All About Dripline
In the world of irrigation, there is one watering technique that has "staked” itself as an incredibly cost-effective, precise method of keeping your plants sufficiently watered. Today we are discussing dripline and examining the specs and applications of the different driplines we offer.
What is Dripline?
Dripline is what we call tubing that has evenly spaced emitters with a consistent, measurable water output. Dripline offers a range of benefits as opposed to some of the other watering methods commonly used in irrigation, some are as follows:
- Precision: Dripline offers emitters in different spacing options, allowing you only to have water allocated exactly where it needs to be. This is beneficial as you will need to use different spacing options depending on what plant material you are watering and or the soil type they are growing in. Having something that is precise helps minimize water run-off and weed growth caused by “blanket watering” the entire soil surface. Dripline is also often regarded as a safer option for plants that want to avoid water on their leaves.
- Cost Effective: Dripline trumps plenty of other watering methods in terms of long-term cost. As mentioned, the precision of dripline allows you to drastically reduce the amount of run-off water, overspray, and over-watering leading to savings over time.
- Ease of Installation: Installing dripline is incredibly straightforward. Dripline is purchased in rolls that already have all the required emitters. All you need to set up your dripline are your preferred fittings, filter, pressure reducer, and staples to hold in place.
Dripline Emitters
Although dripline may just look like piping with holes in it, it is in fact much more complex with its emitters. Emitters are small devices used to control how much water is being released from our tubing to whatever is being watered. That is when run properly. Drip emitters must be run around 20-30 PSI to ensure they are performing the way they were intended to. When looking at dripline emitters it is important to first make a distinction between on-line and inline emitters.
On-line drip emitters are mounted on top of blank pipes and commonly used in agricultural settings to offer the most customizability in terms of spacing, and water output.
An inline drip emitter is a small device built into the dripline that determines how much water will be released at every opening.
Specialized Emitters:
Check Valve: Emitters with check valves resist up to a specific pressure to stop driplines from draining and having to be refilled after each use. For instance, RainBird’s XFS dripline with check valves has an opening pressure of 14.5 PSI, meaning that for your water to drain from the line you would need a force of 14.5 PSI which equates to about 33.5'. Eliminating the need to refill your lines after every use will greatly increase the speed at which your lines start distributing water after the zone starts, reduce water bills, and run-off Luckily, the majority of driplines carried at Wes-Tech have built-in check valves, excluding our ¼” micro driplines.
Pressure Compensating: Pressure compensating emitters are designed to have the same water output from each emitter regardless of pressure. This is especially important when increasing PSI to allow a longer run without affecting your emitter's flow rates. For example, when installing a dripline on a slanted surface like a hill, you will have a buildup of pressure closer to the bottom of the slope. If you decided to install a dripline without pressure compensation you might notice that your emitters near the top of the slope are hardly emitting any water whereas those at the bottom of the run are releasing more water than they are meant to. Pressure compensating emitters would solve the issue, ensuring that the flow rate is the same regardless of where you are within the slope, or the beginning or end of a run of drip line.
Root Growth Preventatives: There is a selection of emitters that can prevent root growth into the emitter. Special materials or herbicides are imbued into the emitter to allow a strong resistance to root growth. These types of emitters are incredibly important when installing your dripline under the soil surface, as roots will try to feed off the stagnant water within the tubing.
Dripline Diameter
Driplines are offered in plenty of different sizes, it is important to know what options are available and what will work best for you.
¼”: Our smallest dripline, perfect for irrigating smaller potted plants. Its smaller size allows for much less obstruction and more maneuverability.
3/8”: Slightly smaller than most standard dripline, Wes-Tech carries a 6” spacing drip in 3/8” that is commonly recommended for veggie beds.
½” - 5/8” - 17mm: Similar size and performance, make sure you grab the correct fittings.
Emitter Spacing
Although it is possible to find plenty of different spacing options for dripline, there are two that are more common than the rest, 6” and 12”.
Emitter spacing allows for another level of customization in picking the perfect dripline for your garden. Spacing can make a big difference in the time it takes for the water you’re distributing to fully permeate the soil. For instance, a dripline with 6” spacing will have emitters distributed more frequently, therefore taking less time to spread water throughout the soil than a 12” spacing dripline would. Typically to compensate for the more frequent placement of emitters the flow rate will be halved to match the water output per foot. For reference, the most common dripline has emitters that output one gallon of water each hour, along with a spacing of 12” between emitters. To match these specs, a dripline with an emitter spacing of 6” will typically have emitters that output half a gallon so that your water output per foot remains the same at one gallon per foot every hour.
Having plenty of spacing configurations becomes very helpful when dealing with different soil types. The three main types of soil are clay, loam, and sand. Clay prefers a dripline with emitters spaced further apart since water absorption is much slower. Loam has moderate drainage and is much more flexible in what spacing you may use. The drainage on sandy soil is much quicker so tighter spacing such as 6” is most suitable.
Run Lengths
If you are trying to achieve a specific run length, it is vital to know what your PSI and flow rate are before starting your installation. Pressure and flow are the two most important factors when it comes to determining what your max run length will be.
PSI: Determines your max run length
GPM: Determines how much drip you can lay down per zone
|
Drip Line Max Run Length (ft) |
|||||
|
PSI |
NDS Duraflo 12" spacing 1gph |
Rain Bird Coppershield XFS-CV 0.6 gph 12" Spacing |
Rain Bird Coppershield XFS-CV 0.9 gph 12" spacing |
Toro Root Guard DL2000 1gph 12" Spacing |
Netafim Techline 3/8" dia .5 gph 6" spacing
|
|
10 |
|
|
|
|
68 |
|
15 |
161 |
|
|
160 |
|
|
20 |
221 |
192 |
136 |
|
105 |
|
25 |
259 |
|
|
240 |
116 |
|
30 |
289 |
289 |
205 |
260 |
|
|
35 |
314 |
320 |
226 |
|
134 |
|
40 |
336 |
350 |
248 |
300 |
|
|
45 |
355 |
|
|
|
148 |
|
50 |
372 |
397 |
281 |
|
|
|
55 |
|
|
|
|
160 |
|
60 |
|
439 |
309 |
|
166 |
|
Filter Mesh Required |
120 |
120 |
120 |
120 |
120 |
|
Built in Anti-Siphon? |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
The table above shows the max run length of some of Wes-Tech's most popular driplines at various pressures. A dripline’s max run length is the farthest distance it can operate while still maintaining a consistent pressure, allowing for proper dripline functionality. You also might notice that all Wes-Tech's dripline is meant to be run with a filter of 120 mesh. Installing dripline with a filter is the perfect safeguard to keep the emitters from clogging. Finally, you will see a section indicating which of our driplines come stock with anti-siphon built into the line, saving you from sucking dirt back into the lines while water drains.
Surface and Subsurface Driplines
Rainbird. Subsurface Emitter Tubing CPR 0.7 Diameter 0.9 GPH 18" Emitter Spacing 50 FT in Length, store.rainbird.com/1-2-in-sub-surface-drip-emitter-tubing-50-foot-coil.html.
When dealing with dripline it is important you know what you’ve got before installing. Dripline can be categorized as surface or subsurface. Surface dripline is exactly what it sounds like, a dripline that sits on the surface of the soil and drips to water the roots below. Subsurface drip can be buried offering a much less obtrusive option. Subsurface driplines typically have a sturdier construction allowing for the extra weight capacity as well as root growth preventatives in the emitters safeguarding the line from damage. The two forms of root barrier carried in Wes-Tech's subsurface driplines are Copper Shield, and Rootguard. Copper shield is a more natural option with copper imbued into the dripline’s emitters. Rootguard technology has a built-in herbicide that prevents root growth into the emitters. While effective, it is important to note that Rootguard may not be used in vegetable beds.
There are several pros and cons to each method you may choose. Some pros of subsurface drip include more efficiency due to less water evaporation and runoff, softer soil surface as water is distributed and dries, easier for fertigation (the distribution of fertilizer through dripline), easier soil cultivation, and less UV damage.
The most common use case, however, is for subsurface tree rings. When establishing a new tree, subsurface tree rings are the perfect unobtrusive option to properly distribute water to the roots of a tree in a way that is conducive to healthy growth. See the diagram below for a better understanding of a subsurface tree ring.
Rainbird. (n.d.). XFS-CV Sub-surface/On-Surface Dripline. Rainbird. photograph. Retrieved from https://www.rainbird.com/sites/default/files/media/documents/2018-04/XFS-CV-Sub-Surface-On-Surface-Dripline-Two-Tree-Ring-Layout.jpg.
Dripline vs Sprays in Shrub Beds
Dripline can provide advantages over something like a spray head in shrub beds. Often a spray head might seem like a viable option for a shrub bed during the early stages of development. Installing a few heads that will sit underground, barely visible, offering great coverage sounds good on paper, but you start running into problems later. Once a shrub bed is completely grown it becomes apparent that spray heads will no longer offer the same coverage they once did, wasting a great deal of water with their spray paths obstructed by the fully grown shrubs. Instead, a properly installed dripline will deliver water to the roots of all the shrubs regardless of what size they grow to.
Another huge benefit to choosing dripline over sprays is the different water restrictions that come with drip irrigation versus spray heads, see the paragraph below for more.
Dripline and Water Restrictions
During summer months different regions often impose some form of water restrictions in hopes of conserving as much water as possible for our dry season.
Luckily, dripline is a perfect choice during water restrictions. Dripline’s impressive efficiency means that even during different levels of water restrictions you will often be able to use it. For example, even when water restrictions are set into stage 3 in Comox Valley guidelines state that dripline is still able to be run normally. It is up to you to ensure that you are following the watering schedule for your region as they vary depending on where you are located.
Sprays are subject to more water restrictions than dripline is. Looking back on the Comox Valley guidelines for reference, you will notice that even during stage one of the water restrictions sprays already face some constraints. Moving onto stage three you will notice that sprays are completely restricted while dripline is still permitted in the watering of trees, shrubs, flowers, and veggies.