Water Pressure regulator for drip irrigation....

[Dennis Peacock]

Good Morning,
The LOML and I have installed a drip irrigation setup for 2 flower beds and 1 of our small garden spots. The kit we purchased a while back came with a pressure regulator and my problem with it...is that is "sings" when the timer kicks on and drives me crazy until I removed it from the setup. Now the timer won't shut off the water and it sings and rattles until the LOML or I go out there and shut the water off at the spigot.

I guess I have higher water pressure on the house but it shouldn't be as I had our local plumber come out and replace the bad pressure regulator on our city water supply to our house. Maybe they didn't set the pressure right or something. Now I need to get a pressure gauge and see what my water pressure is at the faucet. Any recommendations on a decent (but not expensive) pressure gauge?

If you've setup a drip irrigation system at your house....I'd like to here about what you did and how well it's working for you.

Any help, advice, pointers would be greatly appreciated.

[Myk Rian]

You didn't say what kit you bought, but when we go on vacation, I setup an Orbit timer to the spigot. A soaker hose works great. HD sells the Orbit timers. Our well has a max of 60 psi.

A gauge cobbled to a few fittings and a hose should be able to read your pressure.

[Greg R Bradley]

Any hardware store or BORG will have a pressure guage that threads onto a hose faucet. They are less than $10. Most pressure regulators for a house come pre-set for 50 psi. The house plumbing will probably work well with anything from 30-70psi.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Home Depot has a spigot-mount gauge for, like, $6.

[Dennis Peacock]

I have a nice Orbit timer in the system. It has a max incoming pressure of 100 psi. The Rain Byrd kit I bought came with an inline pressure regulator and all it does is SCREAM with vibration and rattles my plumbing in the house. I will go by the Lowes today and find/purchase a water pressure gauge.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Dennis, I have a drip system and my flow regulator is a steel disc (knockout from a 1/2" electrical box) with a 1/16" hole I drilled in it.

It's sandwiched in the female end of the garden hose where it attaches to the faucet.

It's silent and works great, I have another one for more flow in a different area with 3 holes drilled in it...............Rod.

P.S. I had to make washers from old bicycle tubes to fit two washers and a slug in the hose end........Rod.

[Steve Peterson]

I had a system like that many years ago. The pipe would vibrate and "sing" through the entire house. I solved the issue by adding a short hose between the faucet and the regulator/valve. This isolated the vibration so it was no longer a problem.

Steve