SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers

Hi,
I am trying to install a drip system on my raised bed garden, and am having a devil of a time with it. I plumbed it from a normal sprinkler valve which controls only the drip system. I have 3/4" pipe going to 2 beds. For now, I am only concerned with one bed. At the end of the piping, I have a DiG adjustable pressure regulator and then it goes to 1/2" polytube with .5 GPH rainbird drip emitters spaced every foot or so.

I have tried everything I can think of to get this system working, but without fail when I turn it on, the emitters spit out water for a second or so and then nothing. I am assuming its too much pressure, but I dialed back the regulator (which supposedly can handle 125 and lower to 12-60 PSi) as far as I can. I still get nothing out of the emitters.

I am so frustrated at this point because I have spent a significant amount of money on these products. Is there something I am possibly missing? Do I have to spend yet more money and get a low flow valve, even though a pressure regulator should accomplish the same result?

Any help or ideas would be appreciated, I am at my wit's end!

Thanks,
Brian

Thanks for reply.

There is definitely no water coming out of the emitters, and the length of tubing is fairly small (12x4 raised bed). When I was building the system, I would install 5 emitters or so, and try it out... I have probably 30 or more now.. but no matter how many I had, it would never work. The only time they sent out water was upon opening the valve, and about 1 minute or so after closing the valve... seems to me to be pressure related, but I can't imagine that its too much with a regulator on it..

Thanks!

Thanks, I thought that as well. I checked the pressure regulator and the arrow is in the right direction. I also have uncapped the polytube and water came out at a good clip. Even, in my frustration, I yanked out an emitter when it was pressurized and needless to say, I got plenty wet!

What would a reversed valve do? I didn't install it, so I guess thats a possibility, its not something I even considered. I even tried going from my first regulator, through a long garden hose, and into a second regualtor and the water coming out was still pretty decent.

I will definitely doublecheck the regulators.. it says on the screw to turn counterclockwise to reduce pressure and clockwise to increase, but I might as well try both ways to ensure I am not misunderstanding.

Thanks for the reply!

Just to clarify, when I tried the second regulator, I was talking about the water flowing out the end of the regulator. I don't have the parts I need to connect back into the polytube at that point. I wish they made a 3/4" MPT to 3/4" MPT connector! If they do, I can't find it anywhere!

The emitters seem to work fine when first pressurized and when its turned off. Once the line reaches full pressure, that seems to be when they stop working. I do not have a mesh filter on the system though, and I know thats a problem. I am thinking maybe in my last ditch effort I should just buy a low-flow valve/filter combo and replace the existing valve. I don't want to spend another $50-60 on the system, but I am running out of options.

Thanks!