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Western Pa.

I'm planning on irrigating this year from pond water in sun-warmed holding tanks. I've been to the Dripworks site, and find that for every 3' of height I gain 1 psi. (T-tape works at a minimum pressure of 3 psi.) I really don't want to mount these tanks 10' or more off the ground,if I don't have to. Has anyone used a small in-line pump to boost their pressure? Thanks in advance!

3/15/2004 2:57:53 PM

C N Y

yes, i have used several different pumps over the last 3 years..i am not familiar with the T-tape thing, i'm assuming that it's a constant, at-or-under-soil-level
thing, like a soaking system. my first pump was a
1/2-horse sump pump that made, i believe like 20# PSI, and
was not affected by the output being stopped, or turned off, so the idea of hooking-up one of these to your low-pressure network may work. my first pump ran a Joel Holland-
type Water Whiz sprinkler just fine, but anything beyond that became less and less effective in the range of how far
the water would cover. So, depending on how much pressure the tape stuff will withstand, you can formulate from that.
also, since you might be going with a pump system anyway,
and for anybody else listenin', a timer might be a wise investment also. if you have a water supply that runs continuously year-round, like lucky me(!) then you could have a barrel fill-up and a switch could turn-on the pump
once the level in the barrel is high enough, and turn-off
the pump when the level reaches the bottom. i need to make use of the fact that the water running year-round is @ 27#
PSI.........should i break a thousand this year? i hope! eg

3/15/2004 3:41:09 PM

C N Y

PS----the other 2 pumps i have had have been jet pumps, and while they work well for high-velocity, 55-gallons through
3 sprinklers in like 11 minutes-type watering from above, they have a tendency to NEED to be crankin' in order to develop their nice (55-60# PSI) pressure........and if the output is shut off, the pressure-actuated switch starts cycling on/off/on/off unless it is set very high, almost to the point of i am afraid of bursting something, and this condition will arise if the sprinklers you are using become clogged with such things as seaweed fertilizer or undissolved granular fertilizer, soeverything needs to have large orifices, or the amendments must be dissolved VERY well...
i am down to my first pump (20 PSI), and a jet pump that creates 30 PSI now.........so, time for a NEW one! eric

3/15/2004 3:49:40 PM

Midway City, California

Hi Kilr, I have been thinking of this for awhile. I think it will add some pressure. It will only work if the walls of your tank or drum are straight and the diameter is the same at the top and bottom. Measure the diameter of your tank/drum and them make a wood disk about 1/4 inch less diameter. Make additional disk until the cover is about 5 inches thick. Put the completed cover into the tank/barrel and add a few bricks or other weights on top but not enough that the cover will sink. The cover and the weights should add the psi that you need. When you drain the water the disk will go down and when you fill it the cover will float up again. Water = john

3/15/2004 4:50:48 PM

Montoursville, PA

Killer.....I've been on your property and seen your pond. You need an inline pump that can stand being restricted to a maximum of 15 lbs if you are planning to use T-Tape.

Twelve - 15 lbs at the headers would supply and operate any leg of your multi-directional water flow. I would feed your headers with a garden hose distribution system at maybe some thirty five to forty pounds. At each patch header knock it down to 10 - 12 lbs using a pressure regulator right behind a strainer to protect your tapes from pond dirt in flow. Dripworks has those reccommended strainers in their catalog. The one design can be back flushed or manualy cleaned. A valve between the hose and the header, followed by a strainer, followed by a pressure reduction valve would be where I would start. Consult with your Dripworks representative for refined set up. I find them to be excellent when given the working facts reasonably correctly.

An elevation change of 2.3 feet raises or lowers water pressure one pound.

3/15/2004 7:43:37 PM

C N Y

hey Water---THAT is a great idea!!!
never in a million years would me thaughta that!
if anyone can think of anything even more buoyant
than wood, i dunno, perhaps styrofoam or plastic, heck, that might even be better, if that's possible...
great idea, man....!
if you think-up any more ideas, please tell us ASAP! eric

3/16/2004 11:43:33 AM

Montoursville, PA

That's simply amazing. Good luck on the push to success.

3/16/2004 2:26:53 PM

Indiana

Would it be possible to build a bladder tank of some kind Im sure plastic drums would hold a little pressure? just a thought.
Steve

3/16/2004 3:40:11 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

Moondog, I designed a medical pump based on a
Bladder..using pneumatic pressure for head pressure allows for non pulsating flow but where this is not important and "Kicking" or pulses are tolerated there are much cheaper solutions. Regular pumps with a holding tank could supply 5lb pressure all day at a fraction of the cost...but you got me thinking!!!chuck

3/16/2004 6:49:20 PM