Hi Luc,

Opinions yes, definitive no. You just have to live sometime with life's missteps. Are you interested in getting started with a plan or want to discuss the finer points some more? I ask questions and you answer them. Thus providing you with knowledge and the ability to make good decisions and accomplish the task. Agreed? JMHO Aloha

Hi Lehua,

Thanks for reply! Yes I would love to discuss the finer points so that I can start formulating a plan! If it works better for you, you can email me at lucapoul@gmail.com

Luca,

To use drip or soaker hose effectively you need to pump water from your barrels to pressurize the system. In order to gain enough pressure from barrels via gravity flow you would have to raise them in the air and essentially pump water in to them. Are you thinking to capture rain water with the barrels? How much water are you going to need in gallons to irrigate your plants through one irrigation cycle? The questions are starting to flow. Aloha

Hi Lehua,

Sorry I havent gotten back to you I've had a crazy month of May, and I thank you again for giving me this help.

Yes, I do plan on capturing rain water in these barrels but I was thinking I would find a small submersible pump instead of elevating. I cannot tell you for sure what the exact amount would be in order to water for one cycle. But the size of grass and flowerbeds/trees would be about 4000sqf, half of that being lawn. Watering once a week as it doesnt get that hot here in the summer, perhapse twice a week when the temperature is higher.

Lucas,

Here are some calcs to ponder. You would need to water your grass 1,200 to 1,800 gallons per week to keep your grass hydrated (2,000 sf). You would need about 500 gallons per week for the planting section(2,000 sf).

Here is the breakdown:

Grass assume 1 to 1.5" per week x 2,000 sf = 170 to 250 cf of water. 200 cf x 7.481 gallons/cf =1,500 gallons per week.

Plants assume 2,000 sf @ 2 sf per plant = 1,000 plants. 1,000 plants @ 0.5 gallon per plant per week =500 gallons/wk.

4 Barrels @ 55 gal/bbl = 220 gallons. 2,000 gal/wk divided by 220 gal/bl = filling the barrels 9 time each week.

Do you get enough rain to fill your barrels 9 time each week. Do you enough rain water to fill 38 barrels each week. Do you know what your Mom's water usage for landscaping is per month. Place a irrigation water meter in your landscaping system and measure the quantity for a month or even a week and multiply by four.

I know this is not what you expected but this is reality unless some can show me I am in error. 4 barrels or 220 gallons would irrigate a garden about 800 sf only(good size garden). Check with your local experts about how much water per week your garden needs to survive and plug that into my calcs. A submersible pump would work fine. Aloha