Converting Your Sprinkler to Drip Irrigation

A drip irrigation system can reduce water usage by up to 70% compared to traditional sprinkler irrigation. By converting sprinklers to drip irrigation, you will spend less on water and energy, saving more money. A drip irrigation system is a water-efficient system that consistently drips water directly into the plant's root zone instead of saturating the whole area around the plant. Applying water straight to your plants' roots reduces evaporation and improves plant health while using less water. Installing a drip system can save about 30,000 gallons per year.

If you've already installed a sprinkler system and you want to replace it with efficient drip irrigation, don't worry. Converting an existing pop-up sprinkler system to a drip irrigation system is simpler than you would think.

Here is a complete guide on converting your sprinkler to drip conversion.

How to Convert a Sprinkler System into Drip Irrigation

Converting a sprinkler head to drip irrigation is easier. How? The challenging tasks, such as trenching, piping, and installation, have already been done. Now, consider each sprinkler head as a water source, and you need to convert this source into drip irrigation.

One important thing to note is to ensure the sprinklers you want to convert are in a separate zone from those that will water your grass. Proper zoning is important in any irrigation system. Drip irrigation and sprinkler heads should not run in the same zone.

Here are the steps to convert sprinkler heads into drip irrigation.

Turn off the Water Supply

Before starting the conversion, turn off the water supply to your sprinkler system to avoid getting soaked and wasting water while working. Locate the shut-off valve by following the water line from the sprinkler heads and shut it off.

Locate and Remove the Sprinkler Heads

Locate the sprinkler heads you want to convert and now remove them. You can remove the sprinkler by rotating it counterclockwise until it's removed from the riser. In most cases, risers can be buried, so carefully dig the soil to expose the connection point. The exception will be if the sprinkler head is installed on a riser. In this case, you just need to unscrew the head from the riser. If you're unsatisfied with a riser height or the sprinkler was not installed on a riser, you'll need to install a new riser at the desired height. The riser can be ½" or ¾" male pipe thread. Once you install the riser and get it to the required height, here are the different conversion methods.

Determine Water Requirements

Before installing drip irrigation products, you must know how many plants you want to water and how far they are from your sprinkler heads. Once you know how many plants you need to water, you should check each plant's water requirements.

Proper measuring and knowing your plants' water needs will help you decide what emitters and tubing to use to reach them. The rest is straightforward once you have converted the sprinkler head to a drip irrigation connection point.

Install Sprinkler to Drip Conversion Fitting

Attach the conversion fitting to the riser. Choose the conversion fitting that best suit your needs because each one has a specific purpose. Conversion fittings have a ½" FPT inlet, which can be directly attached to a ½" MPT riser or Male hose x Female Pipe elbow with shut off. The Female Pipe Elbow with Shutoff will convert your ½" Male riser to an outlet for your drip irrigation. From here you can connect a pressure regulator if needed and a female hose start fitting to begin your drip system.

If your riser is ¾", use a threaded reducing coupler and ½" nipple to convert the riser to ½" MPT. The fitting will adapt your riser to attach to poly tubing or male hose threads. Then, the drip system is ready to be installed.

Install Drip Irrigation Products

Once you have raised the riser to your desired height, it's time to install the right drip irrigation product. To do this, you will need to run a main feeder line to the desired area and attach it to a drip line or individual emitters. Individual emitters are best for plants spaced farther apart, while drip lines are ideal for row crops and raised garden beds, where plants are close together.

Single Plants

Install a drip emitter that provides the right amount of water for your plant. These emitters can be punched directly into a 1/2" mainline or connected to a 1/4" supply line to reach plants that are away from the mainline.

Multiple Plants

Use a large 1/2" supply line to reach the desired area to water. For row crops and densely planted areas, use a drip line like the 1/4" soaker dripline or 1/2" Emitter tubing.

Drip Irrigation Water Pressure

Water pressure makes a huge difference in irrigation systems. Sprinkler systems work at a higher pressure than drip systems. Most sprinkler irrigation systems operate above 35 PSI, while most drip systems work at 25 PSI or less. If you run high water pressure through the drip system, it will cause drip fittings to blow off and emitters to shoot water instead of dripping slowly.

Cap Unused Risers

Once drip conversion products are installed, remove the sprinklers you won't use. Cap the tops off all unused risers and sprinkler heads to ensure they don't release water after conversion.

Adjust Controller Settings

After installation, reprogram the watering times on your controller or timer. The drip system releases water slowly and runs slightly longer than sprinklers to water the required plants. However, it depends on your drip emitter's capacity and flow rate.

The Bottom Line

Converting your sprinkler system to drip irrigation is a simple and cost-effective process that only takes a few hours. Switching your system will save you 70% water and money and will pay for itself. Delivering water directly to plants' root zones will also increase plant health and reduce weed growth.

DripWorks is a leading manufacturer of irrigation solutions. We carry ready-to-install sprinkler-to-drip irrigation conversion kits that include everything you need to make the conversion affordable and simple. In addition to complete kits, we have all the irrigation products you need.

Build, expand, convert, or repair your system with our high-quality irrigation products to save you money, time, and water.

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