Rural Irrigation/Remote Faucets Methods ??

 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

 On 6/29/2011 7:30 PM, James Nipper wrote:

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?idU2

 
A small air compressor can blow the lines clear of water for the winter.
Fifteen pounds of pressure should do the job. I use a quick release adapter
for the compressor and the adapter attached to a short water hose. Just
make sure the end of the line is open for drainage. I just use the
underground lines just for watering the plants around my home, not in
distant areas.

The biggest problem you are going to have is water pressure at the end of
500 feet depending on the pressure you already have. An extra water tank
could be used that is under greater pressure than the household pressure
could solve that problem if needed, but not a cheap option. Or slowly fill
up a cistern at the end of the line and use pump to water the area needed.

Again depending on your home water pressure, those extra methods may not be
needed.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R  (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

 
I like the change. I will watch the fireworks from a friends boat on Lake
St Clair on the 4th. Happy 4th of July :)

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R  (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

 RBM wrote:

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