# Side strip sprays pipe sizing



## Utk03analyst (Jun 8, 2019)

For one section of my side strip with a curve I should be able to use 4 heads. I use half inch pipe to run 3 sprays in my flower beds off my hose bib.

Can I get away with running 3/4 inch from the valve box to under the side walk and the. T down to half inch?



I also currently blowout my hose bib system and Nashville doesn't get too coldI plan on blowing out the new system as well. I'm playing on prying you the turf versus trenching for the side strip hose. Currently when I pry the turf I'm about 5 to 6 inches deep.


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

Have you read Jess Stryker's Irrigation Tutorials? You should read everything there first....

www.irrigationtutorials.com

Wow, that's a very narrow strip of grass! And it's right next to hot asphalt. Personally, I'd use RainBird XF subsurface drip-line for the entire strip outside the walkway. It would save tons of water and certainly irrigate better. In fact, I doubt you'll be able to keep that strip green in August with any type of spray head. In contrast, a drip line can keep that area soaked during mid-day Summer heat.

https://www.rainbird.com/products/xfs-subsurface-dripline-copper-shieldtm-technology

The only downside to using drip irrigation is the need to flush the pipe each season. That means installing an in-ground box in your yard near the strip. There's lots of videos on YouTube about using RainBird sub-surface drip line to irrigate lawns.


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## Utk03analyst (Jun 8, 2019)

hsvtoolfool said:


> Have you read Jess Stryker's Irrigation Tutorials? You should read everything there first....
> 
> www.irrigationtutorials.com
> 
> ...


On better I have the book the side strip is 2 feet wide and the grass made it through the drought last summer via my rain train which sprays over 40 feet so the side walk and part of the street got wet. I'll have to read up on pipe sizing but I'll probably just lay it out and see what happens before digging. I finally got the manifold in today and I have the spray bodies already just need the nozzles but I will follow the layout in the pic.

I try to add compost regularly to the side strip to beef it up a little and the only part that did had a rock under it which I pulled and filled and the new grass grew in last fall.


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

I only mentioned Mr Styker's Irrigation Tutorials because he addresses the topic of using 1/2" pipe specifically. The main problem is excess velocity causing water hammer.

Good luck.


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## Utk03analyst (Jun 8, 2019)

hsvtoolfool said:


> I only mentioned Mr Styker's Irrigation Tutorials because he addresses the topic of using 1/2" pipe specifically. The main problem is excess velocity causing water hammer.
> 
> Good luck.


I really appreciate the help, if you're ever 100 miles up the road in the music city after the Corona passes first rounds on me lol. I bored under the sidewalk today on my lunch break. I will get it setup above ground and test it. I plan I'm using 3/4 poly until I get to the side strip if I notice anything out of wack I'll change course.

I'm using valves with flow control I'm not sure if that will help water hammer or not.


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## Utk03analyst (Jun 8, 2019)

I got the side strip hooked up still have a few more heads to go didn't notice any water hammer when going from 3/4 to 1/2 poly. On the small area by the mailbox and driveway and end strip nozzle is overkill I'm not sure what I need to switch to maybe a bubbler and an in-line pressure reduced. Also since it's only 2 feet wide the nozzles at Lowe's are for 5 I'm going to hit Ewing Irrigation up today for some more nozzles for my rotors and maybe a manifold I'll ask about side strip nozzles too and see if there's any special ones for that narrow of a strip.


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## TSGarp007 (May 22, 2018)

With new equipment it's pretty easy to calculate the water velocity through the pipes. Just keep it under 5 ft/sec in all the pipes. This assumes your supply can handle the overall zone gpm.

Nothings perfect, so your little mailbox area may just get more spray head than it needs. But you can just get something like the rainbird 1806-PRS if you think pressure is an issue there.

Did you use the water through a pipe method to get under the sidewalk?


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## Utk03analyst (Jun 8, 2019)

TSGarp007 said:


> With new equipment it's pretty easy to calculate the water velocity through the pipes. Just keep it under 5 ft/sec in all the pipes. This assumes your supply can handle the overall zone gpm.
> 
> Nothings perfect, so your little mailbox area may just get more spray head than it needs. But you can just get something like the rainbird 1806-PRS if you think pressure is an issue there.
> 
> Did you use the water through a pipe method to get under the sidewalk?


I definitely have the gpm's now but I only have one manifold of 3 hooked up and I still have about 30 feet to go to the second manifold and then 50 feet to get to the final one. I opened up the zone that goes to the flower bed which has four sprays at the same time as the side strips and didn't notice any change in coverage.

We have hard clay with rock in Nashville I ended up pounding my 8 foot bar which has a point on end like an ax under the sidewalk and then used 1 inch pvc. On the other side of the driveway it was an even bigger pita so I used 2 inch pvc after the bar as the 1 inch kept breaking. Thankfully I only have one more time to go under the sidewalk. I still have about 300 feet of trenching to do. 120 of it being my final side strip having a corner lot kind sucks at times.


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## TSGarp007 (May 22, 2018)

That sounds like a real pain getting under the sidewalks! I just did a major overhaul of my system but left in the old pipes in some places. One area I would either have to go under a wide driveway or somehow avoid all the utility lines if I came at it from the other side.

Good luck!


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## Utk03analyst (Jun 8, 2019)

@TSGarp007 I tied to bore under the driveway and gave up. If I did it again I would pound either a solid steel pipe under the driveway or a piece of rebar and then thread the sleeve pipe over the rebar to keep it straight. If you are hitting gravel take a piece of 1 inch pvc and attach to a shop vac to clear the gravel as you go so it won't get compacted.

I had utilities on the side of the house I trenched and I started close to the house and pulled up my fiber optic line for internet and my direct tv line so I didn't hit them.

Fortunately for me I had pictures of my house throughout the build and new my gas and electric lines where super deep so I didn't have to worry about them.


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