I was thinking about what you said in regards to the water coming out of part of the soaker hose and not the other. So I thought about it for a few minutes and realized that with any garden hose that you hook up to a faucet that has some kind of a nozzle on the other end air is going to be trapped in the hose. What I did with the soaker hose that I bought for my wife's garden. I connected it to the faucet and I unscrewed the cap on the end of the hose. I routed the hose through the flower bed as she instructed. Then I turned on the water. After the water started flowing out of the opposite end of the hose, I replaced the cap. Lo and behold water is coming out of the entire length of the soaker hose not just out of one part. So if you don't take that end cap off and allow the air to escape or evacuate the line, it'll build up pressure. The air won't have any place to go and the water will end up just coming out of just part of the soaker hose. So don't worry about having to use an elaborate setup of multiple hoses and y connections and all this stuff to get your soaker hose to work. It's just not necessary and you don't need to spend the extra money. When you turn off the water and the next day if you're going to use the soaker hose, guess what Air is still out of the hose. Water is in the hose. There's no need to evacuate the hose a second time of any trap there just turn on the soaker hose. Turn on the faucet and your soaker hose will work from one end to the other
I have used both 1/4" and 1/2" soaker hose for irrigation for years and they work great, but you don't need to spend the money on all that brass and extra garden hoses to form those loops, soaker hose is supposed to help save you money on all those individual drippers. The first time you turn on every soaker hose it's full of air, you need to bleed the air from the soaker hose. This can be done in one of two ways, you can just turn it on and let the air bleed out over time - if you do this stand back and watch as the water slowly starts to weep in an increasing amount down the length of hose over time. If you need the system to water evenly as quickly as possible, just turn it on and crack the cap on the far end of the hose until water sprays out the end then tighten it up and now the hose will be weeping along the full length of the soaker hose. The soaker hose needs pressure to force the water out, so once the water is off it doesn't completely drain and thus you only need to bleed it at the first use or after you've moved it. As for your second tip about water pressure, if you ever purchase a soaker hose with a irrigation kit it warns you in the instructions that the soaker hose can be weak because of the porous construction of the hose itself and you should always run a pressure regulator when using them. I've always run a 25 to 30 PSI inline regulator when using a soaker hose or any drip irrigation for that matter and I've never had any issues. Common line pressure in most residential neighborhoods can be 60 to 80 PSI depending on how close you are to the nearest pumping station in the water system, so that regulator is very much a good idea! Side note most newer houses have a adjustable pressure regulator on the main water feed line for the hose to allow you to set a max pressure as it comes into the house, these are usually set between 40 and 60 when the house is built depending on local plumbing regulations.
Even when considering the usual complaints about soaker hoses, for the specific application they're designed for, they beat anything that shoots water in the air. The ratio of water that actually makes it into the ground is remarkable, instead of running off and evaporating all over in the heat, sun and wind. Soakers deliver the water with dead-on precision. For all those reasons, they're highly efficient, smart, precious resource saving, and should be used more.
Thankyou so much, I just sent back 2 soaker hoses that burst out in one place--i couldn't understand, because of that nice cloth-like nylon covering was intact. Thought maybe the stitches had come undone, or that in addition to sewing it together at the side, it had also somehow been glued and over the first week owning it, a glue of some sort had come undone. Hate to admit thus, but there was no instruction so I really didn't know how they worked, and had various hose repair clamps and decided to sacrifice a 3rd hose. Cutting about a foot off the end where it burst out thinking I would find a great big split or something. Wrong, no split--I did find an entire nice tubing inside in which no/zero water ever went through. huh? The water seeps out the sides all the way down and true...doesn't need much pressure--IT WAS THE PRESSURE! (abd yep, I had in trailing through my squash garden going full blast, delighted I could avoid leaf mildew by not spraying water all over the canopy...until it burst.). Holy cow, I hooked it up again, going btw 1/4-1/2. Turns out it was damaged at all. Thankyou again. Why wouldn't the manufacturer say something about pressure on the package? FLoored.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. You could have been me talking at the beginning. I had good drip-age for about 20 feet and then.....nothing. I tried what you said, closed loop and low pressure, and.....WOW! A game changer. Appreciate it.
Hi Jerry, totally agree, it seems like a person would want to crank up the pressure to get the water to the entire hose, but in reality dropping the pressure enables the water to flow more evenly. Thanks for your comment and good luck with your irrigation!
even closed loop will fail eventually because of clogging. im done with soaker hoses. will make my own system next spring. ive used soaker hoses for 3 years to have the clog problem even with a 200 mesh filter. I have a feeling it was a clever way to charge you for recycled rubber.
You don't need to create a "closed system". Just turn up the pressure slightly past the quarter tun. I had the same problem with the water not reaching the end of a 50' hose with a quarter turn pressure.
I use water catchment and soaker hoses. I have not had a problem with uneven watering, but I will implement the closed loop system you have shown. Still, I think you just saved me from having to raise my water totes.
I made a video of the soaker hose i got from Harbor Freight. Dont need a loop setup for it. and it waters even the whole 50 foot. So that is a good one for you to look into.
🎉 Hi again. I watched and saved your video 11 months ago ("Thank you, Thank you, Thank you 👍") and am re-watching it now to prepare a berm to plant 30 Scotch Pines this week. I will let you know how well I succeed. Thank you, Again 😉👍🧓
If you want to save money and only have a 25ft soaker hose run, you just need one Y splitter and both ends of the soaker hose go into each of the Y splitter ends. This works well if you have something like two 25ft rows to water.
Hello stampinsueduffy, as a general rule of thumb your plants need one inch of water a week. However, that is difficult to determine because it depends on how much rain you get and how hot it is in your area. We make sure everything is watered twice a week, if it rains that counts as one time. We put out soakers on for 30 minutes per zone if it doesn't rain, twice a week, hope this helps!
If I have a soaker hose above the ground but below my mulch, wrapped around my trees, and I just leave it there, will this work during winter when it’s -30C or will the hose get wrecked from water freezing and expanding.
I really like this video. I'm planning on using soaker hoses for my flowers around the edge of my yard and was wondering how I find the links you mention in your video for ordering the soaker hoses and connections?
I use one pressure line capped off the end. I then add a T fitting into the pressure equal lengths and capped off each ends you would a PVC lawn system system. Works great, no uneven watering. Install first and last T fitting 3" inward of the inlet and the capped end of the main pressure line.
I would've given 😆you 4 thumbs 👍up but I only have 2. I had the very same problem with water pooling at the beginning but that won't be a problem 🙃anymore with a closed loop setup. So-o-o-o simple. Thanks 🙏
So I have raised garden beds do I just make sure the hoses are a closed loop on every bed so garden hose to bed then shoakers then black pipe to next bed soaker hoses black pipe and so on in a big circle then last be linked to next garden hose that goes back to tap.
Watched this three times and cannot figure out at the begnning where you show the two way that you connect to the main hose but it has four hoses connected to it. How did you do that???
This is probably a dumb question, but here goes. In your video, the garden hose connected to the soaker hose in the closed loop system is the same length. Is this necessary or can you use a much shorter garden hose in the closed loop system? I have a river birch tree on a slope that isn't getting enough water from my lawn irrigation system and it drops lots of leaves in the summer so I've been trying to supplement the water around the tree with soaker hoses, but it is very uneven. I can bring the hose from the faucet to the tree and then run the soaker hose in circles around the tree so I'm wondering if I need to use the same length of garden hose as the soaker hose to make it work properly. P.S. You might want to revise your link for the soaker hose because right now it is not available.
Hi Melody, that is a great question. We have only used soaker hoses and supply hoses of equal lengths, but if the garden hose is shorter than the soaker hose, this method should work just fine with a closed loop because the water pressure will still be equal at both ends of the soaker hose. Let us know how it works out. We did update our Amazon Affiliate soaker hose link and it now works. Thanks for your question and good luck!
@@Housebarons Great question Melody and great answer HouseBarons. I'm installing a soaker hose in my small raised bed and will only need a short regular hose (think hose reel leader) so looking forward to seeing how this works. BTW HouseBarons, this closed loop idea is just brilliant!!
Pressure is pressure. You can't change the pressure by restricting the flow at the hose bib. Even if you just open the valve a little, you will still have the same pressure as it was open full. You are reducing the volume only, not the pressure.
my garden is on a slope, I like your ideas, used soaker hoses for years and went to drip with pressure regulators which worked for me. I believe they are made from used tires which means the rubber is already old. How has the longevity of your hoses. Mine would rot in a year?
Hi Otrot Land, we are using our soaker hoses for a second year currently. We did bring them inside for the winter, which probably helped. However, you have to be very careful while moving them or they can break. Since your garden is on a slope, have you ever considered terracing it so it could be leveled out? This year we are installing drip irrigation all over our farm so we will be interested to see which we like better, drip irrigation or soaker hoses. Thanks for your comments!
they do degrade very quickly 1 to 3 years at most. but after figuring the balancing problem with the presure. they work great for me and the fam. never tryed the loop system just throtal the pressure down and for most part fixes the problem
Hi Beki, we have found that just connecting two soaker hoses won't create consistent water pressure throughout the hoses. We use the splitters so we can put a regular hose at each end of the soaker hose. This enables water to enter the hose from both ends at the same time and does a pretty good job of creating even water pressure. Hope this helps!
Hi E Underwood, our guess is that you would use your soaker hose for 45 minutes twice a week. The way to test it would be to stick your finger into the soil about 3 inches. If the soil is moist you are watering the correct amount. If it is dry, you will have to water more often.
It wouldn't matter if the connector is straight or a Y, you just have to be able to connect a regular hose to a soaker hose at both ends. Hope this helps!
Great video! I just bought a soaker hose today, 25 ft length because thats the length of my 9 garden rows. I'm going to see how well it works later today. Do you think that I would need the loop considering it's only 25 ft?
Hi Steve, you can try it without the loop. If you are getting consistent irrigation from the entire hose, then you are good. However, I would bet that you will get a lot more irrigation out of the end where the supply hose connects to the soaker hose and not as much at the other end. If that happens, then the loop would be a better solution. Let us know what happens. Good luck!
I remember these tips from my nan pops mum and brother. Soaker hose is new to me and seems to be better than your regular evenly space-drilled pipes. Can you put a timer on these soak pipes, I ask? Thank you for sharing. Peace
Hello, I enjoyed your video. I am a little confused between the splitter and the Y shut off. I know silly. So...the y shut off attaches to my faucet and the regular hose and the soaker hose go into that? Then at the far end each of the two hoses goes into the splitter to complete the closed look system. Right? Do I need a back flow preventer at the faucet. Thanks. R
Hi Robin, yes, you are creating a closed loop with two Y shut off splitters, (2-Way Restricted-Flow Water Shut-Off) at the spigot and one at the other end that will join the soaker hose and regular hose. Then you will get even water pressure to both ends of your soaker hose. Use low pressure, no more than a quarter turn. Regarding backflow prevention, yes, it is a good idea to install a backflow preventer to keep soil and fertilizer from contaminating your drinking water. Some places require a certified installer, so you should check with your municipality to find your local requirements. Good luck with your irrigation!
Adding a Pressure regulator is easier then guessing. You can just buy one designed for drip which works well. I sometimes add one if I’ve reused my drip tape one too many times, lol.
So you need one splitter from the faucet going to two hoses, 2 Y hose shut off valves and a soaker hose? Confused. Or do you need 4 Y hose shut off valves in total so you have two for the other side of the connection? Maybe a diagram? Lol
Hi Kim, we have found that 100 feet or less of soaker hose works best for one single area of watering. When you go past 100 feet the water distribution isn't consistent. So if you need to irrigate more than 100 feet we would recommend adding another soaker hose and water in two zones at different times. Hope this helps, good luck!
This is the answer for why my drip system didn't work. Same thing, water coming out at first, and not last. So 2 way at both ends of drip 1/2 inch line.
Does anyone know if I connect one directly to a faucet & run it thru my garden bed will it work without all those connectors? Or should I get a sprinkler hose? I just want a single hose. The area is a straight path that runs from the faucet to the ground that runs along our front porch.
New subbie! Thank you so much for your video. Before I discovered yours someone was replacing soakers with drip because theirs sprung leaks...aaargh...not what I wanted to see. Then I found yours...yaaay! I’m a less than novice on knowledge other than dabbling a bit in growing flowers in containers & first year vegetable gardener. Will this also work with a garden water filter? Not that it matters but I use a Boogie Blue Plus filter. We have heavily treated water so a filter is a must to the garden. Pressure to the filter can’t be more than 25-30 GPM max. The idea of drip doesn’t appeal to me at all so having soaker hoses would just be easier. Will any length water hose work? Like 2-25ft hoses plus any length connected together soaker hoses? Sorry, I know there’s a lot to unpack...
Hi Adrian, so glad you subscribed, welcome! The filter should work fine with soaker hoses as long as you use low pressure. The greatest length we have tried with soaker hoses is 360 feet, which didn't work well because the watering was uneven. We have had good luck with a length of 120 feet of soaker hoses connected to 120 feet of regular hose to provide water pressure from both ends. Basically, the shorter the length, the more evenly the water will be distributed. Also, larger diameter soaker hoses work better than thin ones. Let us know how things work out with your garden. Hope this helps!
I'm experimenting now on that. I have a 25 ft non soaker on a 50 ft soaker. I'm running the soaker around the outside of my deck and the 25 is running under the deck to the y connector.
There are "soaker hoses" and "sprinkler hoses". Sprinkler hoses are the flat ones that spray water out of one side. Soaker hoses can be flat or round and ooze water through their entire surface. if it's spraying water, you have a leak or you have the flow too high.
Hi, you use a splitter to create a closed loop with will allow water to enter the hose from both ends, also, only turn the water on one quarter hose, low pressure. These 2 key points should help you get even water distribution from your entire soaker hose. Good luck!
Hi Janet, I don't know which couplings you mean. But maybe it is where we use a connector that has 2 female connections. Most hardware stores sell all types of connectors, male/female, double male, double female. Hope this helps!
I get your second point, but I’m lost on the first one. I’m having an issue of the end of my soaker hose not getting any water out to my plants. I have a splitter on the Spicket 1/2 of it goes to a soaker hose and another one goes to 100 foot hose that has a splitter on the end of it and to soaker hoses coming off from that one. The very end of one of the soaker hoses there is not dripping but everything else is fine. What would the remedy be for that? Thank you.
@@REDonFIRE You are using hoses that are too long, or running water to too many soaker hoses at once. Only water one leg of the split system at a time.
@@lazygardens I only have one Spicket and a lot of plants to water. So I’m not sure how to do this if I can’t use long enough hoses to reach all the areas.
@@REDonFIRE You shouldn't have to water all the areas every day - you water them one at a time so that each area gets well-watered. The next day you do a different section.
I was thinking about what you said in regards to the water coming out of part of the soaker hose and not the other. So I thought about it for a few minutes and realized that with any garden hose that you hook up to a faucet that has some kind of a nozzle on the other end air is going to be trapped in the hose.
What I did with the soaker hose that I bought for my wife's garden. I connected it to the faucet and I unscrewed the cap on the end of the hose. I routed the hose through the flower bed as she instructed. Then I turned on the water.
After the water started flowing out of the opposite end of the hose, I replaced the cap. Lo and behold water is coming out of the entire length of the soaker hose not just out of one part. So if you don't take that end cap off and allow the air to escape or evacuate the line, it'll build up pressure. The air won't have any place to go and the water will end up just coming out of just part of the soaker hose. So don't worry about having to use an elaborate setup of multiple hoses and y connections and all this stuff to get your soaker hose to work. It's just not necessary and you don't need to spend the extra money.
When you turn off the water and the next day if you're going to use the soaker hose, guess what Air is still out of the hose. Water is in the hose. There's no need to evacuate the hose a second time of any trap there just turn on the soaker hose. Turn on the faucet and your soaker hose will work from one end to the other
soaker pipe is full of holes... wouldn't the water push the air out??
I have used both 1/4" and 1/2" soaker hose for irrigation for years and they work great, but you don't need to spend the money on all that brass and extra garden hoses to form those loops, soaker hose is supposed to help save you money on all those individual drippers. The first time you turn on every soaker hose it's full of air, you need to bleed the air from the soaker hose. This can be done in one of two ways, you can just turn it on and let the air bleed out over time - if you do this stand back and watch as the water slowly starts to weep in an increasing amount down the length of hose over time. If you need the system to water evenly as quickly as possible, just turn it on and crack the cap on the far end of the hose until water sprays out the end then tighten it up and now the hose will be weeping along the full length of the soaker hose. The soaker hose needs pressure to force the water out, so once the water is off it doesn't completely drain and thus you only need to bleed it at the first use or after you've moved it. As for your second tip about water pressure, if you ever purchase a soaker hose with a irrigation kit it warns you in the instructions that the soaker hose can be weak because of the porous construction of the hose itself and you should always run a pressure regulator when using them. I've always run a 25 to 30 PSI inline regulator when using a soaker hose or any drip irrigation for that matter and I've never had any issues. Common line pressure in most residential neighborhoods can be 60 to 80 PSI depending on how close you are to the nearest pumping station in the water system, so that regulator is very much a good idea! Side note most newer houses have a adjustable pressure regulator on the main water feed line for the hose to allow you to set a max pressure as it comes into the house, these are usually set between 40 and 60 when the house is built depending on local plumbing regulations.
Might these soaker hoses also work when attached to a rainwater reclamation barrel using a pump?
THANK YOU for this info.
@@helnyson4694 Or even just a barrel you fill w a hose now and then?
😅😅😮😮
Thank you!
Even when considering the usual complaints about soaker hoses, for the specific application they're designed for, they beat anything that shoots water in the air.
The ratio of water that actually makes it into the ground is remarkable, instead of running off and evaporating all over in the heat, sun and wind.
Soakers deliver the water with dead-on precision. For all those reasons, they're highly efficient, smart, precious resource saving, and should be used more.
I could not get my soakers working properly. I used your method and it worked like a charm. Thanks for the info!
Glad it helped!
100’ of hose and only half was useful. No water coming out at all. Your closed loop idea was the missing piece. Thank you!
Thx for watching!
Thankyou so much, I just sent back 2 soaker hoses that burst out in one place--i couldn't understand, because of that nice cloth-like nylon covering was intact.
Thought maybe the stitches had come undone, or that in addition to sewing it together at the side, it had also somehow been glued and over the first week owning it, a glue of some sort had come undone.
Hate to admit thus, but there was no instruction so I really didn't know how they worked, and had various hose repair clamps and decided to sacrifice a 3rd hose. Cutting about a foot off the end where it burst out thinking I would find a great big split or something.
Wrong, no split--I did find an entire nice tubing inside in which no/zero water ever went through. huh?
The water seeps out the sides all the way down and true...doesn't need much pressure--IT WAS THE PRESSURE! (abd yep, I had in trailing through my squash garden going full blast, delighted I could avoid leaf mildew by not spraying water all over the canopy...until it burst.).
Holy cow, I hooked it up again, going btw 1/4-1/2. Turns out it was damaged at all. Thankyou again.
Why wouldn't the manufacturer say something about pressure on the package?
FLoored.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. You could have been me talking at the beginning. I had good drip-age for about 20 feet and then.....nothing. I tried what you said, closed loop and low pressure, and.....WOW! A game changer. Appreciate it.
Glad I could help!
I like how you answered your own question in the video title.
Dropping the pressure was the counterintuitive fix! Thanks!!
Hi Jerry, totally agree, it seems like a person would want to crank up the pressure to get the water to the entire hose, but in reality dropping the pressure enables the water to flow more evenly. Thanks for your comment and good luck with your irrigation!
even closed loop will fail eventually because of clogging. im done with soaker hoses. will make my own system next spring. ive used soaker hoses for 3 years to have the clog problem even with a 200 mesh filter. I have a feeling it was a clever way to charge you for recycled rubber.
Thanks for the tip. I will try this. I was having a problem with uneven watering.
Hello reginaldrobbins, we are pretty confident that this will work for you. If you try this please let us know how it works out, thanks for viewing!
Wow! Great tips! Thank you!
Hi Joe, glad you found this useful. Let us know how this works for you if you use soaker hoses this summer. Thanks for your comments!
Thank you that was my mindset to at least try.
You don't need to create a "closed system". Just turn up the pressure slightly past the quarter tun. I had the same problem with the water not reaching the end of a 50' hose with a quarter turn pressure.
That’s was a great tip .. closed loop.
I’ve 2 legs running out so it’s easy to join up…. Many thanks for the tips!
Hey B,
Thx much for watching!
I use water catchment and soaker hoses. I have not had a problem with uneven watering, but I will implement the closed loop system you have shown. Still, I think you just saved me from having to raise my water totes.
I'm going to try it, thanks. But how do you connect/close the loop? Is there an adapter one needs to make the hose go back to the splitter?
Makes sense to me ,great tip will try this. I know what you are talking about my garden is soaked on one end and barely wet on the other,
Hey Winner,
Hope it helps. Thx for watching!
I made a video of the soaker hose i got from Harbor Freight. Dont need a loop setup for it. and it waters even the whole 50 foot. So that is a good one for you to look into.
Loop system, great tip thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
hmmmm.... I see you don't put a backflow preventer. Do you think that would be necessary?
🎉 Hi again. I watched and saved your video 11 months ago ("Thank you, Thank you, Thank you 👍") and am re-watching it now to prepare a berm to plant 30 Scotch Pines this week. I will let you know how well I succeed. Thank you, Again 😉👍🧓
That’s awesome - hope your big project goes well!
In order to make this work, you need a female-to-female adapter to connect to the male end of the hose coming from the faucet, correct?
Thank you, this was very helpful. :D
Hello KMJCAN1313, glad it was helpful! Good luck with your irrigation!
If you want to save money and only have a 25ft soaker hose run, you just need one Y splitter and both ends of the soaker hose go into each of the Y splitter ends. This works well if you have something like two 25ft rows to water.
I like that you can use it as a regular hose too by taking off the end cap.
Thanks! How long should you have your soaker hose running each time to be effective?
Hello stampinsueduffy, as a general rule of thumb your plants need one inch of water a week. However, that is difficult to determine because it depends on how much rain you get and how hot it is in your area. We make sure everything is watered twice a week, if it rains that counts as one time. We put out soakers on for 30 minutes per zone if it doesn't rain, twice a week, hope this helps!
@@Housebarons Thank you! Your assessment of 30 minutes/zone helps tremendously.
Thanks!! I use low pressure…but will implement the closed loop!!👏👏
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you 👍
Hey Klee,
You are very welcome. Thx for watching !
If I have a soaker hose above the ground but below my mulch, wrapped around my trees, and I just leave it there, will this work during winter when it’s -30C or will the hose get wrecked from water freezing and expanding.
Was hoping for a side-by-side comparison of single hose vs. loop. Sounds right, though.
Great advice. Thank you.
Hey Richard,
Glad it was helpful! Thx for watching!
thank you for the great tips
Hey dav…,
You are so welcome!
I really like this video. I'm planning on using soaker hoses for my flowers around the edge of my yard and was wondering how I find the links you mention in your video for ordering the soaker hoses and connections?
I use one pressure line capped off the end. I then add a T fitting into the pressure equal lengths and capped off each ends you would a PVC lawn system system. Works great, no uneven watering. Install first and last T fitting 3" inward of the inlet and the capped end of the main pressure line.
Hey Mikyahl,
Thx for the input and for watching!
I would've given 😆you 4 thumbs 👍up but I only have 2. I had the very same problem with water pooling at the beginning but that won't be a problem 🙃anymore with a closed loop setup. So-o-o-o simple. Thanks 🙏
Hey June and David,
That’s awesome ! Thx so much and thx for watching!❤️
So I have raised garden beds do I just make sure the hoses are a closed loop on every bed so garden hose to bed then shoakers then black pipe to next bed soaker hoses black pipe and so on in a big circle then last be linked to next garden hose that goes back to tap.
That is brilliant!!! Closed loop system!! Yay!!
Hello Kill Robots, if you try this closed loop system, let us know how it works for you. Thanks for you comment!
I knew someone would help me. Thamks
Hey my…,
Thx for watching!
You mean to tell me nobody figured out to just put a termination cap on the opposite end? I use mine all the time and love it
Hey Mr....,
😃 Thx fir watching!
Useful, will try it.
So helpful, thank you!
Hey Rebecca,
Awesome! Thx for watching!
Love your stuff kick on love it
Great tips, thanks for sharing.
Hey drumak77,
Thx for watching!
Watched this three times and cannot figure out at the begnning where you show the two way that you connect to the main hose but it has four hoses connected to it. How did you do that???
Can you use a fertilizer injection system with this hose?
This is probably a dumb question, but here goes. In your video, the garden hose connected to the soaker hose in the closed loop system is the same length. Is this necessary or can you use a much shorter garden hose in the closed loop system? I have a river birch tree on a slope that isn't getting enough water from my lawn irrigation system and it drops lots of leaves in the summer so I've been trying to supplement the water around the tree with soaker hoses, but it is very uneven. I can bring the hose from the faucet to the tree and then run the soaker hose in circles around the tree so I'm wondering if I need to use the same length of garden hose as the soaker hose to make it work properly.
P.S. You might want to revise your link for the soaker hose because right now it is not available.
Hi Melody, that is a great question. We have only used soaker hoses and supply hoses of equal lengths, but if the garden hose is shorter than the soaker hose, this method should work just fine with a closed loop because the water pressure will still be equal at both ends of the soaker hose. Let us know how it works out.
We did update our Amazon Affiliate soaker hose link and it now works.
Thanks for your question and good luck!
@@Housebarons Great question Melody and great answer HouseBarons. I'm installing a soaker hose in my small raised bed and will only need a short regular hose (think hose reel leader) so looking forward to seeing how this works. BTW HouseBarons, this closed loop idea is just brilliant!!
Nice tips, thanks!
Hey Gunga,
Thx for watching!
Great vid, thanks for posting…👍
Hey lock..,
Glad you enjoyed it! Thx for watching!
Pressure is pressure. You can't change the pressure by restricting the flow at the hose bib. Even if you just open the valve a little, you will still have the same pressure as it was open full. You are reducing the volume only, not the pressure.
my garden is on a slope, I like your ideas, used soaker hoses for years and went to drip with pressure regulators which worked for me. I believe they are made from used tires which means the rubber is already old. How has the longevity of your hoses. Mine would rot in a year?
Hi Otrot Land, we are using our soaker hoses for a second year currently. We did bring them inside for the winter, which probably helped. However, you have to be very careful while moving them or they can break.
Since your garden is on a slope, have you ever considered terracing it so it could be leveled out?
This year we are installing drip irrigation all over our farm so we will be interested to see which we like better, drip irrigation or soaker hoses.
Thanks for your comments!
@@Housebarons update on the drip?
Great tips thanks
Hey Jim,
Thx for watching!
I learned a lot. Thanks
Hey Heavenest....,
Great to hear! Thx fir watching!
Helpful video. Thank you 😊
Hi Sumchek, glad you found this video helpful, thanks for your comment!
they do degrade very quickly 1 to 3 years at most. but after figuring the balancing problem with the presure. they work great for me and the fam. never tryed the loop system just throtal the pressure down and for most part fixes the problem
can you make a loop with two drip hoses connected into a loop (into each other at the end) without the second splitter
Hi Beki, we have found that just connecting two soaker hoses won't create consistent water pressure throughout the hoses. We use the splitters so we can put a regular hose at each end of the soaker hose. This enables water to enter the hose from both ends at the same time and does a pretty good job of creating even water pressure. Hope this helps!
@@Housebarons What about using a connector with two male ends instead of the splitter?
Thanks for the useful information:)
Glad it was helpful! Thx for watching!
Great info, thanks so much!
Hey Sara,
Thx for watching !
Most helpful information on TH-cam regarding soaker hoses. How long would you run a 50' hose on one 4'x18' raised bed to get the desired result?
Also, is the Y at the end of the soaker hose necessary to bleed out air in the line or would a straight connection with a valve work?
Hi E Underwood, our guess is that you would use your soaker hose for 45 minutes twice a week. The way to test it would be to stick your finger into the soil about 3 inches. If the soil is moist you are watering the correct amount. If it is dry, you will have to water more often.
It wouldn't matter if the connector is straight or a Y, you just have to be able to connect a regular hose to a soaker hose at both ends. Hope this helps!
How do you add a water hose at both ends? The ends are different sizes so you can add extra soaker hoses
Would it work if you do two soaker hoses?
Great video! I just bought a soaker hose today, 25 ft length because thats the length of my 9 garden rows. I'm going to see how well it works later today. Do you think that I would need the loop considering it's only 25 ft?
Hi Steve, you can try it without the loop. If you are getting consistent irrigation from the entire hose, then you are good. However, I would bet that you will get a lot more irrigation out of the end where the supply hose connects to the soaker hose and not as much at the other end. If that happens, then the loop would be a better solution. Let us know what happens. Good luck!
Steve,
How did it go with you?
You can buy a pressure controller to out on your tap to keep pressure down if you have high psi
Hey Sliviz,
Thx for the input and for watching!
These are both great tips that I haven’t seen anywhere else. Thanks!
Hey Justin,
Thx for watching!
I remember these tips from my nan pops mum and brother. Soaker hose is new to me and seems to be better than your regular evenly space-drilled pipes. Can you put a timer on these soak pipes, I ask?
Thank you for sharing.
Peace
Hey Carla,
A timer should work fine. Thx for watching!
so is pressure from a rain barrel enough pressure? and then to make it even, would need to hook the barrel up to both ends - have you tried that?
Rain barrels don't have enough pressure.
Thank you for this!! Your a genius!
Hey Lopez,
THX! Glad it helped!
Def will do this with a timer at spigot
Hey Dan,
Thx for watching!
Hello, I enjoyed your video. I am a little confused between the splitter and the Y shut off. I know silly. So...the y shut off attaches to my faucet and the regular hose and the soaker hose go into that? Then at the far end each of the two hoses goes into the splitter to complete the closed look system. Right? Do I need a back flow preventer at the faucet. Thanks. R
Hi Robin, yes, you are creating a closed loop with two Y shut off splitters, (2-Way Restricted-Flow Water Shut-Off) at the spigot and one at the other end that will join the soaker hose and regular hose. Then you will get even water pressure to both ends of your soaker hose. Use low pressure, no more than a quarter turn. Regarding backflow prevention, yes, it is a good idea to install a backflow preventer to keep soil and fertilizer from contaminating your drinking water. Some places require a certified installer, so you should check with your municipality to find your local requirements. Good luck with your irrigation!
Very helpful 👍
Hey Neil,
Thx for watching!
Wow...totally great ideas !
Hey Kirk,
😃 Thx for watching!
@@Housebarons ripped out my one soaker and installed the closed loop today. Such an awesome idea
Makes sense. Thank you.
Hey crowmanxx,
Thanks for watching
Adding a Pressure regulator is easier then guessing. You can just buy one designed for drip which works well. I sometimes add one if I’ve reused my drip tape one too many times, lol.
Hey David,
Thx for watching!
Thanks 👍🏾
Hi Frugal Flexatarian, hope this will help with your soaker hose setup. Let us know how it goes. Good luck!
Omg!! Thank you so much!!
Hey Nicole,
Thx for watching!
So interesting and helpful!
Hey Desert….,
Thank you for watching!
Do you like the flat soaker hose better then the round rubber kind?
So you need one splitter from the faucet going to two hoses, 2 Y hose shut off valves and a soaker hose? Confused. Or do
you need 4 Y hose shut off valves in total so you have two for the other side of the connection? Maybe a diagram? Lol
great video thanks!
Thank you thank you
You are very welcome
Brilliant.
This might have been asked, I haven't scrolled through it all, but can I run 150 ft of soaker hose using this method?
This makes so much sense now that I see it.
Hi Kim, we have found that 100 feet or less of soaker hose works best for one single area of watering. When you go past 100 feet the water distribution isn't consistent. So if you need to irrigate more than 100 feet we would recommend adding another soaker hose and water in two zones at different times. Hope this helps, good luck!
Some good information but you are mixing pressure and flow volume.
This is the answer for why my drip system didn't work. Same thing, water coming out at first, and not last. So 2 way at both ends of drip 1/2 inch line.
Yes, there are limits to the length of your system, and limits to the gallons per hour you can deliver.
Thank you
Hey Dianne,
Thx for watching!
Thanks 🙏💕
You're welcome 😊
Does anyone know if I connect one directly to a faucet & run it thru my garden bed will it work without all those connectors? Or should I get a sprinkler hose? I just want a single hose. The area is a straight path that runs from the faucet to the ground that runs along our front porch.
Try it. I would have a short regular hose between the hose bib and the ground, but a single line works.
I think he's making it too complicated too.
Great thank you!!
Hey Star…,
Thx for watching!
New subbie! Thank you so much for your video. Before I discovered yours someone was replacing soakers with drip because theirs sprung leaks...aaargh...not what I wanted to see. Then I found yours...yaaay! I’m a less than novice on knowledge other than dabbling a bit in growing flowers in containers & first year vegetable gardener. Will this also work with a garden water filter? Not that it matters but I use a Boogie Blue Plus filter. We have heavily treated water so a filter is a must to the garden. Pressure to the filter can’t be more than 25-30 GPM max. The idea of drip doesn’t appeal to me at all so having soaker hoses would just be easier. Will any length water hose work? Like 2-25ft hoses plus any length connected together soaker hoses? Sorry, I know there’s a lot to unpack...
Hi Adrian, so glad you subscribed, welcome!
The filter should work fine with soaker hoses as long as you use low pressure.
The greatest length we have tried with soaker hoses is 360 feet, which didn't work well because the watering was uneven.
We have had good luck with a length of 120 feet of soaker hoses connected to 120 feet of regular hose to provide water pressure from both ends.
Basically, the shorter the length, the more evenly the water will be distributed. Also, larger diameter soaker hoses work better than thin ones.
Let us know how things work out with your garden. Hope this helps!
cann't you just close the end of the soaker hose with a stopper ?
Was just wondering, do the garden hose and soaker hose need to be the same length or can the soaker hose be longer than the garden hose?
I'm experimenting now on that. I have a 25 ft non soaker on a 50 ft soaker. I'm running the soaker around the outside of my deck and the 25 is running under the deck to the y connector.
I thought this hose has many small streams where the water come out shooting
There are "soaker hoses" and "sprinkler hoses".
Sprinkler hoses are the flat ones that spray water out of one side.
Soaker hoses can be flat or round and ooze water through their entire surface. if it's spraying water, you have a leak or you have the flow too high.
Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Bunny,
👍 Thx for watching!
If I have a female connector at the end of the soaker hose, why do I need a splitter there? Thanks Goater
Hi, you use a splitter to create a closed loop with will allow water to enter the hose from both ends, also, only turn the water on one quarter hose, low pressure. These 2 key points should help you get even water distribution from your entire soaker hose. Good luck!
Great video! How are the two gold couplings linked together?
Hi Janet, I don't know which couplings you mean. But maybe it is where we use a connector that has 2 female connections. Most hardware stores sell all types of connectors, male/female, double male, double female. Hope this helps!
tHANK YOU!!!
Hey Noel,
Thx for watching!
Can you use soaker hoses to water your lawn
Hey earth…,
Might be worth a try…
Thx for watching!
Is this free range grazing
I get your second point, but I’m lost on the first one. I’m having an issue of the end of my soaker hose not getting any water out to my plants. I have a splitter on the Spicket 1/2 of it goes to a soaker hose and another one goes to 100 foot hose that has a splitter on the end of it and to soaker hoses coming off from that one. The very end of one of the soaker hoses there is not dripping but everything else is fine. What would the remedy be for that? Thank you.
Your system has too many hoses and is too long.
Only water with one at a time on the split system.
@@lazygardens Sorry. I don't understand.
@@REDonFIRE You are using hoses that are too long, or running water to too many soaker hoses at once.
Only water one leg of the split system at a time.
@@lazygardens I only have one Spicket and a lot of plants to water. So I’m not sure how to do this if I can’t use long enough hoses to reach all the areas.
@@REDonFIRE You shouldn't have to water all the areas every day - you water them one at a time so that each area gets well-watered. The next day you do a different section.
The loop!!!
Genius