Irrigation-Mart | Drip Tape

Drip Tape

Drip Tape is designed to deliver water and nutrients directly to the root zone maximizing plant growth and production while limiting problems associated with other irrigation methods e.g., erosion, disease, weed growth, soil saturation, energy costs, water conservation. Drip tape is used on a wide variety of row crops e.g., strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, watermelons. Drip tape is also used in Subsurface Drip Irrigation in cotton, corn, sugarcane, and other agronomic crops.
The operating pressure for drip tape is 6-15psi (8-10 being the optimum), we recommend burying the drip tape under the soil with the emitters facing up. This aids in keeping the tape in place caused by expansion/contraction, lessens mechanical damage, and helps prevent tape from plugging due to the setteling of particles from water.

SYSTEM OPERATION & MAINTENANCE

IMPORTANT TAPE FEATURES

The system should be flushed regularly.
Water and chemicals entering the system should be filtered.
Use only fertilizers and chemicals that go into and stay in solution.
Two chemical treatments commonly used are acidification (removes deposits of calcium and iron) and chlorination (oxidizes organics such as algae and bacteria).

True tortuous path for turbulent flow - scouring to resist plugging.
Outlet slit for resistance to root intrusion.
Large flow-path cross section for resistance to plugging.
Tuff for resistance to insect damage and puncturing.
Suitable for surface or subsurface installation.
Shrink wrapped packaging for added protection during shipping.
Strong (high tensile strength and puncture resistance).

SELECTING THE RIGHT TAPE

Run length: distance will limit which tape to use. A low flow tape can reach further (see table).
Slope: elevation change in the row will limit the run length. Tape can run longer downhill vs uphill (see table). 1% slope is a 1 foot rise or fall in 100' length. It is always better to run the header on the high point to feed downhill.
Zone: more area can be watered at one time with low flow vs high flow, this will reduce the number of zones and system cost.
Flow: water source and line size along with the tape, will determine the amount that can be irrigated at one time (zone size). To measure the flow rate, fill a know volume container and time. It is best to do this at a known pressure.
Mil: wall thickness (mil) will be determined by the soil type, insect presence, and type of system (permanent or seasonal).
Pressure (psi): It is critical to keep the pressure uniform (8-12 PSI on the header line).
Service: we stock a wide range of thickness, spacing, and flows in our warehouse so we can offer the correct tape, great pricing, and fast service (same day shipping on most items).
Design: we offer complete system design & assistance to our customers.