How to Make a Slow Drip Irrigation System

With our “going green” craze of today and the push to save water, a new method of irrigation has come on the scene. It is called slow drip irrigation. It really began back in the 1950’s in Israel. It has its drawbacks but it also has many advantages as well. You can install it yourself and it is a proven economical way to water.

• Estimate how many gallons your faucet delivers per hour by filling a container that you know the capacity of and record the how long it takes to fill it. If it is a 5-gallon container and it takes 2 minutes to fill the container you are getting 2.5 gallons per minute. Multiply that number by 60 (minutes in an hour), which is 150. That will help you to determine how many emitters you can use off this faucet.


• Place a filter on the faucet for keeping anything from getting into the lines and plugging the emitters.


• Put a pressure regulator on next and a back flow device as well. This will, in the event of a malfunction, hold the pressure at an even level and stop water from coming back into your homes water system.


• Screw a timer onto the end now if you plan on using one prior to installing the rest of the system.


• Screw a ½ or a 5/8-inch tubing adapter on at this point so you can proceed forward with your drip tubing depending on which size you are going with.


• Install the tubing and from here you can run it through your garden or beds. Try to make certain none of the plants are any further than between five and eight feet away from the tubing. Use garden stakes and secure it in position.


• After you have ran the tubing out as far as you need cap the end with a block off cap on the very end. Normally at every joint or at the end you should use clamps to hold connections firmly in place.


• Using barbed connectors punch holes into your tubing near the location of where you will be placing each emitter. Use ¼ inch tubing and push on over the barb connectors and run line out to where emitter will be placed. Install the emitter.


• Read the ratings for the emitters as they are marked with the gallons per hour and keep your plants needs in mind when installing them. Keep in mind the total output of your faucet when installing emitters. You cannot exceed the output of the faucet or your emitters won’t function properly.