PDA

View Full Version : Question about water pressure and soaker hose..


lspencer534
05-21-2017, 11:41am
I re-did the front flower beds next to the house (professionally designed and very nice, if I do say so myself), installed landscape lighting, and soaker hoses to keep everything alive and growing.

On one flower bed, I used about 230' of 3/8" soaker hose and about 270' on the other. Both hoses are connected to separate faucets, and I have very good water pressure. Problem is, water only goes about 150' through the hoses; the remainder is just not getting enough water.

The soaker hoses have a plastic disc to reduce water flow to protect the hose, but I have the faucets on full blast, and still not enough water. I researched the problem and found only that 3/8" soaker hose uses 81 gallons per hour per 100'. So roughly I'm using 200 gallons per hour per hose, which doesn't seem like I'm overloading my water suply.

Research also says use a maximum length of 100', but comments say people go up to 800'.

Am I going to need a manifold or what?

04 commemorative
05-21-2017, 1:07pm
I don't think so

Kerrmudgeon
05-21-2017, 2:02pm
I'm guessing you don't pay a lot for your water? That's a lot of water.:willy:

I'd use a regular hose to get the water to the beds and put the soaker on the end of that, and tie it off if it's more hose than you need. But I don't know your layout so I may be totally wrong. :D

lspencer534
05-21-2017, 2:11pm
I'm guessing you don't pay a lot for your water? That's a lot of water.:willy:

I'd use a regular hose to get the water to the beds and put the soaker on the end of that, and tie it off if it's more hose than you need. But I don't know your layout so I may be totally wrong. :D

It is cheap water. We have a community water system called Bear Creek Water Assn.: Well water, naturally soft water, and better than any bottled water!

My layout is supposed to water 5 rows of plants, so the hose goes down one row, circles around for another row, etc. One bed is L-Shaped, the other is straight, both about 12 wide. The water hose attaches to the soaker hose where the soaker hose begins, about 6 feet from the faucet.

ZipZap
05-21-2017, 5:23pm
All of the layouts for drip irrigation with soaker hose that I've looked at (I'm getting ready to install) use short runs in parallel with some form of pressure regulator.:seasix:

ZipZap
05-21-2017, 5:24pm
BTW, 500' of hose would be 400 g/hr...