BajaNomad - HOW TO (DRIP or SPRINKLER) IRRIGATE your Baja garden

HOW TO (DRIP or SPRINKLER) IRRIGATE your Baja garden

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maspacifico - 1-17-2011 at 12:56 PM

Hook......not a lot of leakage, but we have our water brought in and I hate to see it just running when it doesn't have to. We have a place in Todos Santos with city water pressure and the things work great.

Larry.....keep us updated on the Melnor. I think they might have bought out the ones that Orbit made.

Hook - 1-17-2011 at 01:07 PM

Emitter line. Thanks for the recommendation, David. I will look for it. This was all I could find down here at the Home Depots. Well, maybe I wasnt looking for emitter line. What manufacturers make it? With embedded emitters, I imagine it is quite a bit more expensive than the laser tubing, no?

yeah, looks like 10psi is the minimum these DIGs will accept, Pacifico. Lo siento.

[Edited on 1-17-2011 by Hook]

David K - 1-17-2011 at 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hook
Emitter line. Thanks for the recommendation, David. I will look for it. This was all I could find down here at the Home Depots. Well, maybe I wasnt looking for emitter line. What manufacturers make it? With embedded emitters, I imagine it is quite a bit more expensive than the laser tubing, no?

yeah, looks like 10psi is the minimum these DIGs will accept, Pacifico. Lo siento.

[Edited on 1-17-2011 by Hook]

If you go back to page one of this thread I talk about it and posted this photo of a 100' roll of emitterline (dripperline):

The one above is sold by Ewing Irrigation, but Home Depot and other hardware stores sell the same product made by more than one company... Usually the tube is brown instead of black to ID it easily as an emitterline vs. plain tube. However, there may still be black emitterline out there. The buldges and holes in the tube give it away! I used to work for one of the companies that makes it, Agrifim in Fresno...

I pay about $16-$20 for 100' of the 12" spacing. Not sure what the retail places sell it for. Small change for a good product that grows your food or makes your property look nice.

Hook - 1-17-2011 at 09:16 PM

Thanks. Will look for it when I head north in the summer. That price is not bad at all, though I suspect it is a wholesale price.

Jack Swords - 1-18-2011 at 11:21 AM

While I am in Mexico my greenhouse is watered by the 6 in and 12 in emitter lines. The 6 in is perfect for the 6 in, 1 gallon pots, and the 12 in for the 5 gallon ones. It is pinned down in each pot with landscape staples available from Harbor Freight and elsewhere. Has worked for years, but the lazer punched hose clogged easily from the minerals in our water. Came back to dry pots, dead plants. The emitter line has worked well. Also have used it in a ring around new avocados planted out. Good stuff.

David K - 1-18-2011 at 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jack Swords
While I am in Mexico my greenhouse is watered by the 6 in and 12 in emitter lines. The 6 in is perfect for the 6 in, 1 gallon pots, and the 12 in for the 5 gallon ones. It is pinned down in each pot with landscape staples available from Harbor Freight and elsewhere. Has worked for years, but the lazer punched hose clogged easily from the minerals in our water. Came back to dry pots, dead plants. The emitter line has worked well. Also have used it in a ring around new avocados planted out. Good stuff.

That's the ticket! :light:

mcfez - 2-3-2011 at 08:25 AM

Good information DavidK !

What you do with mineral build up in the lines? Yes....a Landscaper is asking

In March I am installing a drip system at the San Felipe house. Should be interesting to see if any critters eat the lines :no:

David K - 2-3-2011 at 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mcfez
Good information DavidK !

What you do with mineral build up in the lines? Yes....a Landscaper is asking

In March I am installing a drip system at the San Felipe house. Should be interesting to see if any critters eat the lines :no:

Turbulent flow/ self cleaning emitters or emitterline... not laminar flow or laser drilled (tiny holes) devices.

When water is slowed by taking the energy out via several 90° turns, the flowpath can be large and then there is no place for mineral buildup. This is how a turbulent flow emitter works. In addition, some have a diaphragm that allows for flushing with the flow is reduced by any obstruction... also makes the emitter pressure compensation (so it drips the same over a wide pressure range 5-50 psi or 10-40 psi for example. They do require minimum pressure to work.

When water is slowed by a tiny opening or gradual speed reduction, minerals can clog the outlet or flowpath. These products are cheaper but often are useless or require servicing after a short time. These include laser (lazer) drilled soaker tube, foggers, micro jets/ sprays and flag emitters. The only advantage with these is they will work at the lowest pressure, but drip less water (as they are not pressure compensating).

To combat animals seeking water and chewing the poly lines... try using a dish or heavy birdbath type bowl (on the ground) with an emitter dripping in it to keep it full... give the animals easy access to drinking water so they don't need to bite through the tubes! Also, bury all the drip lines and emitters... invisible irrigation!

[Edited on 12-13-2019 by David K]

techline problem

john68 - 2-3-2011 at 06:51 PM

David--

we're in Los Barriles and my irrigation system is on city water--fairly low pressure, maybe 15-20 lbs. I tried the techline drip lines and they quickly clogged. I have a filter on the irrigation system. I'm wondering if the lines require more pressure to remain clean.

any ideas?

thanks.

John

David K - 2-3-2011 at 11:28 PM

I would sure like to to examine an emitter in a Techline (as would Netafime engineers I bet)...

The emitter is a simple turbulent flow path i.e wide flow paths... and the inlet into the emitter is filtered, a built on screen that won't let anything bigger than the flowpath into it. Finally, the diaphram that sits on top will lift off the turbulent flow area allowing any clog to blow straight out of the emitter.

Lot's of back ups to keep it from clogging.

Some questions so I can help...

1) Are you certain it was a clog and not lack of water... i.e. did you open the end to flush the line and what did the water look like that first flushed out? If all dark and gunky, then your filtration need to be improved and your flush cleaning needs more frequency (even better, get the automatic line flusher).

2) Are you sure it is Netafim Techline and not a copy-cat product?

3) Are you sure there was at least 5 psi at the far end of the run or the highest point in the run? That means you start with a lot more than 5 psi and limit your runs or elevation gains so the pressure is never below 5 psi in the line?

So, as a wrap up: Did it ever work correctly... how "quickly" did it seem clogged... and what was it clogged with?

Netafim Techline now sold is called CV, in that it has a check valve action that takes pressure to open (prevents dirt intrusion from the soil and vacuum pockets forming by preventing the line to empty out.

I sure hope it was a lack of water pressure or lack of correct filtration (150 mesh is good or disc filters for organic contamination) as I have never had Netafim fail to work... Of course, that is up here on city water.

mcfez - 2-4-2011 at 05:50 PM

To combat animals seeking water and chewing the poly lines... try using a dish or heavy birdbath type bowl (on the ground) with an emitter dripping in it to keep it full..

Smart. Txs DK

David K - 2-4-2011 at 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mcfez
To combat animals seeking water and chewing the poly lines... try using a dish or heavy birdbath type bowl (on the ground) with an emitter dripping in it to keep it full..

Smart. Txs DK

30 years + in drip you pick up some ideas! :light:

That trick was told to me by a Borrego Springs customer who stopped coyotes from chewing the tube that way.

larryC - 2-10-2011 at 09:33 AM

David
Well, I finally got the stuff I needed to put together my drip system. I buried the poly tubing so that in the summer time the burros and horses won't bite the tubing. Then I punched a whole in the poly tube and inserted the micro tube into the poly tube and ran it to my plants. I then put the emmiters on the end of the micro tube. Hooked it all up and turned it on with only gravity pressure. It worked. Now it remains to be seen how long it will work. I didn't know that you could put all the tubes underground, I may bury the emmitters and micro tube. Do you have a suggestion for how often I should water Bouganvillas? Right now I have it set for everyother day for 15 mins.
Larry

[Edited on 2-11-2011 by larryC]

[Edited on 2-11-2011 by larryC]

[Edited on 2-11-2011 by larryC]

Mexitron - 2-10-2011 at 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by larryC
David
Well, I finally got the stuff I needed to put together my drip system. I buried the poly tubing so that in the summer time the burros and horses won't bit the tubing. Then I punched a whole in the poly tube and inserted the drip line into the poly tube and ran it to my plants. I then put the emmiters on the end of the drip line. Hooked it all up and turned it on with only gravity pressure. It worked. Now it remains to be seen how long it will work. I didn't know that you could put all the tubes underground, I may bury the emmitters and drip tube. Do you have a suggestion for how often I should water Bouganvillas? Right now I have it set for everyother day for 15 mins.
Larry

Years ago I installed a drip system in Silverado Canyon, the old fashioned kind with spaghetti tubing teeing off a 1/2" supply line...must have had about 100 separate tubes/emitters. The day after I finished it I got a call from the client---a horse had gotten out of the corral and come into her yard and had torn up almost all of the tubing! With the memory of fixing that system I was stoked to see Netafim's emitterline products...and they work great. Rainbird's emitterline is cheaper, works fine, but the piping is thinner and breaks easily.

One bit of advice---if you're a gardener who is always moving plants around and planting annuals you may find the emitterline is more trouble than its worth, in terms of having to work around it. If you still need a low volume/time solution go with DK's recommendation of the MPs...or if you're too lazy like me to install a PVC system (its the tree roots---we have them everywhere!) try using the agricultural whirly microsprays...they don't clog up like the smaller ones, have a radius of 8 feet to 20 feet at least. Hard to fine tune those though, you'll get some overspray...fortunately in our yard all the overspray onto the patio just goes back into the planters.

Mexitron - 2-11-2011 at 08:27 AM

Oh yah David---meant to tell you Ewing has a store in Fort Worth---made things very convenient already having an account with them. Same blue trellis over the front desk too, only difference is the accent of the employees.

David K - 2-11-2011 at 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mexitron
Oh yah David---meant to tell you Ewing has a store in Fort Worth---made things very convenient already having an account with them. Same blue trellis over the front desk too, only difference is the accent of the employees.

Do they say "Ya'all come back" at the end of the purchase?

I have two Ewing Irrigation outlets I use (San Marcos & Carlsbad) and rarely the San Diego store (Clairmont & 805)... They were the first distributor to market the MP Rotator when it was made by Walla Walla in Wash. Now that Hunter bought that sprinkler, and makes them in San Marcos, all distributors of Hunter products have them.

Let's hope for a better business year... I am in the middle of my first 'big' job of the year (1,000' of Netafim emitterline and 7 MP Rotators, Smart Controller with weather monitor, 5 valves)... Hope there are more coming!

Mexitron - 2-11-2011 at 10:38 AM

Yes, indeed let's hope for more work! I actually had work this week---tiling some outside areas---but it was too cold for masonry work---didn't get above freezing for about three days...I don't recall ever having that problem in CA!

marv sherrill - 2-12-2011 at 08:07 PM

keep a positive attitude David and good things will follow!

David K - 2-12-2011 at 09:38 PM

Thanks Marv, we finished the job today (wow, working on a Saturday)... and a sold another this morning (albeit a bit smaller job), plus three repairs requested, including one from a Nomad today!

Bob H - 2-12-2011 at 09:41 PM

David, the drip system you put in for me is still working great! I love it! I should probably clean out the filter, but forgot how to do itl

David K - 2-12-2011 at 09:46 PM

Two ways Bob, I prefer to unscrew the cannister and remove the filter screen and wash it.

The other method is to attach a garden hose to the flush clean outlet (at the bottom) and turn on the drip valve. Any dirt will flush down the hose.

larryC - 3-9-2011 at 09:51 AM

Well its been a month since I installed my drip system, and so far it has worked flawlessly. The Melnor timer works well on just gravity pressure from the pila as do the emitters. the only modification I made to the timer was to do away with the battery pack and run a wire from inside the garage to the timer and now I power the timer with a 6 volt transformer instead of 4 AA batteries. I wasn't sure how long the batteries would last and didn't want them to go dead when I wasn't here.
The improvement in the plants is dramatic, they actually look healthy, and are growing like weeds, no pun intended. I realize that one month is not the ultimate test, so it remains to be seen how the system does over the summer when noone is here. But so far all is well.
Thanks DavidK for the info,
Larry

David K - 3-9-2011 at 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by larryC
Well its been a month since I installed my drip system, and so far it has worked flawlessly. The Melnor timer works well on just gravity pressure from the pila as do the emitters. the only modification I made to the timer was to do away with the battery pack and run a wire from inside the garage to the timer and now I power the timer with a 6 volt transformer instead of 4 AA batteries. I wasn't sure how long the batteries would last and didn't want them to go dead when I wasn't here.
The improvement in the plants is dramatic, they actually look healthy, and are growing like weeds, no pun intended. I realize that one month is not the ultimate test, so it remains to be seen how the system does over the summer when noone is here. But so far all is well.
Thanks DavidK for the info,
Larry

Happy to be of service!

It is quite dramatic at how well plants grow on drip irrigation and regular on and off cycles instead of sporadic watering!

timer

John M - 3-11-2011 at 07:02 AM

Hi David - you've probably answered this in one of the pages of posts but I loose patience going through them, and I know you like to answer directly anyway.

I saw the reference to DIG 9000 battery timer and that may be my answer, but here is the question.

I have no electricy readily available where I need it. I do have a regular hose bib.

The job is simply to water 7 rose bushes. I had run a drip line with emitters to them but as you guess, watering is sporadic since I have to think about it and turn the hose bib on manually, and the plants usually look terrible.

So, it's one drip line, 7 emitters, and I need a suitable timer - I suppose I ought to be watering once a day, number of days a week up in the (dry desert) air.

John M

David K - 3-11-2011 at 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by John M
Hi David - you've probably answered this in one of the pages of posts but I loose patience going through them, and I know you like to answer directly anyway.

I saw the reference to DIG 9000 battery timer and that may be my answer, but here is the question.

I have no electricy readily available where I need it. I do have a regular hose bib.

The job is simply to water 7 rose bushes. I had run a drip line with emitters to them but as you guess, watering is sporadic since I have to think about it and turn the hose bib on manually, and the plants usually look terrible.

So, it's one drip line, 7 emitters, and I need a suitable timer - I suppose I ought to be watering once a day, number of days a week up in the (dry desert) air.

John M

Hi John,

I am not sure what your question is exactly... but in general:

In hot weather, maybe once a day or perhpas every 2 days... 1 hour (depends on the flow rate of the emitter) or more.

A small rose needs perhaps one emitter (2 GPH best) and a large rose bush use two emitters on opposite sides of the plant, near the edge of the leaf canopy (not next to the trunk).

A battery timer would be the ticket and they make ones that connect to the hose bib, too.

timer

John M - 3-11-2011 at 01:25 PM

Thanks David, I'll no doubt need to step up the water frequency.

Is that DIG9000 at $40 the least expensive, reliable, timer?

John

David K - 3-11-2011 at 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by John M
Thanks David, I'll no doubt need to step up the water frequency.

Is that DIG9000 at $40 the least expensive, reliable, timer?

John

I think so... http://www.digcorp.com/Landscape_Irrigation/174-9001DC_Batte...

But, you also have the other brand named above to check out.

David K - 3-25-2011 at 12:11 PM

I had a question sent via u2u on emitter type and placement... so I am bumping this to Today's Posts as there are charts in the first couple of pages of this thread that address the quetion with illustrations.

Any other irrigation questions, I will happily answer if I can!

drip set up

msawin - 3-26-2011 at 07:45 AM

So I have 3- 2 gmp. drip per tree. Planted lemon trees in back yard, March 2011.

Marty

[Edited on 3-26-2011 by msawin]

[Edited on 3-26-2011 by msawin]

David K - 3-26-2011 at 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by msawin
So I have 3- 2 gmp. drip per tree. Planted lemon trees in back yard, March 2011.

Marty

Hi Marty... photo is too tiny to see what you did. The emitters are 2 gph (hour), I hope!

Looking forward to seeing your lemon harvest!

msawin - 3-26-2011 at 09:50 AM

So here is a close up view. I used #80 sunscreen to keep the seeds out. covered with lose small stones...

marty

Mexican "lemons" [small limes]

[Edited on 3-26-2011 by msawin]

Bob H - 3-26-2011 at 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K

Quote:

Originally posted by msawin
So I have 3- 2 gmp. drip per tree. Planted lemon trees in back yard, March 2011.

Marty

Hi Marty... photo is too tiny to see what you did. The emitters are 2 gph (hour), I hope!

Looking forward to seeing your lemon harvest!

I may have said this before, but David did our Drip system in our front yard over a year ago, and it still works great.

David K - 3-26-2011 at 10:19 PM

Thanks Marty for making the photo bigger... and it looks fine...

You have E-2 type 'flag' emitters there... They are available in 1, 2 and 4 GPH flow rates at 15 psi.

They are the type of emitter that can easily get clogged (laminar flow), so they are made to be taken apart to clean the spiral flow path. Grab the flag and turn it 180° then pull it apart. The flag normally should point towards the water outlet.

They are also not pressure compensating... That means if the pressure goes up, the flow rate goes up, etc. However, this is good if your pressure is low (like from a pila), as there is no minimum pressure for it to work... it will just drip less if under 15 psi.

Bob... once again, thanks for posting the good report (your check is in the mail LOL)! Are you back from Maui, Hawaii yet?

[Edited on 12-13-2019 by David K]

MitchMan - 4-14-2011 at 09:36 AM

FWIW, if you just need a couple of trees or certain few plants irrigated in your absence from Baja, here's a simple solution. Home Depot or OSH or Lowe's in USA has a AA battery operated valve that that can serve one or two hoses. Simply screw this valve directly on the spigot and leave the spigot open. I use the spigot that would serve the outside provision for a washing machine, that way my tinaco on top of the house can supply a constant anytime supply of water.

Once the valve is screwed onto the spigot, use reguler garden hose to get close to or in between the two or three plants you want to irrigate. At the end of the hose, screw on a 1 foot lenght of another hose (spare hose and cut it at 1 foot length. Stuff a 1 foot length of 1/4 inch plastic tubing in it and put a "T" at the other end of the 1 ft plastic tube. Use more 14 inch plastic tube to go from the "T" to the plants. Done.

The battery powered valve cost about $25-$35 USD. I have used this system for the past year to irrigate my orange tree, the mango tree and the lime tree and it works flawlessly and reliably. I will be back in Baja at the end of the month and will post photos of my system to make it clearer and easier to understand if anyone is interested.

It's cheap, it's easy to do, will work for more than three plants, only needs minimal water pressure.

Jim/Liisa - 5-1-2011 at 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MitchMan
FWIW, if you just need a couple of trees or certain few plants irrigated in your absence from Baja, here's a simple solution. Home Depot or OSH or Lowe's in USA has a AA battery operated valve that that can serve one or two hoses. Simply screw this valve directly on the spigot and leave the spigot open. I use the spigot that would serve the outside provision for a washing machine, that way my tinaco on top of the house can supply a constant anytime supply of water.

Once the valve is screwed onto the spigot, use reguler garden hose to get close to or in between the two or three plants you want to irrigate. At the end of the hose, screw on a 1 foot lenght of another hose (spare hose and cut it at 1 foot length. Stuff a 1 foot length of 1/4 inch plastic tubing in it and put a "T" at the other end of the 1 ft plastic tube. Use more 14 inch plastic tube to go from the "T" to the plants. Done.

The battery powered valve cost about $25-$35 USD. I have used this system for the past year to irrigate my orange tree, the mango tree and the lime tree and it works flawlessly and reliably. I will be back in Baja at the end of the month and will post photos of my system to make it clearer and easier to understand if anyone is interested.

It's cheap, it's easy to do, will work for more than three plants, only needs minimal water pressure.

MitchMan,
Don't mean to scare you but if the water is very hard like it is at my home in Calif. The interior valve will build up with calcium and if your lucky, it will freez up on the closed cycle but mine always froze up on the open cyclel.
I have tried several makes and they all have done the same thing. Had used them for my Koi pond to keep it toped off during the summer heat. Lucky for Me they failed while I was home, not in Mexico. Lucky for Me we have our Son home most of the time.
I quite using them for that reason.

Mexitron - 11-10-2011 at 01:17 PM

David--The three houses I've worked on since moving back to CA have all had me convert sprinklers to drip (The Netafim knockoff stuff at Ewing)---amazing how attitudes have changed in five years! $Water probably helps too. Keep up the good work.

ncampion - 11-10-2011 at 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jim/Liisa

Quote:

I'm using similar valves at my house in Loreto and have heard about the "stuck open" problem from another person. Is there any way to "de-calcify" them periodicly, maybe with viniger or something? I guess you would have to keep it from the electronics. Any thoughts, David???

mulegemichael - 11-10-2011 at 04:13 PM

marty....remember the single most important thing that you shouldn't do to meyers lemons is overwater...WAAAYYYYY reduce your watering cycle to them and you won't have blossom drop in the spring....we cut our watering cycle way way back last spring and now have scores and scores of lemons almost ready to harvest...that's all we did differently and it made a huge difference....learned that from a rancher down here that grows organic produce for trader joes.

Barry A. - 11-10-2011 at 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mulegemichael
marty....remember the single most important thing that you shouldn't do to meyers lemons is overwater...WAAAYYYYY reduce your watering cycle to them and you won't have blossom drop in the spring....we cut our watering cycle way way back last spring and now have scores and scores of lemons almost ready to harvest...that's all we did differently and it made a huge difference....learned that from a rancher down here that grows organic produce for trader joes.

I wonder if that phylosophy would apply to my dwarf ORO BLANCO GRAPEFRUIT tree that I have in a 30 gallon Mexican pot. I have had it for years, and it always produces lots of blooms, and then lots of tiny pea-size fruit, but all but about 1 to 4 drop off fast when still pea size. The one's that survive are delicious, but for years I never get more than 1 to 4 fruit per year. It gets automatically watered every other day in the heat (100 +) of summer.

Barry

Mexitron - 11-12-2011 at 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Barry A.

Quote:

Barry---I'd say it has as much to do with the plant being in a pot---even dwarf fruit trees take a lot of fertilizer and precise watering to get significant fruit when they're in a pot. The winters in Redding might be a little cool for a grapefruit too---the OroBlanco doesn't like it much below 30 degs---though I'm sure they love that summer heat!

David K - 11-12-2011 at 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mexitron
David--The three houses I've worked on since moving back to CA have all had me convert sprinklers to drip (The Netafim knockoff stuff at Ewing)---amazing how attitudes have changed in five years! $Water probably helps too. Keep up the good work.

What? No more Texas??

David K - 11-12-2011 at 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ncampion

Quote:

Originally posted by Jim/Liisa

Quote:

http://sperchemical.com/html/lineclear_irrigation_treatment....

Too complicated? Then white vinegar... if you can induce it into the water ahead of the control valve (Add-It type of fertilizer injector, for example.)

It isn't a problem with water here in SoCal, so I don't have a nifty quick solution, other than the above.

Barry A. - 11-12-2011 at 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mexitron

Quote:

Originally posted by Barry A.

Quote:

Thanks, Mexitron, I think you are right. Tho we seldom drop below 30 right in Redding, and I do cover it when that happens, the tree has never been too healthy and seems to be struggleing 365 days a year and it is 9 years old. I think that my watering schedule is off (too much?), and maybe I give it TOO MUCH citrus fertilizer, I can't be sure?!?!?!?. It does seem to "hang on", but just not improve or produce like it should. It has excellent drainage, and good soil, so I don't think that is the problem. The little guy is only 5 feet tall (above soil level), and about 3 feet in diameter, but has much fewer leaves than a "normal" citrus, and the leaves are too yellowish, I'm thinking. My potted lemon tree nearby about the same size does just fine, looks fine, produces tons of lemons, and always has for 26 years, and is on the same watering schedule, and same fertilizing schedule.

Mystery, for sure. We make a ritual out of eating the 1 to 4 grapefruits a year, and they are soooooo good!!!!

Thanks again, Barry

David K - 11-13-2011 at 10:56 AM

The OroBlanco is great because it is actually a hybrid cross of a grapefruit (which needs desert heat to be sweet) and a Pommelo (which does not need hot weather to sweeten, but is eaten like a naval orange instead of with a spoon).

I believe the OroBlanco was developed at UC Riverside? People wanted to grow grapefruit in their Southern California coastal climate... but didn't have the heat of Indio (or Texas) to make them taste better.

larryC - 6-16-2012 at 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by larryC
David
Well, I finally got the stuff I needed to put together my drip system. I buried the poly tubing so that in the summer time the burros and horses won't bite the tubing. Then I punched a whole in the poly tube and inserted the micro tube into the poly tube and ran it to my plants. I then put the emmiters on the end of the micro tube. Hooked it all up and turned it on with only gravity pressure. It worked. Now it remains to be seen how long it will work. I didn't know that you could put all the tubes underground, I may bury the emmitters and micro tube. Do you have a suggestion for how often I should water Bouganvillas? Right now I have it set for everyother day for 15 mins.
Larry

Quote:

June 16, 2012
Just an update, After more than a year the Melnor timer and all the emitters are working perfectly, no problems what so ever. I installed the 4 batteries last August and they are still working fine. I think I will replace the the batteries now since I am leaving for the summer. Couldn't be happier with the system, thanks David for the help and advice.
Larry

[Edited on 6-16-2012 by larryC]

David K - 6-16-2012 at 08:39 AM

So great to hear a follow-up! Thank you Larry! Yes, it all can be burried, but water long enough, otherwise roots will 'look' for the water and bunch up around the emitters.

David K - 7-17-2013 at 08:18 AM

An update on battery powered controllers, since this was first posted (2008), my supplier (Ewing Irrigation) has phased out the DIG brand of battery controllers and stocks instead the Hunter NODE controller. I have installed a few of these NODE controllers, and they have worked flawlessly. The only issue is that they are made to work with Hunter valves (with the special battery activated, latching solenoid and don't have an adapting valve actuator for the brass (Champion/Orbit/Superior) manual valves.

If you do not already have manual valves, then you can buy the battery operated valves to go with the NODE controller, from the start.

http://www.hunterindustries.com/irrigation-product/controlle...

There are other options for battery powered valves as well as solar powered... I have yet to test them out!

Jack Swords - 7-17-2013 at 12:11 PM

We use the Node controller and latching solenoid on the main line to our home next to the water meter. Water is only turned on to the house and 1 1/2 acres for an hour each week while we spend months in Baja. That hour is when the irrigation controllers actuate and water our greenhouse and orchard. Thankfully, in the winter, that is all that is needed with the winter rains. I have a fear of a line break etc. that would leave the water meter running for months. This way a broken line would only run for that hour per week.

Latching solenoids only require power from the 9v batteries when actuated and disengaged. The solenoid has a small permanent magnet that holds the solenoid open until the momentary reversing current is applied, therefore closing the solenoid. Batteries can last up to two years in the controller as a result. Other nonlatching solenoids require current to hold the solenoid open for the duration. Not to mention
the Node device is extremely well built for reliability.

Hey David...I'm having to replace all my 1/2 in drip hose here in Nipomo (about 3000 feet). Tubing is cracking and spewing water all over my wallet! The stuff is only 35 or so years old. Stuff just won't last.

David K - 7-21-2013 at 02:25 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jack Swords

Hey David...I'm having to replace all my 1/2 in drip hose here in Nipomo (about 3000 feet). Tubing is cracking and spewing water all over my wallet! The stuff is only 35 or so years old. Stuff just won't last.

35 years is even a bit longer than I have been installing the stuff! What brand, are there labels, colored stripes, and markings?

Reed (Rypol and Durapol) in El Cajon and Bayshore in Chula Vista were the big poly hose makers in San Diego when I got into the industry in 1980. Now, you want tubing to contain a min. of 2% carbon black to give max. resistance to UV.

I think the perfecting of UV protection was in its infancy then, Any new quality hose you get now should last even longer than any of us!

LosCabosbound - 7-21-2013 at 08:53 AM

Thanks for all the info DK. I will be going through a backyard remodel over the next month or two. I currently have the standard "spray water everywhere" system. Is it costly to convert the old system to drip?

David K - 7-21-2013 at 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by LosCabosbound
Thanks for all the info DK. I will be going through a backyard remodel over the next month or two. I currently have the standard "spray water everywhere" system. Is it costly to convert the old system to drip?

Not too bad... It really depends on what you are watering and if the tubes will lay where they need to deliver the water and can be hidden by plant growth or by mulch if you don't want to see them.

Next week, I am converting several planter beds around a house from typical sprays on riser pipes to Netafim dripperline.

First part is to add a 'drip' filter and regulator to the pipe where it leaves the valve. Now, all the water going to the planters fed by that valve is drip ready (filtered and regulated).

Then I pick one of the sprinklers in each planter to convert to dripperline and close off the other sprinklers in the bed. I run the dripperline so it is between 1-2 feet apart, 'snaking' it back and fourth.

Now, all the roots will get watered evenly, without spraying into the air, against the house or onto the sidewalk! :light:

Mexitron - 7-21-2013 at 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
An update on battery powered controllers, since this was first posted (2008), my supplier (Ewing Irrigation) has phased out the DIG brand of battery controllers and stocks instead the Hunter NODE controller. I have installed a few of these NODE controllers, and they have worked flawlessly. The only issue is that they are made to work with Hunter valves (with the special battery activated, latching solenoid and don't have an adapting valve actuator for the brass (Champion/Orbit/Superior) manual valves.

If you do not already have manual valves, then you can buy the battery operated valves to go with the NODE controller, from the start.

http://www.hunterindustries.com/irrigation-product/controlle...

There are other options for battery powered valves as well as solar powered... I have yet to test them out!

I had a DIG battery controller for my plants out in Borrego in 2005....I learned too late that the coyotes/rabbits will chew thru the drip lines to get water so even though the controller worked great it was too late for the plants by the time I found out....I abandoned the garden, then ended up moving to Texas until 2011. This last year I've been rehabilitating some of the garden---got one of those HD hose end controllers for the short term and its working ok. When I was digging around to put in a new gate valve I found the old DIG controller buried, literally, in the old valve box---it was full of sand inside and out. I chucked it aside. Last time I was out there I was cleaning up the site of trash/old stuff and brought the DIG back home to throw it out....just out of curiosity I cleaned all the sand out of it and plugged in some new batteries---it still worked! Keep in mind that the summer heat in Borrego melted two other plastic valves and turns brownline pipe black. I may just use that DIG again after I test it for awhile.

David K - 7-21-2013 at 03:05 PM

I never had problems with the black, rectangular DIG controller, Israeli import. The newer style (oval) one I didn't like as well. In any case Ewing only has the Hunter Node one now.

Mexitron - 7-21-2013 at 07:40 PM

Mine is the square one, never tried the oval.

MitchMan - 8-7-2013 at 12:12 PM

Just an update on my AA battery operated digital "Orbit" brand $27 USD valves. Have been using the same valve for two years now with no problems in La Paz. The valve is connected to 3/4" hose that supplies irrigation from my roof top Tinaco through the spigot on the side of my house that was intended for an outdoor washing machine. The valve is screwed onto the spigot and the hose that supplies the water to the plants is screwed onto the bottom of the digital valve.

The digital valve has a little screen intake filter. Also, I recently installed a cistern system that supplies water to the roof top Tinaco. I now have two water filters: one between the street source of water to the cistern tank and another filter between the cistern tank and the roof top tinaco. Therefore, the tinaco water gets filtered twice. Hopefully those filters will keep the digital battery operated valve from freezing in the open position.

This valve now supplies irrigation through one line to a Mango tree, an orange tree, a lime tree, two palma kerpi's and one fan palm. These plants are watered every other day for 26 minutes. Not sure, but I think this supplies about 26 gallons total at each watering. The instructions for the valve say to change batteries once every year. I change them every six months.

So far so good.

MM: is this the one you are using?

Santiago - 8-7-2013 at 12:42 PM

The manual for this says it requires a minimum psi of 20#. Is your system gravity fed or pressurized?
Thanks

[Edited on 8-7-2013 by Santiago]

MitchMan - 8-7-2013 at 01:46 PM

That is the exact device I am using. My system is gravity fed only, not pressurized.

I do not know what the pressure is that my system achieves at the valve, but I do know that the water does in fact flow quite well. With the cistern system, my one story roof top 900 Liter tinaco will never be less than 70% full. In my absence from La Paz, the tinaco will never be less than 85% full.

There is a formula for calculating the gravity produced water pressure at an outlet. I am going to study it today to calculate what the pressure should be at the valve. I know all the pertinent dimensions of things, so I should be able to do the calculation.

But, it does work and it always has since I have had the valve. I love that valve.

RnR - 8-7-2013 at 04:59 PM

Conversion --

2.31 ft of water = 1 lb/sq in

For a tinaco on the roof of a one story house -

You only have about 5 psi ....

MitchMan - 8-7-2013 at 05:11 PM

I just finished some calculations and 5.5 psi is what I came up with. It is probably less due to friction in the lines. The significant point is that it is no where near 20 lbs. Read some reviews on Amazon and those that gave it a poor rating had it on much higher water pressure. The fact that my water pressure is low is probably why it has lasted and performed so well.

No sure about anything for sure, but I do know that it has worked for two years non stop.

David K - 8-7-2013 at 06:58 PM

Well, keep the reports coming in. The way I calculate pressure is the per foot PSI change of 0.433. So Every 10 feet of drop you gain 4.33 PSI of pressure. You lose the same amount of pressure if you go up.

"for 26 minutes. Not sure, but I think this supplies about 26 gallons total at each watering. "

This means you are flowing '1 gallon per minute' (60 gallons per hour, in drip talk)... so 60 '1 gph' emitters or 30 '2 gph' emitters at design pressure (15 psi usually for non-compensating emitters). 5.5 psi would mean less water coming out, however.

MitchMan - 8-7-2013 at 08:04 PM

DK,
Yeah, I haven't been able to measure it objectively. My estimate is a pure estimate. The actual way I came up with 26 gallons per 26 minute is by having measured the number of inches the water level dropped in the Tinaco before and after the 26 minutes of watering and calculating that volume of water.

Also, having repeatedly witnessed a stream of water that measured a pour rate of 1 gallon of water and removing an end cap at the farthest plant and looking at that stream...as a "reasonableness" test...I think that I am in the approximate neighborhood. But, it's all still a guess.

I connect my 3/4" hose to 1/2" irrigation tubing using makeshift adapters, split it off to supply several different plants using "Ts" and then I push on a white plastic end cap/plug at the end of the tube terminating at each plant. The way I control the flow to each plant is by drilling different sized holes in the end cap/plug (e.g., 5/64", 6/64" and 7/64") and sometimes put more than one hole in certain caps.

The trick is to balance how much water gets to each plant during the 26 minutes of watering. That was a real task as variables such as size and number of holes in the end cap, distance from the valve, relative elevations of each plant and the needs of the plant for water depending on size, type and nature of the plant. Big, big balancing act. But, I did it. Lots of trial and error.

I did it all on the cheap...because I AM cheap. It has been fun and it is certainly worth it.

[Edited on 8-8-2013 by MitchMan]

David K - 8-8-2013 at 08:10 AM

Good job!!!

David K - 3-28-2017 at 10:03 AM

Received some emailed drip questions from long time Nomad and Amigo de Baja, Bedman... Bumping up this thread for his ease to find.

Doug/Vamonos - 4-17-2017 at 06:01 AM

fyi. I did a simple drip system at christmas time for a mix of palms, plumerias, and bougainvillea in pots. It features an 1100 liter pila on my roof at 11 feet, feeding 3/4" pvc to a battery timer mounted to the side of the garage. The outlet is also 3/4" pvc which goes down to the plants and I simply drilled about an 1/8" hole over every plant and water drips to them. Set the timer every other day for ten minutes and the plants look fine when I visited a couple weeks ago. It was a temporary system in December just to keep the plants alive till I return with enough time to really set it up. I used about 1/2 tank of water over three months. Kind of fun. The city water guys work in my office and they calc'd it at about 6psi with that much fall.

[Edited on 4-17-2017 by Doug/Vamonos]

Doug/Vamonos - 8-17-2018 at 09:47 AM

Update. Gravity was not doing it for me because it really wasn't enough pressure to distribute the water to a dozen plants. So I added a regular rv 12 volt water pump to the roof at the pila/tinaco. This allowed me to decrease the watering time on the timer. And all the plants get a nice stream of water for one or two minutes and that seems to be enough. This could be a problem if the tank runs out of water or a timer fails to close. But the pump is fused so it shouldn't burn out.

David K - 7-6-2019 at 10:00 AM

I recently moved and the senior community I am in has a lot of drip irrigation in their planters. I am offering my new neighbors a free irrigation check-up and evaluation as a way to meet the neighbors here and maybe help make things work better.

Here on Baja Nomad, which has provided so much Baja news and entertainment the past 17 years, I will give advice or solutions if you can post here or send me photos or just ask questions about your irrigation concerns (drip or sprinkler).

Jack Swords - 7-6-2019 at 10:20 AM

For those with meters, I just installed this: https://www.flumetech.com/
which was designed by Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. I have about 4000 ft of drip hose 7 solenoid valves and a $250 a month water bill (I deserve it!) and thought all was well. This device is so sensitive that it shows a .20 gal or less leak. I can see my water use, toilets flushing, etc. on my desktop computer and on my cell phone when away. My meter is 600 ft from the house and the signal easily transmits from meter to house. When I am away travelling I can see water use and even get notifications by text, e-mail, and the computer. I set parameters for being notified after 5 hours of continue flow. Ran drippers for 5 1/2 hours yesterday and got notified 3 different ways. If I had a break when away, my water cost could be serious dollars. A phone call to Services district would get the water shut off until repaired. Found one leak, fixing it now.

David K - 7-6-2019 at 10:49 AM

Very cool, Jack. $200? How does it pick up the meter and know the gallons that pass through it? Do you have to set it up for either cubic feet or gallons or other meter types?

fishbuck - 7-6-2019 at 10:50 AM

I am gonna need some help with the treated water that comes out of my septic tank.
It uses only grey water and then it is treated and sanitary.
I will use it to irrigate my palms and other non-fruit trees.
And other shrubs etc.
I plan to plant those on the "downhill" side of my lot. Where the tank is.
I already have 3 nice fan palms about 4-5 feet tall and looking good.
I am hoping to grow some queens too. But it seems a little rough on them there. Will be between the houses. So maybe they can get big.
I will use a separate irrigation system on the "uphill" side with filtered water for my fruit trees. Same as my shower and tap water. The salty water looks hard on plumbing and fixtures
Bottled water for drinking and cooking seems what everyone does there.

[Edited on 7-6-2019 by fishbuck]

fishbuck - 7-6-2019 at 11:01 AM

If you want to visit, you can tell my guys how to build the treated water irrigation system.
I will start to rough out all my plumbing soon.
I haven't drawn up the casita yet but have a good idea of what I want.
So will try an sketch it out with the help of my architect in SQ.

But it will be very cool when done.

Jack Swords - 7-6-2019 at 11:21 AM

David..already set for gallons, sensing device is battery operated and simply strapped to meter. No interference for meter reader. As leak detector rotates (they are magnetic) the device detects the rotation, sends it to the house "bridge" by 900 mHz radio which connects to home router, then on to Internet. They even include a tool for opening meter vault and a pair of gloves (I raise a good crop of black widows in mine). It's on Amazon and with $20 coupon it is $180. Reviews and questions there too. No water connection is needed. San Luis gives a financial incentive to help pay for it. Our service district is testing them and considering an incentive. I believe Rainbow already does. I needed something like this being gone for several months with irrigation still operating. Now I can check from anywhere on cell phone Internet.

Doug/Vamonos - 12-13-2019 at 08:07 AM

I manage the water system at a SoCal municipality. We recently installed 20,000 AMI meters (Advanced Metering Infrastructure). Basically autoread meters that constantly monitor water flow past the meter and send that data to our system. Residents can log in and create their homepage to activate alarms for overuse, leaks, etc. Very cool stuff. And see spouses taking showers at weird times of the day when they are supposed to be working. :-) Nothing like technology!

David K - 12-13-2019 at 09:39 AM

Great info Doug. Which water district or will all have it? I am in the Rainbow water district (Fallbrook), for example.

BajaTed - 12-13-2019 at 10:00 AM

Low cost point of use technology creating meaningful data for the consumer to deal with their life's footprint as they see fit until its measured against their life's productivity metrics by you know who....

More coffee needed, sorry

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