On Jul 26, 2:25*pm, (Edward Rice) wrote:
I'm running a part of my "irrigation" with a hose and some couplers and
some sprinklers. It's way out of hand -- too many couplers, too many
sprinklers (but they're needed to cover the area). I cut back on manual
labor by getting some cheap end-of-season timers and setting them to
kick on and off at 15-minute intervals, but I've got an unreasonable
mess of hoses.

I think I want to lay a plastic pipe on the ground in the arc that the
lawn runs in, and put in tee-couplings every 4-6 feet, and then wherever
I want a sprinkler I can put on a cheap faucet or a simple hose tap and
run, say, six feet of hose instead of fifty. Lots less confusion, and
much easier to deal with when I need to mow the lawn around there.

I've never used PVC for this -- how can I figure out what size PVC to
use, is there a standard way to couple a hose to feed this main pipe,
and is there a standard way to fit the hose taps in along the way?

The whole stretch is a long hose-run away from my house, so I already
have an electric boost-pump that furnishes the area with about 90 PSI of
hose pressure, although not at very high volume. The hose out there is
3/4". So, I need to make sure that whatever I cobble together won't
explode into component parts when I put 90 PSI into it, with some
additional allowance for pressure increase when the pump is turned on.

Thanks for suggestions!

Edward

PVC is very easy to work with, pipe and fittings are cheap. All the
tools you need are a wet rag (clean pipe fittings), a hacksaw and a
can of glue. Some would advise using cleaner before gluing but I
usually don't bother.

PVC is harmed by UV rays of the sun is is not advised for surface
use. I do use it and have pipe that has been above ground for years.
It does turn brittle however. The only repairs I have had to make is
when I forget to drain th system before it freezes.

Your 90 psi and low volume is both way overpowered and under volumned
for a sprinkler system. 60 psi is more than adequate to run sprinkler
heads, pressure over that is harmful to fittings.

Depending on the distance it runs, 3/4 or 1' PVC pipe would be used.
At each station you would need one "T" that is threaded 3/4" IPL on
one leg , and a brass "hose to 3/4" ipl adapter. You can have a
"standpipe" arangement by using a plain "T" short piece of 3/4 pipe
as a riser with a coupler PVC-3/4" IPL on the end

Harry K