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Q. Is a Maxijet Drip-Mist system easy to install? A. Absolutely! It was designed for homeowners just like you. Our Micro Sprinkler Starter Kit connects directly to an ordinary outdoor hose faucet and can be installed in under 60 minutes. Our Patio 16 Drip Irrigation Starter Kit is even easier to install.
Q. Why connect to a hose faucet? A. Because your largest tubing size in a residential Drip Mist system is half-inch poly tubing capable of carrying up to only 4 gpm or 240 gph of water. This figure can be adequately provided by your hose faucet, so there is no need to connect to underground piping from your water meter or well. A regular classic lawn sprinkler system needs to connect directly to larger piping because it uses up to 12 gpm or an astounding 720 gallons of water PER HOUR!
Q. What about a filter? The screen filter included with the Starter Kit backflow component is a minimal device and should eventually be replaced by a good wye filter (RBY075MPTX). It is better to clean a good filter (200 mesh) once a month, than to discover you have 12-15 drippers or sprays that are clogged and need to be laboriously cleaned. A good filter is a critically important ingredient in Drip Mist irrigation.
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Q. Where can I use Drip Mist?A. Maxijet Drip Irrigation or Micro-Spray Irrigation is ideal for landscaped areas, vegetables, shrubbery, flower beds, trees, patio plants and gardens of all kinds. The possibilities are endless. Soil can also be a useage consideration. If you have have a hard or clay soil that encourages run-off, you can split your watering time up into three or four seperate shorter watering times to prevent run-off.
Remember once you have your water connection active, your half-inch lines laid out and your tees and elbows installed, be sure to flush out any dirt and debris before proceeding to install laterals, drippers and stakes. Always work OUT from the water source when installing an irrigation system. Once laterals are installed another flush of the tubing is recommended. Do NOT bury Drippers; once you bury a Dripper, the only sign it isn't dripping will be a dead plant.
Q. How do I control water to low use and high use plants? A. By using the smaller - .5 gpm - Drippers on low use plants, and 1 gpm Drippers or the Adjustable Drippers on high water use plants. Or if even more control is required, you can use a wye at your hose faucet to create two independent watering zones; one for low water use plants, one for high water use plants. As you become more familiar with the components in your system, what the do, and other components available, you will find you have an interesting new hobby that pays huge dividends in satisfaction. If your ambient water pressure exceeds 50-60 lbs psi, you should install a 30 lbs psi pressure regulator (PSIL30X075). We also offer a line of pressure regulating drip filters (PRF075RBY), so one purchase takes care of (200 mesh) filtration and pressure (30 lbs psi) regulation.
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Q. How long a line can I run from one faucet?A. Here is an extreme example - with a minimum household water pressure of 40 psi you can run a line of half-inch Maxijet Poly Tubing up to 300 ft. (that's as long as a football field!) and have as many as 50 Stake Assemblies with small orifices. You can call your water company to find your current water pressure. The above is NOT recommended practice.
In reality, limit your quarter-inch laterals to a maximum length of 15 feet and a maximum total flow of 40 gph @ 30 lbs psi. Do NOT exceed a 250 foot length or 240 gph (total draw of all components) use on a half-inch tubing. The first sign of overloading will be poor pressure near the water source, not way down at the end of the run. It is better to overdesign, leaving room for future expansion, than to underdesign and wonder why the sprays dribble and some drippers don't drip.
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Q. How much water will I save using a Maxijet Drip or Micro-Sprinkler System?A. You can save up to 90% on water use with a drip mist irrigation system, compared to high volume irrigation systems. Each Stake Assembly uses only 10 gallons of water per hour. Drippers use .5 to 2 gph, whereas a standard 10' radius full circle classic Toro spray sprinkler head uses 2 gallons of water per MINUTE or an incredible 120 gallons per hour! Remember to use Drippers for maximum water efficiency and conservation. Drippers are also very appropriate for use on container plants. When adding a short tube run from a dripper to a bug diffuser cap do not exceed five feet between emitter or dripper device and bug cap.
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Q. How much area does each Mister cover and will it spray my house and side walk?A. There are a variety of Mister Spray Jets available in our Maxijet Drip-Mist Irrigation Starter systems that are designed to help prevent overspray onto houses and sidewalks. You can choose the right Mister Jet patterns (quarter circle, half circle, center strip, full circle) for the right areas and customize your system coverage to minimize overspray. Each of our Misters has an average spray radius of about 4 ft., but you can use the Mister Valve on the Landscape Stake Assembly to adjust the size and distance of your spray pattern.
When planning water for a shrub or tree, allow for future growth; plan on adding one or more drippers or stakes as the shrub or plant grows and needs more water. Figure future modification into your design, don't "max out" your quarter-inch or half-inch tubing.
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Q. When and how long should I water?A. Early morning is the most effective time for watering landscapes and gardens. Depending on the type of soil, climate conditions, and variety of plants, a typical recommendation is that you water every other day for 30-60 minutes. You should adjust this as needed. Using our Drip Irrigaion System and Mister Irrigation system will help prevent overwatering. Another advantage of using Drip-Mist irrigation is that in most areas you are exempt from water restrictions such as one day per week watering.
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Q. How do I fix a Clip-Stake Mister that won't spray?A. During installation the Mister or the Violet Flow Controller may have become clogged with debris. Use either a small paper clip or Maxijet Orifice Cleaning Tool (AKC3CLTQ) to unclog the debris from the Mister's orifice. Or simply twist the Violet Flow Controller apart - clean, and then replace. If your water supply has hard or dirty water, we recommend a wye screen filter (RBY075MPTX) with 200 mesh screen. If you are using a well with debris in the water, you may need to go to a Vu-Flow filter for pre-filtering of particulates.
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Q. What tools do I need?A. Scissors, Sharp Knife or Wire Cutter is required to cut the 1/2" Poly Tubing and 1/4" Vinyl Tubing. Do not use anything with a cerrated blade that creates particles while cutting that can get into your tubing to clog drippers and misters.
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Q. Can I run the tubing under a sidewalk or sod?Yes. To install the Poly Tubing under a sidewalk, use your garden hose with the water running at full pressure to push a large enough PVC pipe under the sidewalk, then slide your tubing through the pipe after placing tape over the end to prevent dirt from entering tubing.
When burying the Poly tubing, use a lawn edger to very carefully wedge the tubing underneath the sod, taking care not to damage the tubing.
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Q. What can I do when my plants grow taller than my Misting Stake Assemblies?You can use the Stake Extensions (MNB08) to add an extra 8 inch to the height of your Stake Assembly or 12 inch (MNB12). Make sure you snap the Extension into the clip of the Stake. However, this is really a temporary solution as the plant will continue to grow and the Stakes begin to look obtrusive and become subject to damage. A better and more permanent solution is to reposition the stake(s) and if needed, add a second or third stake that will allow water to reach the blocked plants.
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Q. How do I move my Stake Assemblies further away from the Poly Tubing?You can use the 1/4" Vinyl Tubing and the 1/4" Barbed Couplers (XBF1CONN) to increase the distance between the Stake Assembly and the Poly Tubing. Simply cut the Green 1/4" Vinyl Tubing to the desired length and splice it in using two couplers.
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Q. How do I connect my Maxijet Mister or Drip Irrigation System to an existing PVC System?For the physical connection an adapter would be needed, with many available. However, you should be aware that drip systems are rated in output at Gallons Per Hour, while classic irrigation sprinkler heads are rated in Gallons Per Minute. Drip-Mist generally needs a longer run time. This means that drip mist components actually added onto an existing classic lawn sprinkler zone doesn't always work very well. Ideally, Drip Mist should be added using a seperate zone in order to be able to control the watering time independently of any large lawn spray or rotor heads. An exception to this would be where plantings dictate drip-mist must be added to an existing lawn sprinkler system zone. In such cases it would be wise to use the Adjustable (0-10 gph) Dripper (MBDADRB) because it can put out fairly large amounts of water if needed.
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Optional Electronic Timer InstructionsBATTERY INSTALLATION: Open the battery door by removing three screws. Install one new 9V alkaline battery into the unit in the position where it fits with the negative side up toward the top and the positive side facing the bottom of the timer. Replace the battery door and secure with the screws. Once the battery is installed, and before attaching the unit to the faucet, manually open and close the valve. To open the valve, turn the dial to the "ON" position. You will hear a clicking sound which signifies the open. Return the dial to the "OFF" position (again you will hear a click) and follow the "Programming Your Timer" instructions below.
PROGRAMMING YOUR TIMER
1) TO START - Turn the yellow dial to the "OFF" position and press the "ENTER" button.
2) SET THE TIME - The "SET TIME" light will start flashing yellow. Rotate the dial to the nearest hour (in the yellow band) and press the "ENTER" Button.
3) SET THE START TIME - The "START TIME" light will be flashing yellow, Rotate the dial to the nearest hour (in the yellow band) and press "ENTER" button. NOTE: If the start watering time is after the current local time, watering time watering will begin on that day. However, if the watering start time is before the current local time, your watering will begin the next day. The unit will run 1 time before beginning the frequency count.
4) SET THE WATERING FREQUENCY - The "FREQUENCY" light will start flashing red. Rotate the dial to the desired setting (in the red band), and press the "ENTER" button. NOTE: Frequency can be set as either hours or days, Not both.
5) SET THE DURATION - The "DURATION" light will start flashing green. Rotate the dial to the required number of minutes (in the green band) and press the "ENTER" button. Leave the dial set to the desired number of minutes.
6) START YOUR TIMER - Attach the unit to your faucet and turn the faucet on. Watering will begin according to your set program.
IN CASE OF A MISTAKE OR INCOMPLETE PROGRAMMING, YOU HAVE TO FINISH ALL FIVE STEPS AND THEN START THE PROGRAM AGAIN WITH STEP 1.
NOTE - The above instructions apply ONLY to the Timers offered as options with our Starter Kits. More sophisticated timers will include detailed installation and operating instructions with the timer.
For other questions relating to installing one of our Starter Kits or other components please call us at 352-683-3582 |
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