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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] drip tape woes

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  • From: "Wyatt Jones" <wyatt_jones AT netzero.com>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] drip tape woes
  • Date: Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:08:37 -0400

I'd be careful increasing the drip tape pressure as I've heard you can get into trouble using more than 15psi with drip lines and that the higher the pressure the lower life you will get furthermore some dealers have told me you can blow out emitters with higher pressure than 15 psi.  I haven't personal experience with that as I've used 15 psi regulators but that's what the dealers I've talked to say.  I've noticed they sell regulators up to 35 psi but I'm not sure that the higher ones are designed for drip tape and there are other systems.  I have had much tougher orchard tubing blow out when I shut off all the line valves though so I wouldn't doubt that drip tape would blow out rather easily.  I guess that's why I haven't gone to a higher pressure regulator though I've been tempted.  Before anybody says anything I know that you need a certain amount of flow to regulate and that the pressure can reach main line pressure, in my case 56 psi,  when there is no flow.   Maybe 15 mil drip tape would be tougher and handle higher pressure but I don't really know as the emitters are what I would think would blow out first.  I noticed on the T-tape box it says the flow rate is measured at 8 PSI, which seems rather low to me, not sure why they would do that except to imply that it functions adequately at low pressure.  I had a 15psi regulator that wasn't really pumping out 15psi and changed it which did make a big difference though so you might want to make sure you are actually getting the pressure you think you are.  
 
FYI I had to put in a new well for a number of reasons and I get plenty of water pressure, about 56 psi and about 35 gpm.  The pump is a 3 phase one and is designed to be able to run 24/7 and save money on electricity  I can tell you the thing was a monster compared to other well pumps I've seen LOL.  Its a constant pressure pump and has a computer control.  After drilling a 300 ft well it wasn't that much more.  I'm jealous of other people not far from me that have much higher capacity wells but it depends on what the aquifer you tap into can supply and it varies a lot around here.  Some people about 13 miles from here, (South of Xenia, Ohio) can only get about 1 gpm and have to have a reservoir  that the well constantly pumps water into just to get enough water for household use.  Others a bit north of here can get over 300 gpm with the same kind of well.  Most people inthe immediate area around me get 10 gpm but I managed to get more by drilling deeper.
 
Anyway I don't have any pressure problems though I have a similar problem with drip lines in that I get too much water in some parts and not enough in others in each line but its not necessarily the front end that gets all the water, rather the lowest points.  Water does get to the end but by then it seems to pool in the low spots.  I've been using T-Tape but am thinking about going to something like aquatrax pressure compensating drip tape, doesn't seem to cost much more and might give better results.  My land isn't completely flat but it isn't hilly either and I've noticed a small change in elevation seems to make a big difference as to where the water goes. 
 
Wyatt
 
Jamestown Ohio. 


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