Pete C. wrote:
BillH wrote:

I can't tell you about the hardness thing, but the flow rate sure is
low. My 1/2" dia soaker hose about 100' long holds maybe a gallon. I've
checked this with the flow rate on my water meter vs. a volume calc of
the hose, they both get about that number.

The real issue for me is that no one can tell me how much water is
enough, even down there. One expert said "just keep it moist, that is
the best you can do and will be fine". The references tell you to
adjust the water for the sunny vs. shady side of the house, that was
written by professionals, another told me that was silly and did I want
to spend my whole life checking foundation moisture levels? One says
overwatering is as bad as underwatering, another says it's not possible
to overwater to any amount where it would be a problem.. Aargh..

Bill


I'm probably going to have to setup a soaker system myself. My thought
is that if you put a pressure regulator on your water feed and set it
quite low (a few PSI) you'll only be feeding the amount of water that
the soil can readily accept as opposed to forcing it.

Pete C.

Here's the thing. With a buried soaker hose in a heavy clay soil (where
we need this watering the most), all you do is pump up the hose to the
pressure of the inlet water, shut it off and the hose sweats minute
amounts of water until the soil surrounding it can accept no more water,
i.e. pressure equalizes. The hose does not empty, it just stops
sweating. The surface soil will not become saturated.

We may have hose length that holds 2 gallons of water, but the hose will
distribute only a pint or so of that at a time.

Overwatering can and does occur if it is done with surface watering.
Dry sand at the edges of the foundation washes away from under the
foundation and out into the yard. Most commonly, this happens during
thundershowers or tropical storms/hurricanes that rip thru the Gulf
Coast States

The pressure regulator you are discussing will only work with normal to
sandy soils. Heavy clay soils that NEED this watering accept water
SLOWLY. In the coastal plain of southeast Texas, we have flat land,
heavy clay soils, and over 44 inches of annual rainfall. Flooding is a
BIG problem.