RBM wrote:
On 6/29/2011 7:30 PM, James Nipper wrote:
I have a vacation property in the mountains, of about six acres, two
acres of which are cleared and developed. I have areas away
from the house area in which I need water access for watering
plants, flowers, etc. Ideally, I would love to have about three
faucets in areas that are up to about 400 feet away from the house.

I can purchase 500 to 600 feet of hoses, and with the use of "T's" add
several branches (hoses) to allow me to water in several
selected areas. But, if I use high quality hoses, this would be
pretty expensive, and it all seems so "temporary."

I am wondering if it would be more economical to run a main line of
about 500 feet, using some sort of plastic pipe (cannot remember the
name of the current most common), and then run my hose branches from
that ? (The main line would have to lay on the ground, through the
woods). Whatever I use, I need to be able to drain the line
during winters, but I suppose I could get fittings for this equipped
with a drain screw or valve or something. Any ideas of what I should look
for, or use ? Any general ideas of
how to accomplish what I am trying to do ?

thanks !!

James


Poly pipe is great for underground lines. It doesn't lay flat very
well so I'm not sure how it would work above ground. Here's a link:
http://www.aquascience.net/pipe/index.cfm?id=552

You don't say where this water is coming from. Is it town water, well
water, what?

If you are laying pipe then poly pipe is what you need, it will be the
cheapest choice for such a distance. All the fittings you would ever want
are available. It can be laid underground if the ground isn't too rocky.
The quickest method is with a ripper/feeder on a tractor. This is a blade
that cuts a slit trench that has a metal tube behind it, you feed the poly
down the tube into the slit as the tractor moves at walking pace, then you
tred the slit down and it's done.

OTOH it can also be laid along fences on top of the ground. If going to
this much trouble don't do it in 12mm (1/2 inch pipe) but somewhere around
32mm (1 1/4 ") to 40mm (1 1/2 "). This solution depends on what is pumping
the water and how much rise or fall there is along the length. The joints
in polypipe are easily undone to allow draining by gravity, ground slope
permitting.

A quite different solution: what about saving water adjacent to the area
that you want to water? I am thinking of a tank collecting water from the
roof of an outbuilding or a small dam/pond in a gully.

David