Drip Irrigation System Simple Maintenance & Repair

The ability to brand fast and complete repairs to your Baste Irrigation system immediately, saves fourth dimension and money. Keeping a few spare parts on hand also saves downwardly time which will keep your plants happy and healthy. This will guide you through a few important maintenance tips and simple repairs that you can exercise without whatsoever experience at all.

Head Associates Components

The Caput Assembly (backflow preventer, filter and pressure regulator) are vital to a properly operating drip arrangement. Remember, nothing lasts forever. Fifty-fifty with top notch maintenance, high quality parts article of clothing out. Leaks are the most noticeable sign of something wrong with your caput assembly components. Hither is a link to our Caput Assembly Installation Tips .

Maintenance & Repair Tips:

All head associates components should be protected from freezing temperatures. Follow our Winterizing Instructions  if you alive in an surface area where temperatures drop below 37° F.

Rubber washers get dry and no longer compress to seal the threaded components together to prevent leaks. Nosotros recommend replacing the rubber washers in female hose threaded connections every year when y'all hook up your caput assembly to your irrigation organisation. Go on a small supply of 3/4" washer seals  on hand.

Do not over-tighten! Hose thread components make their leakproof seal with a prophylactic washer compressed between the two (a male and a female) threaded connections. Over-tightening can misconstrue the washer or create tiny fractures in the plastics (and even in brass) that will cause premature failure. Hand tighten only, no tools!

Mismatched threads or cantankerous threading can harm the threads and crusade leaking. Be sure yous take matching thread types before screwing two pieces together. Hither is a link to Know Your Threads  for additional information on thread types.

Drippers/Emitters

Clogging is the number one consequence with drip emitters. The very tiny opening in most drip and micro-irrigation emitters tin can get clogged even in clean water. Minerals in the water or even the chemicals and fertilizers we utilize on our systems tin can build upward and clog the emitter. See Troubleshooting Drippers  for additional assist with dripper operation.

Maintenance & Repair Tips:

Proper filtration is pertinent to optimal operation of any drip irrigation arrangement. Make certain your mesh size correlates to your emitter blazon. About every filter has a screen that can easily be removed for cleaning.

Irrigation Product Type

Minimum Filtration Needed

Rotors, Sprinkler Spray Nozzles

80 Mesh

Drip Emitters, Sprayers, Spray Jets

120 Mesh

Drip Tape

155 Mesh

Flushing your system is the best preventive measure we tin can accept. Flushing can be washed by removing the end caps on irrigation lines and allowing the water to flow through to flush out whatever deposits or debris that may exist trapped in the lines. If your system requires more than frequent flushing so yous might consider installing Flush Valve Cease Caps for more convenience.

Cleanable drippers are a great option if y'all know you accept dirty or hard water. No need to remove the entire dripper, but unscrew the height, be conscientious not to lose the tiny diaphragm inside, rinse all parts and replace diaphragm and cap. Here are links to some of our cleanable drippers: Toro Cleanable Drippers; Ceta Cleanable Drippers; or nosotros offer the Bowsmith Non Clog Drippers with their unique Pressure Cascade Principle of continuous cocky-cleaning activity.

If not cleanable drippers become clogged, c hanging drippers in your organization is pretty easy . Removing the dripper from tubing:

¼" micro-tubing - Remove clogged dripper, trim tubing finish and insert a new dripper

½" and larger tubing - Grasp dripper and carefully tug or pull to remove from mainline tubing. It may exist necessary to plug the hole from the former dripper using a goof plug and so punch a new pigsty nearby and insert the new dripper

These steps volition ensure a tight seal for the new dripper. If you have trouble grasping the dripper our i tem #1576 Pocket Punch has a component built in to aid in dripper removal.

Punctures or Holes in Tubing

Whether from removing a dripper or run of micro-tubing from a main line, a critter chewing on it, or even a run abroad shovel or lawn mower, virtually often a hole or other impairment tin be repaired instead of replacing the unabridged line.

Maintenance & Repair Tips:

Holes from spinous drippers and fittings are plugged by using the appropriate sized Goof Plug.

Small damaged areas tin be "bandaged" with Poly Tubing Repair Tape or the damaged section tin exist cut out and a Coupler used to bring together the sections back together or add a new section of tubing into the run using two couplers.

Adding to Your System

Start and foremost, check your h2o source menstruum rate before adding to clinch you lot can provide the necessary flow before adding to your system. Here is a link to our Flow Rate Calculator and Instructions .

Next, make sure yous know the specific inside/outside diameter size of your tubing to assure getting the correct sized fittings to add together to or extend your organisation. Unfortunately, there is no manufacture standard in irrigation tubing sizes. For additional details run into Calculation To An Existing Drip Irrigation Arrangement .

For boosted information and troubleshooting baste systems come across these articles in our Didactics Center .

Product FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Baste System Maintenance

Repairing Drip Irrigation Tubing

Professional person Tips

Troubleshooting - Leaking in My System