INSTALLING A DRIP SYSTEM
	MARCH 2004

by Ronnie Griese
Photos by Brad Shifflett

Drip systems are excellent investments for homeowners with any size plot of land used to grow flowers or vegetables. A properly installed drip system will permit you to grow healthier plants with less water.

One other non-intuitive but pleasant feature of a drip system is that by delivering water directly to the roots of the plants, the system serves to isolate the rest of the soil, which remains under- watered thus reducing the growth of weeds.

I completely replaced the drip-system in my yard, installing a low-pressure system that is now exactly tailored to the needs of the bushes and plants I have in my yard. Here are some things I learned while doing the project that might help cut the learning curve if you are a novice planning a drip-system project.

1. LOCATE THE CURRENT DRIP SYSTEM
If you are revising an existing system, the first thing to do is to locate your main line. There are three ways to find the main half-inch rubber drip line that is buried in the plant areas of your yards. Go to the corners of your flowerbeds and locate the cap sticking up that reveals the location of the mainline.

If you can't find this, dig down four to six inches back from your grass into the flowerbed and dig around CAREFULLY until you find the halfinch hose. Be sure to dig carefully since you need to locate the line without puncturing it.

Get hold of a dripper under one of your plants, then simply follow the small quarter-inch tube until you come to the half-inch main line.

2. WATER BY THE COLORS
Low-pressure sprinklers are color-graded in three levels designating water flow value, usually reported in GPHs (gallons per hour). "Low-pressure" means that the water doesn't go into the tube unless the system is actually working.

You determine the amount of water you need for the type of soil you are installing the system in.

Color	GPH	Soil Type
Red	.5	Hard
Blue	1	Loam
Green	2	Loose

Even though my soil is somewhat hard, I settled on the 1 GPH system so I don't have to run the water as much.

3. FIND THE RAINDRIP CONNECTION
I chose to set up my drip system using components from the Raindrip system. These seem to be reasonably-priced and are readily available. Most importantly, perhaps, the company designs and markets these so they are really easy to use.

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