Sprinkler Service & Supply, Inc.

Step 4. Plumbing the System Once you have selected and spaced the emitters, it is time to count them up and determine the water flow requirements.

Total gallons per minute for the entire system is 5.72. This could be handle by one valve. It was decided to use 2 valves to better accomodate the various irrigation frequencies needed by the plant material. The red valve supplies the shrubs that can be watered every couple of days for a extended run time. The blue valve controls the microsprays for the flower beds and vegetable garden because they may need to watered every day for shorter periods.

When a plan of this detail is brought into us we can create a detailed list of material to construct the whole system (e.g. valves, fittings, tubing, emitters, emitter tubing, 1/4" connectors, end caps, distribution tubing, stakes, filters, regulators, etc.)

Large shrub area: 140 feet of 1/2" in-line emitter tube (.9 gph emitter every 12 inches) = 140 emitters x .9 gph = 126 gph divided by 60 = 2.1 gpm
Small shrub area: 39 drip emitters at 2 gph = 39 x 2 gph = 78 gph divided by 60 = 1.3 gpm
Flowers & Fern area: 8 microsprays at 8 gph = 8 x 8 gph = 64 gph divided by 60 = 1.07 gpm
Vegetable garden: 75 feet of 1/4" in-line emitter tube (.5 gph emitter every 6 inches) = 75 x 2 = 150 emitters x .5 gph = 75 gph divided 60 = 1.25 gpm