Puppy-Proofing my Drip System...
imqtpi
16 years ago
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Bob Richards
5 years agoUser
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Drip Irrigation Newby
Comments (5)I'm currently using rain barrels as my main source of watering. I have 4 50gal barrels, a on deman 6gph water pump connected to a 12v deep cycle connected to 15watt solar panel to charge it. From the barrels it connected to a filter Then water pump then 2 way splitter, one is on a timer to my garden and containers iriggation. Other on a hoe for Normal use. It's work out good, only little problem it's seems like I'm always running out of water, so I might add a few more barrels in the future, but its has been raining in fl everyday , so it works out fine if my barrels getting low, it will refills it for half a week the. So on. One thing about rain barrels, I need to filter atleast twice, one is where the rain gutter water comes in then another is when before the water enter the water pump. Because u don't want debrise to clog up all your hoes. Make sure you spray paint your barrel if it's clear white to prevent mold build up which the result of clogging up your pipes and having to take it apart/wasting water to clean it inside....See Moredrip irrigation in san francisco
Comments (20)I hadn't meant to be abusive of Joe's points, just a counterpoint. Just a note about Urban Farmer's services, they are a full service irrigation store, and sell all the materials to install a conventional spray irrigation system as well. I would like to counter one of Joe's points, about drip irrigation being cheaper to install. I don't find that to be the case, in the systems I design and install, there is more hand labor involved to get emitter line to individual plants, so I'd say that the different systems are probably about on par or even slightly more expensive for a drip irrigation when using higher quality/more reliable fittings and materials. Also, as to the point about needing pressure regulators for drip systems, what is your point? The pressure regulator is not some expensive or elaborate device prone to failure, and even a conventional spray irrigation system will often require a pressure regulator at the valves if the house or street pressures are too high. Where drip irrigation excels is the benefits of using it on difficult to water steep slopes where spray irrigation would cause run-off at the higher application rates, and is not as good at giving deeper watering. You can also get away with using less valves with a larger area of coverage in a typical garden setting, because the water flows required are less volume and pressure. As to maintenance and repairs, I often find that clients with dogs and conventional spray irrigation systems may have more need of regular inspections to repair broken irrigation heads, especially if they conflict with a large dog running along an open metal fence at the street. As well, pop-up spray irrigation heads are equally prone to damage from autos driving over them or lawn mower blades clipping them, and when broken and set to run overnight, the wasted water will be far more wasteful than it would be with a lower flow/lower pressure drip system. I would not waste my time trying to convince someone who has their mind made up about their preferences in irrigation systems, but it is not as black and white as Joe would make it appear. Everyone should irrigate in a way that makes sense for their particular situation. I simply believe that drip irrigation in combination with micro-spray drip can create superb results while also using less water overall. Joe's contention that drip irrigation does not permit deep rooting of plants is only germane for those who don't run their systems long enough to wet the soil deeply. This is also very much a concern with spray systems as well, as most gardeners simply don't know how long it can take to deeply water a clay soil. Most spray systems will cause run-off in clay soils if watered for more than 10 to 15 minutes on a sloping site, and this won't wet the soil much beyond the first inch or two. Not to mention the water lost to wind/over throw spray, and evaporated water lost to the hot sun in combination with winds. In any case, both spray and drip irrigation design have their pros and cons, and the majority of residential homeowners are more likely to be timing their irrigation by schedules rather than plant needs, nor do most adjust their watering schedules more than once or twice a year to reflect the weather and seasons. In specifying which type of system makes more sense for an individual homeowner/client, it helps to weigh all the factors that should influence such a decision. While working as a landscape architect for a large firm doing subdivision homes for a developer, I had occasion to design a subsurface system using Netafim for lawns in this development. I can tell you that it drove the new home buyers crazy, as too many didn't trust that it was working properly, and would reset their individual home's irrigation controllers to vastly overwater the lawns, as they couldn't see it working. While it may make sense to use such a system for a commons area landscape that isn't subject to the whims of different homeowners, I wouldn't recommend it again for the average garden. The one place I would always recommend a spray system over a drip system would be for a client who can't control their dog's digging and chewing of things in the garden. A drip system will be much more vulnerable to damage in such a garden. I've also found that the most common animal damage to drip irrigation systems in my experience has been with squirrels chewing off the hard plastic mister heads I use in gardens which may have subtropicals such as bromeliads mounted on fences or trees. I've learned that the misters should never be mounted on the top of branches, but always on the bottom of a horizontal branch, to make it more difficult for the squirrels to do damage....See MoreDid you know that puppy saliva can stain?
Comments (19)I have only had one piece of furniture stain from dog drool and licking-- and it was the one piece with guardian protection. I wonder if it isnt a chemical reaction with their protection chemicals and saliva?? It sounded like Guardian was sure aware of the problem. I have a mastiff/rottie mix-- and she has an adrenal tumor so she drools a lot. None of my clothes, rugs or other furniture have been stained. I had to replace the sofa because the seats and arms were a mess (she liked to lay on the sofa with her head draped over the arm-- in fact, both my dogs love pillows or headrests.. what a princess!) FWIW, I have been told that licking furniture, rugs, and the air are all signs of an upset tummy. Grace gets an upset tummy often from her cancer and as soon as I see her licking anything, I give her a pepcid. It works like a charm. As for the throw-- I wouldnt worry about waterproofing unless your puppy also "leaks". All you need is a barrier between her tongue/damp feet and the fabric-- she shouldnt be generating enough saliva to wet through the throw into the upholstery....See MoreWater / Ant / Earthquake / Sound Proof a Kitchen
Comments (11)There are automatic water shutoff leak detectors. http://www.plumbingsupply.com/washingmachineshutoffvalve.html And others. I don't know how well they work. There are drip pans for clothes washers, they are common enough. Finding them in other widths is hard. Here is a 24'' one. I've known people (three) who had huge amounts of water damage to their homes from water leaks. In one case, it actually was the dishwasher. But in each case, it was far more water than the couple gallons that a any drip pan can catch - I mean like the fire department had to come and pump out their basement. I have heard some cases on KF where floods damaged kitchens, but I don't know if that was 1 gallon or 1,000. http://www.floodsaver.com/panFAQs.html The cabinets are not going anywhere in an earthquake. Dishes may dump out of the upper cabinets - this happened to some of my friends in some SoCal earthquakes. Get positive latches on the uppers if you are worried - or just figure that once every 20 years, you will replace some dishes. If you don't live in California or other region with frequent earthquakes, stop worrying. When the ''Big One'' comes in your city, you won't care about your dishes. Noise - go to the Appliance Forum and find a long thread titled something like ''does anyone make a quiet refrigerator''. All kinds of people in various degrees of upset that they can hear the ice drop in their refrigerator. I guess none of them have kids, live in the city, have a snoring spouse, etc. Their experiences and recommendations to achieve silencitude appear contradictory and ineffectual. But when I need a good chuckle, I re-read that thread. As for ants, we have an ant problem sometimes. I find that if you don't leave bread crumbs, Nutella smears, sugar spills, jelly blobs on your counter, you have few if any ant problems. Unfortunately, we do, or at least my kids do. It is often weather-dependent too. 1/8'' will make no difference, unless your cabinets are actually levitating, there will be a route for one of nature's most remarkable creatures....See MoreMonique Martinez
4 years agobluesanne
4 years agoMicah Shaeffer
3 years agoAmanda Schwarz
3 years agoHU-843405569
3 years agoZoey Moreau
2 months ago
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