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danv2

Drip Irrigation Help

Dan
9 years ago

Hi,

I'm looking to install a drip irrigation system for a vegetable garden and I had some questions for any of the experts here. I've never done this type of thing and want to ensure I order all of the necessary parts in one go.

I've already ordered this 4-zone Melnor water timer and plan to set up 2 watering zones initially.

1) Is the order in which I connect the hose bib to the timer/backflow-preventer/filter/pressure-regulator assembly critical? So for example in this illustration, could I connect the backflow-preventer/filter/pressure-regulator and then connect the timer? Or do I need to connect the timer first and use a separate backflow-preventer/filter/pressure-regulator for each line that I connect?

2) Assuming that changing the order of hose bib components is ok, would connecting one pressure-regulator per line after the timer be a good idea - so that I'd be able to use a regular garden hose on connections #3 or 4 at full pressure?

3) Is there any reason why I shouldn't use a heavy duty garden hose to run from the hose bib/timer to my 1/2" poly tubing main line? The second watering zone is a fair distance away from the water source and if I can use an existing hose to cover some of that distance, I'd be able to order less 1/2" poly tubing. I'm planning on draining, rolling up, and storing most or all of the tubing in the garage for winter.

Thanks for any help!

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