Hi figboy,

You have done your homework and are ready to do things in steps. The initial step seems to be the biggest. So don't get burned out at the start. I would check with a few local contract/landscaper who would be willing to supply the supervision, rental equipment and know how to finish the initial step fast. This will save your enthusiasm for the fine tuning which is where contractors screw up without your close scrutiny anyway. You might be surprised at how affordable the labor would be on a competitively bid project. Also, check out a pressure tank that feeds pressure to your system while the pump is not running. With drip you will need a pressure regulator with a direct pump system. With a tank you can automate and use the tank as a regulator and filter. What do others think. JMHO GL Aloha.

Thank you for the reply, lehuan13!

Although I didn't find very much information or get any other replies, I think I'm figuring out how to do it. I rented a "stand on "trencher (Compact Power Pro)from Home Depot, but it was too small. It took me almost 3.5 hours to trench and 18" deep trench about 40'.

A few weekends later I rented a 30+ horsepower Ditchwitch. The first one I rented ended up developing a hydraulic leak (due to nothing I did, two pipes were rubbing together) less than half way through the trenching process. Luckily, the rental place simply gave me a complete refund. I rented another a few weeks later and finished the trenching with only one problem: I kind of got stuck for a while. One of my buddies came and pulled me out the next day, and I finished the trenching.

Up to this point, I haven't backfilled yet, and it was a good thing I didn't. I had a bad joint and had to repair it. I purchased another pressure take off of Craigslist, and then I bought a booster pump with an attached flow switch from Harbor Freight. Hopefully the booster pump will work. Im also debating on whether or not to install a transformer in the well house to feed both the submersible well and the booster pump. I ve got 10 or 12 gauge wire run to the well house, Im just not sure if it could handle the two pumps running simultaneously, but on the other hand, at this point Im not sure if the current wire could run a transformer

My well house looks like it may just be big enough for the two pressure tanks and the booster pump, but it's going to be close. Within the next few weeks I'll figure out if I need to enlarge the well house. Odds are I probably will have to enlarge it, but we'll see.

I also intend to TRY and drill another well to supply the irrigation lines. I've got a buddy that bought a Deeprock hydra drill and is drilling his own well. When he gets done, I'll buy it from him and try and drill my own. My own well is about 330' deep, but the Deeprock only goes down to 200'. I'm not sure how deep I need to go, but I only want go deep enough to get surface water.

We'll see--trial by error!!

Hi fig,

I guess you are on your way "damn the torpedoes full speed ahead". I hope you can perceive that having gone with a contractor for the digging might have saved you some headache medicine. Why do you want a transformer on the well house? Again not your usual DIY project. Do you need 3-phase power there? What do your pumps require as far as volts and current? An Irrigation Landscape specialist can give a good plan from which to work from. Otherwise Google is a great resource to educate yourself. Why do you need a booster pump with a submersible? What head(pressure)and flow do you have at your pump outlet? Why are they both in the well house? What head loss does 800 ft of 1 1/2" pvc pipe produce when pumping at your pressure and flow. A look does not give you better pressure and flow. It just allows you to keep watering in portions of the loop when a repair is necessary in another part but you need to install gate valve along the loop at each hydrant to isolate the damaged portion. Answer the above question to obtain a better picture of what you want to accomplish and how.

Good luck drilling another well that will increase your overall flow amount but interconnecting the well pumps to work together is tricky.

The plan sounds fairly workable. By looping an 800' system, you've basically cut your system in half to 400' thereby reducing friction. I would consider the following:

1. Upsize the feed pipe from the pump to the T in the loop. This way you will adequate flow going in both directions if you are irrigating multiple zones at the same time.

2. Individually pressure regulate each zone and not the system. Drip systems should not exceed 35 psi or you will be blowing hoses and or emiters off the lines.

3. If your first well is 330' and the second well is going to be nearby, the second well will need to be deeper than the first. As water is pulled out of a well the water table in the adjacent area is also drawn down. Using the deeper well first may dry up the second before you even use it. Hate to see you do all that work for naught.

4. 18" is way deep enough. If it was me, I would shoot for no more than 8". I have 1.5 pvc buried 6" and in someplaces less and have had no problems with frozen lines. The deeper they are the more you will have to dig when the soil pulls the joints apart in our summers. I would have plenty of slip fixes on hand.