Can I make a soaker hose by drilling holes in a garden hose?

[Prashun Patel]

I know codes are localized, but in MY town, you don't need an annual inspection. I didn't even get the initial inspection.

I bought a DIY kit from DIG corp and for like $150 you get a backflow preventer, timer, pressure regulator, and about 200ft tube and fittings. I never got around to installing the tube and fittings in my garden, but I've used the 'controller' components on hose and spiked-in impact sprinklers when reseeding an area. Worked great.

[Lee Schierer]

If you have a 1" diameter hose and drill 1/64" dia holes in it you can only drill about 64 holes to equal the size of hose. Any more holes will decrease the pressure significnatly for every few holes drilled. Also drilling a hose to get a clean hole is a bit more challenging than it would appear. Any drill debris left in the hole will affect the flow out of that hole.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

If you're now considering an aboveground irrigation system for your lawn, there are a couple of decent mailorder houses that can provide you with all the parts including the backflow preventer valve as shown below by Watts. The local Lowes by me also carries a pretty complete line of Rainbird products and 100' rolls of poly tubing. Hunter and Toro are some other common brand names.

I installed a system in my front lawn last year which is approximately 3,700 square feet. It costed about $800 to $900 in parts including a rental of a small trench machine Home Depot.

I must admit, it was a lot of work to install. But my lawn is absolutely wonderful this summer.

-Jeff

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

They all fail unless you have some way to equalize the pressure across the distribution component of the hose.

I've tried to use the soakers available in garden stores and the BORGs and every time I end up with the same result. The water output at the end of the run is non existent.

[Peter Luch]

Hi pete,

thanks for the correction. I forgot that there are smaller anti-syphon devices available. I actually have a couple on my boilers to prevent irrigation/fertilizer water from backflowing into the boilers.

I do have a question though. Is a homeowner still required to have a yearly inspection on their home lawn irrigation system?

thanks
joe

Joe,

I really have no idea if this is required or if so what locations call for it.
I have never heard of this but I do know that many locations require by law a backflow on irrigation systems and almost everywhere a backflow is required on a hookup to a city/county water supply. (the $300 type)

Aloha, Pete

[Stephen Tashiro]

I don't think standard drip line is what I want. I can't see moving drip line around every day like I can move a garden hose. I'm not very worried about uneven flow. I'd put the hose down so it snakes randomly around the area to be irrigated. I emphasize that I'm not trying to do very refined job of irrigation. I don't mind fiddling with it every day. But I want something that I can turn on the the evening, leave on overnight, and turn off in the morning. (i.e. no timers) I can do this with a soaker hose when it is in good condition. They just break too easily when moved around. Here in southern New Mexico, I can leave a garden hose on the hose bib all year round if the nozzle is left open. But I can't leave those water timer do-dads attached to the hose bib during winter. They crack. And I don't want to get up in the middle of the night to turn off the water.

[Prashun Patel]

Man, I wouldn't leave a soaker hose on over night. First, the best time to water is early AM. 2nd, the soakers emit a lot of water; you'd waste the water and it'd only be in a targeted area.

In New Mexico in the summer, you'll need to water a couple times a week at least. You might need an unjustifiably large amount of soaker hose to cover yr area properly in order to be able to repeat areas twice. No?

Timers are easy to set up. You know, you could just daisy chain a couple of cheap metal spike impact sprinklers with above-ground hose. The whole 'system' will cost you under $100 with a timer. You probably won't need a backflow preventer with an above-ground sprinker.

[Rod Sheridan]

If you have a 1" diameter hose and drill 1/64" dia holes in it you can only drill about 64 holes to equal the size of hose. Any more holes will decrease the pressure significnatly for every few holes drilled. Also drilling a hose to get a clean hole is a bit more challenging than it would appear. Any drill debris left in the hole will affect the flow out of that hole.

Actually Lee, it would take 4,096 holes of 1/64" diameter to have the same area as a 1" hose.

Regards, Rod.