D r ip I r r iga t ion Kit I n st a lla t ion M a n u a l

Gravit y Feed Drip I rrigat ion Kit for Veget able Garden

Models:

□ St art er Kit : ( DK- GFVG)

St art er Kit

CON TEN TS
Descript ion ...................................................................................................................................................................... 2
About Gravit y Feed Drip Syst em s ......................................................................................................................... 2
Gravit y Feed Guidelines ............................................................................................................................................. 4
I nst allat ion: Overview ................................................................................................................................................ 5
I nst allat ion: St ep- by- St ep ........................................................................................................................................ 5
Gravit y Feed Syst em Layout s ............................................................................................................................... 10
Part s List ........................................................................................................................................................................ 12
Maint enance Tips ........................................................................................................................................................ 14
I rrigat ion Direct Lim it ed Warrant y ...................................................................................................................... 14
The I rrigat ion Direct Guarant ee ........................................................................................................................... 14
Cont act I nform at ion .................................................................................................................................................. 14

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D e scr ipt ion
This kit cont ains everyt hing you will need t o go from rain a barrel ( not included) t o your plant s, including a rain
barrel bulkhead fit t ing. Th is k it use s 1 / 4 " Soa k e r H ose D r iplin e for veget able garden rows. The num ber of
plant s t hat can be wat ered wit h t his kit is an est im at e based on t he t ot al linear feet of em it t er t ubing. I f you want
t o aut om at e your drip syst em , a Hose End Tim er ( DD- HEDT) can be purchased separat ely.

1 / 4 " Soa k e r h ose dr iplin e ( aka Drip em it t er t ubing) is at t ached direct ly t o ½ ” solid poly t ubing supply line wit h
1/ 4" barbed connect ors. The soaker hose is t hen run down t he lengt h of t he garden rows. I f you want t o st op or
cont rol t he flow of wat er in 1/ 4” soaker hose t ubing, you can inst all an opt ional flow cont rol valve ( DD- FCV250) .
A rain barrel bulkhead fit t ing is included t o t urn a garbage can, bucket , or barrel int o a rain barrel.

A Hose End Tim er ( DD- HEDT) or 1/ 4” Flow Cont rol Valve ( DD- FCV250) can be purchased separat ely.

Hose End Timer 1/4 Inch Flow Control Valve

Abou t Gr a vit y Fe e d D r ip Syst e m s

Drip irrigat ion product s are designed for use wit h const ant pressure of 15 - 30 psi. The st at ed out put for soaker
hose dripline is based on t his pressure. For exam ple, t he int ernal 1/ 2 gph em it t ers in t he soaker hose t ubing will
deliver one half- gallon of wat er per hour if t he syst em is pressurized at 15 psi.

Since t he pressure wit h a gravit y syst em is oft en well below t his range, and drops as t he syst em operat es,
em it t er flow rat es will be subst ant ially less t han t hose specified for t he individual em it t er. This kit uses 1/ 4”
soaker hose t ubing and t he flow rat e will also vary bet ween em it t ers on t he sam e line of drip t ubing as t hey are
placed fart her away from t he wat er source.

Drip Emitter Output drops down the line

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 I n a nut shell, a gr a vit y- fe d dr ip syst e m w ill dist r ibu t e w a t e r in con sist e n t ly t h r oughout t h e syst e m .

To de t e r m in e t h e w a t e r pr e ssu r e in a gr a vit y fe e d dr ip syst e m , m easure t he height of t he wat er in

t he rain barrel or t ank t o t he ground.

Rain Barrel at 2 foot elevation

I f t he rain barrel is on a hill above t he plant s t o be wat ered, m easure t he height of t he barrel above t he
plant ed area. You gain .433 psi for each foot of elevat ion. For exam ple, if you fill a 2 foot garbage can ( or
rain barrel) wit h wat er, t he pressure is less t han 1 psi ( .866 psi) . As t he wat er level drops in t he barrel, so
does t he pressure. The out put of t he drippers will drop as t he wat er level drops.

At very low pressure, it m ay t ake several hours t o deliver t he am ount of wat er needed for your plant s. For
exam ple, if a dripper em it s 1/ 8 of a gallon of wat er per hour wit h a rain barrel 3 feet above t he ground,
you need t o run your drip syst em for 4 hours in order t o deliver 1/ 2 gallon of wat er t o your plant s.

To achieve t he recom m ended 15 psi ( and 1/ 2 gph out put )

your rain barrel would need t o be 34.6 feet above your
plant s.

I f you are willing t o accept very low and uneven wat er

out put , you can build a gravit y- feed syst em for wat ering
plant s wit h a cont ainer on grade or j ust a few feet off t he
ground.

Ra in Ba r r e l w it h dr ip t u bin g

We have done ext ensive t est ing wit h our drip kit s in
m ult iple configurat ions in order t o provide you wit h
t he best recom m endat ions. Our goal is t o help you
build a gravit y- feed drip syst em wit h t he m ost
consist ent drip out put .
Drip Irrigation Testing at Irrigation Direct

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Gravit y Feed Guidelines
These guidelines are included to help you achieve the most consistent water output from each of the soaker hose drip
lines. It might not be practical for you to follow each of these guidelines with your particular landscape or garden
layout. The more of these guidelines that you incorporate into the design of your gravity feed drip system, the more
consistent output you will achieve.

1. Ou t pu t dr ops off dow n t h e line a s you m ove fa r t h e r a w a y fr om t h e supply lin e . The graph below
shows t he out put for a single line of Soaker hose dripline ( DD- DET250- 12- 100) at t ached t o a rain barrel.
I n t his exam ple, t he rain barrel is inst alled 2 ft above t he ground and filled wit h 2 ft of wat er. 20 ft of
dripline wit h em it t ers spaced 12 inches apart ( 20 feet t ot al) . As you can see below, t he individual out put
decreases t oward t he end of t he drip t ubing.

Single 20 foot length of Soaker Hose Dripline - Mainline attached at end

2. Use sh or t dr ip t u bing r u n s & a gr id la you t . You will get bet t er result s wit h grid layout s of short t ubing
lengt hs ( 20 ft or less) t han wit h a long snaking drip t ube.

Blue circles are rain barrels

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I n st a lla t ion: Ove r vie w
The Bulk Head Fit t ing ( DD- BHF75) com es wit h an inst ruct ion sheet called “ I nst alling a Bulk Head Fit t ing in a Rain
Barrel” . You will at t ach a Y Filt er and Swivel Adapt er t o t he Bulk Head Fit t ing. The supply line is 1/ 2” Solid Drip
Tubing and is run next t o your landscape or veget able garden plant s. A 1/ 2” Flow Cont rol Valve is used t o cont rol
t he wat er flow from t he rain barrel t o t he plant s. Sm all plant s will get one 1/ 4” flow cont rol valve. Larger plant s
should get t wo 1/ 4” flow cont rol valves. Trees will likely require 4 or m ore valves. We’ve included st akes for t he
1/ 4” t ubing. You m ay purchase 1/ 2” st akes separat ely.

I n st a lla t ion: St e p- by- St e p

Roll t he t ubing out in t he sun t o soft en. Weigh it down and let t he sun heat t he t ubing for 30 m inut es. This will
m ake it easier t o work wit h.

St e p on e : I n st a llin g t h e Bu lk H e a d Fit t in g

Follow t he inst ruct ions t o inst all t he enclosed bulkhead fit t ing. I f your
rain barrel has a bulkhead fit t ing at t ached, skip t o St ep Two.

St e p Tw o: Fr om t h e Ra in Ba r r e l t o t h e I ndividua l Pla n t s

1. At t ach t he Y Filt e r ( DD- YS75HFM) t o t he m ale hose t hreads of t he bulkhead fit t ing.

© 2010 I rrigat ion Dir ect . All Right s Reserv ed. -5-
 2. Screw t he Com pr e ssion Sw ive l Ada pt e r ( DD- CHS700) ont o t he hose inline filt er.

3. At t ach 1 / 2 ” Solid D r ip Tubin g ( DD- DH700) t o t he 1/ 2” swivel adapt er and run it across t he t op of t he
garden rows. La you t t ips: Read t he Gravit y Feed Guideline for t ips on laying out your drip syst em for
best out put perform ance.

4. Add t he 1 / 2 ” Flow Con t r ol Va lve ( DD- FCV700) in a convenient locat ion aft er t he swivel adapt er. This is
t he “ on/ off swit ch” for your gravit y- fed drip syst em . Just cut t he 700 poly t ubing and insert t he flow
cont rol valve like a coupler ( see below) .

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 5. Use 1 / 2 ” Com pr e ssion Elbow s ( DD- L700) t o m ake 90 degree t urns in 1/ 2” ploy t ubing.

6. Run t he 1/ 2" t ubing above t he garden rows and secure in place wit h 8 ” w ir e st a k e s ( S8)

7. Add Figu r e 8 En d Ca ps ( DD- F8) t o t he ends of 1/ 2” solid drip t ubing. Leave t he end open for flushing.

8. Ope n t h e Flow Con t r ol Va lve t o t u r n on t h e w a t e r a n d FLUSH TH E LI N E u n t il a ll line s a r e cle a r

of de br is. Re pla ce t he 1 / 2 ” t h r e a de d e n d ca ps a t t he e n ds of t h e 1 / 2 ” solid dr ip t ubin g.

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St e p Th r e e : I n st a lling Soa k e r H ose D r ipline

1. At each row use t he D e lu x e H ole Pu n ch ( DD- HP250) t o poke a hole in t he 1/ 2” t ubing.

2. I nsert t he 1 / 4 ” Ba r be d Con n e ct or ( DD- C250) direct ly int o t he 1/ 2” t ubing.

At t ach a piece of 1 / 4 ” Soa k e r H ose D r iplin e ( DD- DET250- 12- 100) t o t he barbed connect or and run it down
t he lengt h of t he row.

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Cut t he t ubing wit h scissors and push t he sm all end of t he Goof Plu g ( DD- GP) int o t he open end of t he 1/ 4”
t ubing t o cap off t he ends.

3. Turn on your syst em and check each valve for wat er out put . Rem em ber t hat som e inconsist ency of out put
is t o be expect ed wit h a gravit y- fed drip syst em .

• Goof Plu gs ( DD- GP) are used t o plug holes in 1/ 2" drip poly t ubing or cap off 1/ 4" m icro t ubing.

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Gr a vit y Fe e d Syst e m La you t s
Here are a few sam ple layout s for our gravit y feed kit s. Use t he t ips below in your design t o help equalize t he
out put . M a x im um le ngt h of Soa k e r H ose D r iplin e = 2 0 ft

Conne ct ion Opt ions:

St a r t e r Kit Ex a m ple # 1 Tip: At t a ch m a in lin e t o ce n t e r for be t t e r w a t e r dist r ibu t ion

TI P: At t a ch m a in lin e t o t h e ce n t e r a nd e n ds for be st w a t e r dist r ibu t ion

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St a r t e r Kit : Ex a m ple 2

Tip: At t a ch m a in lin e t o t h e e n ds for be t t e r w a t e r dist r ibu t ion

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Pa r t s List
I TEM Qu a n t it y PART #
S M L
Bu lk H e a d Fit t ing 1 - - DD- BHF75
Provides a t hreaded connect ion from t he rain barrel ( bucket ) t o
your gravit y feed drip irrigat ion kit . Requires a 7/ 8” hole saw
( not included) . I nst allat ion inst ruct ions included.

Y Filt e r w it h h ose t hr e a ds 1 - - DD-

YS75HFM
I nst alled bet ween t he hose vacuum breaker and t he drip
regulat or. Prot ect s flow cont rol valves from im purit ies t hat m ay
clog t hem . 150 m esh screen.

1 / 2 " Com pr e ssion hose sw ive l 1 - - DD-

CHS600
Connect s 1/ 2" drip t ubing t o rain barrel bulkhead fit t ing.
Connect s t o 3/ 4" m ale hose t hreads.

1 / 2 ” D r ip t u bing ( 7 0 0 se r ie s) - 5 0 foot r oll 1 - - DD-

DH700- 50
1/ 2" t ubing for m ain lines. Supplies wat er t o 1/ 4” soaker hose
drip lines.

1 / 4 ” Soa k e r h ose dr iplin e ( 2 5 0 se r ie s) – 1 0 0 foot r oll 1 - - DD-

DET250-
1/ 2 gallon- per- hour in- line em it t ers m olded int o t he t ubing at
12- 100
12" spacing. M a x r un : 3 3 fe e t .

1 / 2 ” Flow Con t r ol Va lve 1 - - DD-

FCV700
Adj ust or st op t he flow of wat er t hrough 1/ 2" drip m ainline
t ubing. Handy when isolat ing irrigat ed sect ions. This is t he
“ on/ off” valve for your gravit y feed syst em .

1 / 2 ” Com pr e ssion Elbow 2 - - DD- L700

Used t o creat e 90 degree t urns in m ainline drip t ubing.

Figur e 8 En d of Lin e Plu g 2 - - DD- F8

Caps off t he ends of 1/ 2” drip t ubing. Convenient rem ovable
fit t ing.

D e lux e H ole Pu n ch 1 - - DD- HP250

Designed t o fit very com fort ably in your hand. Creat es clean,
precise holes in 1/ 2" drip poly t ubing.

1 / 4 ” Conn e ct or - ba r b x ba r b 10 - - DD- C250

Used t o connect 1/ 4" solid drip t ubing or 1/ 4" soaker hose t o
drip m ainline t ubing. Connect s lengt hs of 1/ 4" t ubing.

© 2010 I rrigat ion Dir ect . All Right s Reserv ed. - 12 -

 M icr o Tubin g H olde r St a k e - 6 ” 20 - - DD- S2
Keep drip em it t ers and m icro t ubing in place. Em it t er and m icro
t ubing is elevat ed, reducing dirt and insect int rusion.
Goof Plu g 20 - - DD- GP
Plug holes in 1/ 2" drip poly t ubing or cap off 1/ 4" m icro t ubing.
Dual plug ends t o accom m odat e large or sm all holes.

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M a int e na nce Tips
W I N TERI ZI N G
I f you live where it freezes, it is a good idea t o drain t he wat er from your drip lines and t he com ponent s
connect ed t o t he wat er source. Here’s how:
1. Turn off t he hose bibb.
2. I f you have a hose- end t im er inst alled, let t he syst em run t hrough a wat ering cycle. This will open t he
t im er and let any rem aining wat er drain out of t he t im er and ot her com ponent s & int o t he drip t ubing.
3. I f you do not have a t im er inst alled, unscrew t he drip syst em from t he hose bibb for a few m inut es t o let
air int o t he line. Reat t ach t he line aft er a m inut e or t wo.
4. N ot e : We do not recom m end blowing com pressed air t hough a drip syst em .

FLUSH TH E LI N E AN UALLY
Since drip syst em s operat e at low pressures, sedim ent can set t le in t he line over t im e.
1. Flush t he line annually by unscrewing t he end cap at t he end of t he line.
2. Check filt er screen for debris and clean if necessary.
3. Turn on t he hose bibb unt il t he wat er runs clear from t he end of t he line.
4. Replace t he cap.
5. Turn on t he hose bibb and check t he ent ire syst em for leaks.

REPAI R BREAKS & LEAKS

1. Sm all holes in t he line can be plugged wit h a goof plug.
2. For larger breaks or holes in t he 1/ 4” drip t ubing, m ake a clean cut around t he dam aged area and
reconnect t he lines wit h a 1 / 4 ” ba r be d conn e ct or ( DD- C250) purchased separat ely.
3. For larger breaks or holes in t he 1/ 2” drip t ubing, m ake a clean cut around t he dam aged area and
reconnect t he lines wit h a 1 / 2 ” D ir e ct - Loc cou plin g ( DL- C600) .

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