# Wanting to add a drip line to existing system



## seaburn (Feb 27, 2020)

Hi all, irrigation system newbie here. Trying to save money with a little project by doing it myself. I have a Rain Bird 1800 series system and thinking of installing a Rain Bird spray-to-drip retrofit kit to a sprinkler head next to a new raised garden bed. Is it possible to convert one spray nozzle to a drip line in a zone where the rest are spray nozzles? Do all sprinkler heads in the same zone have to be the same type, like all spray, or all drip?


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## Ge0rdi3brit (Aug 30, 2018)

It's certainly possible, but not recommended. Whatever plants you have in your raised bed will need a different amount of water than your lawn.


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

seaburn said:


> Hi all, irrigation system newbie here. Trying to save money with a little project by doing it myself. I have a Rain Bird 1800 series system and thinking of installing a Rain Bird spray-to-drip retrofit kit to a sprinkler head next to a new raised garden bed. Is it possible to convert one spray nozzle to a drip line in a zone where the rest are spray nozzles? Do all sprinkler heads in the same zone have to be the same type, like all spray, or all drip?


Drip systems put out at a very low rate, so usually leave them on for quite a long time. If you have more than one head, i doubt the timing would work out well. Depending on your setup, better idea would probably be to add a new zone to your system if you have the capacity. I built and installed my own system, including manifolds. Off of an 8 zone Rainmachine controller, I run 6 zones to the lawn and 2 drip zones to raised beds and landscaping. You should be able to pretty easily add a new zone with a dedicated valve for the drip. Rainbird sells a unit that has the valve and a pressure reducer built in. The drip line itself is cheap, so even a fairly long run from the valve to the garden shouldnt be cost prohibitive.

https://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/rain-bird-3-15-gpm-drip-zone-assembly-1-fpt-xczlf100prf?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1PSxzfbx5wIVCJ-fCh17FgSDEAQYAyABEgI3r_D_BwE


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## penright (Apr 6, 2020)

Somewhat new to the forum, so forgive me while I learn the "posting culture".

I was also looking to add what I was calling drip lines, maybe that is the wrong term, but for now that all I know. From some of my research so far, most drip systems are 17mm, are those terms interchangeable?

I have 4 different areas that have a pot for either flowers or gardens. Two of them are rotors and two are sprays. I have two problems that I see. The one, which is mentioned in the post, is time/flow per zone differences than what might be needed by the object being serviced by the drip system. The second one is most drip systems are built with a 25psi limit. Again from my searching so far.

Could you not choose the correct emitter to balance out the time/flow differences?

I am ordering a pressure gauge to see what the system is running at, but if I remember correctly when the system was installed, it was more than 25psi. I should be getting this Friday (6/19/2020).

Since I have 4 areas, how do I handle the pressure issue? Have to find 4 inline regulators?


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## ZachUA (Dec 28, 2018)

gm560 said:


> seaburn said:
> 
> 
> > Hi all, irrigation system newbie here. Trying to save money with a little project by doing it myself. I have a Rain Bird 1800 series system and thinking of installing a Rain Bird spray-to-drip retrofit kit to a sprinkler head next to a new raised garden bed. Is it possible to convert one spray nozzle to a drip line in a zone where the rest are spray nozzles? Do all sprinkler heads in the same zone have to be the same type, like all spray, or all drip?
> ...


Couldn't you select drip emitters that will give the proper amount of water per plant though? Like if his zone is only running for 20 minutes, you wouldn't want to select an emitter that does 1 gallon per hour. But maybe you could select one that does 4 gallons per hour, so in 20 minutes the plant would get one quart of water. Just an example... might work?


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## corneliani (Apr 2, 2019)

Besides the psi limitations nothing will technically go wrong if you convert a spray head to a drip. It's simply a matter of delivering the right amount of water for both scenarios in that same timeframe. Like @Ge0rdi3brit said, certainly possible but not ideal. 
I did that with one area where I just tied into that existing lawn zone for 3 haphazard hydrangeas ... but being that I run low-precipitation MP Rotators that zone runs for an hour at a time! I did need to use a PRS30 (30-psi pressure reducing head) So I don't pop out the drip connectors off the line!


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## Wiley (Dec 2, 2019)

Something like this will work. It's not perfect but will help with your conversion and help regulate pressure.

https://www.dripdepot.com/product/hendrickson-bros-pressure-regulating-drip-manifold-with-flow-control


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## penright (Apr 6, 2020)

Wiley said:


> Something like this will work. It's not perfect but will help with your conversion and help regulate pressure.
> 
> https://www.dripdepot.com/product/hendrickson-bros-pressure-regulating-drip-manifold-with-flow-control


That is what I am looking for only it needs to be able to still support the spray/rotor that is there. Something like this with the regulator.
Link to 1/2" x 1/2" riser adapter

I wonder if zip-ties would hold the pressure. I hope to get my gauge this weekend and I will know more with what I am dealing with. Also, I will take some pictures for a better understanding.


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## penright (Apr 6, 2020)

Would something like this with the adapter work?

Hendrickson 3/4" Low Flow Pressure Regulator


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## ZachUA (Dec 28, 2018)

penright said:


> Somewhat new to the forum, so forgive me while I learn the "posting culture".
> 
> I was also looking to add what I was calling drip lines, maybe that is the wrong term, but for now that all I know. From some of my research so far, most drip systems are 17mm, are those terms interchangeable?
> 
> ...


What I'm going to do is install add this rain bird 1800 head with the drip line conversion installed (includes a pressure regulator): https://www.rainbird.com/products/riser-connection-kit

Then you just run the drip line pipe along the bed and at any point you want to water something, you punch a tiny hole in the pipe and then push in the drip line and emitter with flow rate of your choice. For mine I'd like to give the pot about 1 gallon of water per watering. So to do that I'm going to select an emitter that gives 3 gallons per hour. I run my zone for 20 minutes so in 20 minutes the 3 gal/hr emitter will deliver 1 gallon of water.

They also offer this kit which has everything you need to convert: https://www.rainbird.com/products/spray-drip-watering-zone-conversion-kit


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## Marty_marrr (Jul 25, 2020)

I'm not sure if this has been answered, but drip lines will have to be on their own zone. You can not add drip lines (or combine drip lines and sprinklers) to a sprinkler zone. I guess you could but you will not get enough pressure for the drip lines to work well. Drip lines work on back pressure to emit thru the offices. I adding Several drip line drip line zones to our flower beds a few years ago. Of coarse I had to upgrade my sprinkler controller to add more zones (I highly recommend the Rachio, it hooks up to the inner web so you can use your phone to check, start, stop zones). If The drip lines are installed well, they will pay for them selves in the first year with saved water. If you are in a dry area, be sure to check your lines pretty regular and stock up on straight joint splices. It seems the rats or squirrels like to chew on the lines to get to the water when it's really hot and dry. Some zones I buried a few inches under ground, some are just under the mulch. And after the mulch gets thin some are exposed. I've had each one chewed on more than once.


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## TSGarp007 (May 22, 2018)

Marty_marrr said:


> I'm not sure if this has been answered, but drip lines will have to be on their own zone. You can not add drip lines (or combine drip lines and sprinklers) to a sprinkler zone. I guess you could but you will not get enough pressure for the drip lines to work well. Drip lines work on back pressure to emit thru the offices. I adding Several drip line drip line zones to our flower beds a few years ago. Of coarse I had to upgrade my sprinkler controller to add more zones (I highly recommend the Rachio, it hooks up to the inner web so you can use your phone to check, start, stop zones). If The drip lines are installed well, they will pay for them selves in the first year with saved water. If you are in a dry area, be sure to check your lines pretty regular and stock up on straight joint splices. It seems the rats or squirrels like to chew on the lines to get to the water when it's really hot and dry. Some zones I buried a few inches under ground, some are just under the mulch. And after the mulch gets thin some are exposed. I've had each one chewed on more than once.


I think it would work just fine, physically. Drip lines work well at low pressures, normally the problem would be too much pressure since sprinklers can handle higher pressures. That's why that product @ZachUA mentioned regulates the pressure down to 30 psi. I've used a very similar one (Rain Bird 1800-RETRO). The problem will be figuring out how long to water the zone, with the sprinklers putting out one precip rate, the drip line potentially another precip rate, and the grass and flowers, etc. possibly needing different amounts of water at different intervals. But you may be OK watering one part of the lawn a little too often, or a little too much at one time, as a trade off to not having to add entirely new zone.


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## penright (Apr 6, 2020)

TSGarp007 said:


> That's why that product @ZachUA mentioned regulates the pressure down to 30 psi. I've used a very similar one (Rain Bird 1800-RETRO).


For now, I have put the project on hold. Bought one of those cheap pressure gauges off Amazone and my pressure at 55 psi.

But, there was a domino effect ...
They are starting to develop the field behind our house. I was in the middle of installing a chain-link across the back yard. I loved to watch the sun come up over the field. I had about 100' of 125' done when they started dirt work for a new housing edition.
So now we are going to want a privacy fence. I stop chain-link installation because I did not want to pull up the posts that I just set. 
So before we do the new fence, now would be the time to do a tree (about 9") while they can back the spade truck into the yard. They don't want to move the tree till it is dormant. The guy selling and moving the tree said about November (2020). 
Also, when the sprinklers were installed there was no landscaping and they made a mistake of putting a couple of rotors on the same zone as the flowerbed sprayers. I had someone different look at it and said I need to split the zone, which will not be that bad since they are close to the valves. But I have added some other landscaping and it is starting to interfere with some rotors coverage. 
So after all that, the new tree and the other changes. I think it is best to wait until next summer to see what adjustments will be needed.


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## TSGarp007 (May 22, 2018)

penright said:


> TSGarp007 said:
> 
> 
> > That's why that product @ZachUA mentioned regulates the pressure down to 30 psi. I've used a very similar one (Rain Bird 1800-RETRO).
> ...


Sorry you lost your view!


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## penright (Apr 6, 2020)

TSGarp007 said:


> Sorry you lost your view!


Well, it may not be ocean front, but here in the midsouth, nothing like a sunrise over a wheat field. I did snap a picture before houses, but there is no wheat.










The house livingroom, has a huge window facing the east. The window shade is a sunscreen material, we can see out but cuts down on the glare coming in. When there is bad weather I can still watch drinking coffee from the cornfrot of the couch. The picture does protray it very well, not as vivid, you can still see the colors pretty good.


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