggestions would be gladly appreciated . . .

One last question: is it even a good idea to use drip irrigation on potted plants or do they prefer to get watered thoroughly and less frequently?

Did you flush the main tubing before you closed the ends? It almost sounds like you have a kink or some kind of blockage. I'm assuming all the emitters were inserted in the right direction and all have the same flow rate.

I have drip emitters on my hostas and micro sprinklers on my azaleas and cherry trees with a single battery operated timer. The whole system is working great and minimizes water usage.

I used drip emitters in containers at my last house and they were a life safer due to water restrictions and the number of containers I had. Some pots were so large and thirsty I had to have several emitters in the same pot. As for the argument of hand watering versus this method, it's a toss up based on your time. If it takes lots of time to hand water then this is a great way to go. If you have a few pots, then you might be just as good doing hand watering.

A timer eliminates the hassle of turning on a valve and remembering to turn it off. There are a few battery operated timers on the market that you can set several schedules for operating your hoses. This is really great if you go on a week or two vacation in the heat of summer.

Your tubing size could be the problem, you're not supposed to have really long stretches of 1/4 inch tubing, it works better to put 1/2 inch tubing all around the patio, then run shorter 1/4 inch lines off of the main 1/2 inch line to get to each pot. You could probably stick a couple pots on one 1/4 piece of tubing if you want, but you're not supposed to have more than 3-4 drippers total off any one 1/4 inch piece of tubing.

Thanks for your comments, guys. I will try switching to a 1/2 tube and make sure I flush the system.

I am going on vacation soon and that was my primary motivation for installing the drip irrigation. I also like the idea that it conserves water and delivers the water right to the roots. I just need to work out all the kinks (literally and figuratively, I guess).

Okay, confession time: I'm an idiot. Although I was 100% confident that I had installed all the same PC emitters, the fact of the matter was that I had actually installed some "in line" drip emitters . . . at the end of the lines. That explains why I had some emitters that shot jet streams while the others didn't appear to have enough pressure to even drip like they were supposed to.

Now that I've taken a closer look at the emitters I can see the obvious differences. Rookie mistake, I guess.

Anyway, I did also switch to a 1/2 line too, as suggested, and I'm pleased that I did. I think the overall water pressure is better because of it.

That would have actually been my initial thought if it hadn't been for the fact that you ran everything off the 1/4 inch tubing. Those emitters are tough to tell apart even, and to make it even worse I know often in the store they're all mixed up rather than being in the correctly labeled bin so you really have to be on your toes when you're buying them. I'm glad you switched to the 1/2 inch tubing too, that's how it's supposed to be set up so I suspect even with the correct emitters you would have had trouble with everything on the 1/4 inch.

I thought this was a kit from the first paragraph so maybe the information was misleading. Sounds like you went and got some spare parts.

Anyhoo, drip irrigation is a great way to go. Glad to hear you got it all straightened out.

It was a kit, but the kit came with an assortment of different emitters that were all black on one side and red on the other side which made telling them apart even more difficult without giving each one a close look. Now that I know what I should have been looking for, the differences appear obvious to me. It was a learning experience though and I feel better for it.

Usually different colors denote different flow rates and it is good to keep the documentation that comes with the packaging. I guess it all depends on the manufacturer as to their labeling and color scheme.

One thing I found out at our last house is to buy one brand and stick with it if you plan on adding on to the existing tubing (1/2 inch) since one manufacturer's sizes may not fit the "T" or elbow off another manufacturer.

I think if you put the emitter in backwards it won't work as designed either but I could be wrong on this point.