Gravity Fed Irrigation!

[AllInContainers]

Nice one BM! Fingers crossed for ya

[Bigmallly]

Cheers AIC. At least now I have control over each dripper.

[Bigmallly]

Sorted.........I didn't get on with the wine tap so instead fitted a grommet into which the tube fitted tightly.......I then put adjustable taps where the plants are to go..........it works like a dream..........I estimate the barrel to be around 50lts not 25 as I first thought.

[Jakejakeyjakejake]

Sorted.........I didn't get on with the wine tap so instead fitted a grommet into which the tube fitted tightly...[ATTACH=CONFIG]43390[/ATTACH]....I then put adjustable taps where the plants are to go.....[ATTACH=CONFIG]43391[/ATTACH].....it works like a dream..........I estimate the barrel to be around 50lts not 25 as I first thought.

Was this simple in the bigmally want to have a go of one in my greenhouse at the allotment


Sent from my iPhone using Grow Your Own Forum

[Bigmallly]

Hi Jake, it is pretty easy to make. the adapters are 4mm so you then have to make sure you buy 4mm tubing, then you have to work out how you are going to attach the tubing to the container. As I mentioned, I used a rubber grommet which gave a water tight seal. The downside to this is that it cannot be turned off at the barrel..........I'm working on that one, I'm looking at incorporating some kind of tap between the barrel & the first adaptor.

[bearded bloke]

What about something like this BM to regulate/stop fluid flow on feed pipe ...........

Trident Tools 2 Metal Brake Hose Clamps

[RedThorn]

You could always get the winemaking airlock rubber bungs......

[Bigmallly]

The downside to this is that it cannot be turned off at the barrel..........I'm working on that one, I'm looking at incorporating some kind of tap between the barrel & the first adaptor.

Problem sorted, have just found these inline taps for 85p each...........

http://www.clevergreen.co.uk/shop/vc...97004247#thumb

[Bill HH]

How much water do these soaker hoses use? given a head of say 4ft would 25metres of soaker last a day or a week? Is a timer essential? I have no idea but I am sure someone does. as all my greenhouse stuff is in pots I guess soaker hose is useless so the same question applies to drippers. I am just thinking of doing this but need to know a few basics.

[Bigmallly]

I'll put a fixed measurement in the barrel tomorrow Bill & will let you know how long it takes to empty. I currently have 7 drippers over a 4mt length.

[Alison]

With my soaker hose it depend totally on the weather, as if the soil is already quite wet it doesn't seep out as much. Drippers I would have thought would be more constant.

[Bigmallly]

That's interesting Alison, I didn't know soaker hoses did that, very clever. Yes the drippers would drip irrespective of soil conditions.

[Bigmallly]

Just thought I would post a quick update for Bill:
I expected the Barrel to be empty this morning as I only put a couple of gallon in it. However it wasn't, so I guesstimate that over the last 24 hours, the system has used approx 1 gallon of water to activate 7 drippers at 1 drip per second, over a 4m length.

[Thelma Sanders]

Please can you tell me where did you get your drippers Bm?

The ones I've found, so far, all show a flow rate of 4 lts/hr - much too fast! and they don't look adjustable either

[Bill HH]

Thankyou for that BM, This means 15 drippers could keep going for a week using a 25 gallon tank. I know there are variables such as the pressure change as the level lowers in the tank but as long as it keeps the plants going if I was away a week it would suffice. To rely on it for a week would need very clean water to avoid blockages, that I suspect is where soaker hose has the advantage. I will be interested to find out if yours are reliable. It might turn out better to have two drippers per plant for safety.