All About Polyethylene Poly Pipe and Fittings
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 มิ.ย. 2024
- Everything you need to know about Poly pipe and fittings for irrigation uses.
This video is part of our online video training course Irrigation 101: Piping Systems.
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Subscribe at @Pro Irrigation Training
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i've watching almost every youtube video on this subject and i want to say thank you. Its amazing how many videos are pushing a product , dont get to the point, have biases , etc....this is great - straight to the point and super informative!
Thanks for watching! I do have some product reviews and some more coming, but I try to make sure that I differentiate between those and the educational stuff.
Well done! You even got into a little bit of chemistry with the explanation about the properties of the poly being altered by the application of substantial heat. I had never heard anything as thorough on every aspect of dealing the this tubing. Thank you!
Thank you for watching! I'm trying to drop as much knowledge as I can in these videos.
Thanks for the walk through and recommendations.
Superbly done video. Very informative!!! Thank you very much.
Thank you so much John! I appreciate the comment and you watching. Glad you got some value out of the video!
You’re a great teacher!
Thank you for saying that. I really appreciate it.
I have learned so much! Thank you!
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
This was very helpful. Thank you!
You're welcome and thanks for watching!
Thank you! There was so much information that was wonderfully put together. I've taken many notes from this video for my own project. I'd like to suggest something to help you reach and help more and that is a playlist once you are done. The videos are a great tutorial for us DIY'ers and all are very valuable.
Thank you so much for commenting! I do actually have several playlists put together. Is there a better way of doing that? I ask because I may know a bit about irrigation but much less about TH-cam. I'm learning though!
@@Proirrigationtraining how do i attach that to my copper pipes in my house, i want to extend water to backyard
@@Eastbaypisces You may have to solder in a tee adapter fitting that will change to pipe threads. then you can screw on a PVC female adapter and start your irrigation system. Definitely consider putting a Backflow Preventer at that point to prevent any water in the irrigation pipes from being sucked back into your drinking water.
@@Proirrigationtraining actually im doing pvc, so how i connect to that
Good stuff. I learned a lot!
That's great! Thank you so much for watching and commenting!
Splendid video. I am in the Ryobi ONE+ 18V ecosystem and I found a use for the weak ONE+ heat gun system Ryobi makes. Heating one-half-inch or one-fourth-inch tubing to shove on a fitting.
10:42 the recommend against WD-40 - been there and done it. I thought I was smart as a whip, a little spritz of WD-40 and we were off to the races. A few weeks later I was repairing a leaking connector I had treated with the solvent. I was less impressed with myself. WD-40 fixes "ALMOST" everything.
Yes sir, no doubt. I absolutely love WD-40, its just not for every situation. And I've been hearing a good bit lately from people using heat guns. My only advice is be careful and don't overheat anything.
Great video. Very detailed and informative. I’ve never used poly pipe before. The guy at the home center said I could use a heat gun to warm the pipe and slide in the fitting. Unfortunately, I’m now learning that was terrible advice. He said nothing about using a clamp either.
Ya know, it's probably ok to a small extent. It doesn't take a lot of assistance to get the fittings in. But the more you heat pretty much anything, it changes the elasticity and so forth. I prefer to use a rubber mallet. Just make sure you flush out your zones before you put the nozzles on, the rubber mallets leave little chunks of rubber. And definitely use clamps.
This was expertly done. Fantastic video sir!!
Thank you so much!
Really appreciate it
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I am connecting a garden hose as a supply line to a remote spigot. The connection requires a transition from the hose to a short piece of 1/2" PEX. I don't know what my outside water pressure is but do you think a clamp would be required at the transition fitting?
This was a great video, thank you for your instruction! One question, what diameter poly tubing do I need to connect to a friction barb 5/8" ID outlet?
Hi Lucas, thanks for watching! Is 5/8" the actual size (you measured it) or is that the nominal size of the fitting, as in you bought it as a 5/8" fitting? Poly tubing sold to the irrigation trade is usually 1/2", 3/4", or 1". There are other sizes of tubing on the market for different uses. Go to a Home Depot or Lowe's, and there's an isle that has several types of tubing. Take the fitting there and see what it matches up with.
Great video. Question: What is the best way to remove a pipe from a fitting without damaging either, in the case of repair/servicing?
Hi Robert! Thanks for watching. It's difficult to get a barbed fitting out of tubing without loosening the pipe up. It's best to cut that out and put a new coupling in or whatever your repair needs. Sometimes you don't have enough room to cut it out, and a heat gun used carefully can help you work the fitting out, but push a new one back in while the tubing is still warm. Would love to hear what other techs are doing in this case, we don't see a ton of poly in my area.
This video is very helpful! Thanks so much. I have a couple of questions for you regarding the 1" poly that I am repairing. 1) the pipe is about 20 years old and a couple of goof plugs were leaking. When I tried to remove them they broke and I can't get the part that is inside the pipe. What will happen if I push it in and put in a new goof plug? 2) For patching: once I get the fitting in on end of a patched pipe by hammering, how can I secure a tight fit on the other end? Since you don't recommend anything akin to WD 40 or vaseline, is my only option to push as hard as I can and hope for the best, or do you have another tip? I'll certainly try it on a hot sunny day if that is all I can do.
Hi Tana, hope this reply is soon enough. 1) Go ahead and push it in. The piece shouldn't clog anything, but you can go to the last fitting on that line and remove it, so once you turn the water on, it can blow out the end. 2) Dawn dish detergent or something similar will be slick enough to help you push it into place. Leaving your piece of repair pipe on your car dashboard in the sun will warm it up enough to be a bit more flexible.
@@Proirrigationtraining HI! This is very helpful. I am getting a crash course in all things poly pipe repair and other irrigation fittings. As my landscaping has matured I have discovered that many adjustments need to be made. Roots have closed off parts of the poly and pop-ups are covered up by overgrowth, and much more. I will be checking out your other videos. Thanks!!!!
@@allthesongs7545 You're welcome! Good luck with the repairs, I know it can be a pain when roots are involved. It's the story of my life. If you have any more questions, I'll do my best to help. I may not be lightning quick with the response, I'm still a working man, but I try.
Would you like less broken heads?
A Marlex fitting, combined with the SBE, allows for better placement and overall maneuverability for the sprinkler head. It’s been basic protocol for all my 19 years installing residential and commercial systems.
Perdy solid video otherwise.
6:58 A rubber mallet is a must for us folks up north. Using a torch is asinine.
Great video on working with poly pipe. I notice that you fasten your stainless steel clamps about 1/4 inch from the end of the pipe. I have always wondered about the correct distance but, unlike pex (1/8 to 1/4 inch away from end), no one has ever told me exactly where they should be fastened. With poly pipe, I have been placing them 1/16 inch away. What distance do you recommend? My guess from your pic is 1/4 inch. Thanks 🙏.
Ya know, I'm not sure what the correct answer really is, but I'll tell you what works for me. Each barbed fitting has 3 barbs. Usually when you insert the fitting into the pipe, you can tell where the first and last barb are. I recommend centering the clamp on those ridges so that it makes good, even contact with the barbs.
Fantastic video. Quite an help.
(I just feel sad about the use of imperial measurements instead of metric.)
As always, thank you so very mch and greetings from Portugal.
Greetings to Portugal! I definitely want to start adding metric measurements to my videos. I know it would be simple enough for psi/bar and pipe sizes, but I'm confused about some products that are used in other countries. It seems that some things have metric sizes and some things use imperial. I need a conversation with a distributor in Europe to get it straight.
Question about the 1/2 inch (0.70 or .071) black poly supply for a drip irrigation, does that poly last a long time? I live in the desert and plan on burying it 4 inches underground so little concern about freezing and won't be in the sun.
Yeah it should last just fine. You burying it helpsnout greatly.
My PVC pipe that is under my sidewalk has a leak. As a fix, could I run the swing pipe through the PVC to connect the sprinkler head since the run isn't that long? I want to avoid the hassle of replacing the PVC or ripping up the sidewalk.
If only one or two heads are after the sidewalk, you should probably be good. Swing pipe will only flow 4-5 gpm. That would certainly be easier that replacing the pipe or boring under the sidewalk. Thanks for watching!
We are setting up 1in sprinkler manifold where 3/4 160PSI poly goring to the sprinkler heads and we have difficulty threading them to manifold as the thread comes out coz of stress the poly crates against the manifold threading. Anyone came across this situation and any ideas to fix it would really appreciated. Thanks
If I understand the question correctly, the poly is coming off the barbed fittings? If so, how high is the pressure? Barbed fittings for poly are good up to 80 psi (5.5 Bar). If the pressure is higher, use either crimp clamps or worm-drive clamps to secure the poly onto the barbed fittings.
Here in eastern Nebraska we use poly for the whole system
I've seen a lot of comments about don't use it in the heat, or don't use it in the cold, but its pretty durable. Just bury it deep enough and winterize every year. Thanks for watching!
I need to run some water pipe to my garage. I can get 3/4 " 200 or 250 psi (100ft) for the same price. Would one be preferable? (Mayve 200 is easier to work with?)
The difference is the thickness of the pipe wall. Since Poly is "inner diameter controlled" there's no difference in the flow rating. As long as you're using insert type fittings, you're good with either one. I would use 250 if the price is the same just to get the additional durability.
@@Proirrigationtraining hey...thanks very much. appreciate it.
My 1/2” blue push on fittings all leak out of the square holes on the fittings. What am I doing wrong? How do I fix them?!?
Hi Jil, thanks for watching and commenting. I can't think of any reason that water should be coming out of the fitting. Make sure the pipe is pushed all the way into the fitting, but other than that, I'd contact the manufacturer and ask about it and get replacements. If anyone else has seen this or knows what the problem is, please comment.
Here in WY our frost level is 42 inches haha. Looking to use all poly.
42" ???? That's crazy deep! Yeah, poly is more forgiving in those harsh conditions.
Can this be used for a compressed air system?
No sir, not this kind of tubing. I've read that Poly can be engineered to withstand compressed gasses. But not this kind. In fact, using any type of plastic pipe or tubing used primarily for water (for compressed gasses) can result in severe injury or death. So, my advice is to only use tubing systems designed for compressed gasses. Thanks for watching Emerson, and thanks for the question!
I can never get the worm gear clamp to clamp hard enough to stop the water. I always break the clamp before it stops the leak. i gave up and started using the Harco fittings compression fitting but they cost an arm and a leg
I think worm drive clamps are rated up to 80 psi. Maybe you have pressure that's quite a bit higher? Or possibly find a different brand of clamp? Maybe you've gotten hold of a bad batch of clamps? But in my experience, it's usually because of high pressure. Thanks for watching!
@Pro Irrigation Training i would imagine its higher. Straight from the city pipe. Thought about adding a pressure reducer, but i figured it was the desity of the pipe causing me problems since it's so dense, didnt think of the pressure. Alao its SIDR where the inner diameter is the standard size so thought it might have been that too since i was using a barbed pipe fitting.
The whole property I live on has all its plumbing done with 1/2" poly pipe 😑 it's been a nightmare
Oh my goodness, that is a nightmare!
I had a 1" barbed fitting fail at 60 PSI (NO pinch clamp). In CO. 5400 feet. Colder winters.
Yes sir, that cold weather is brutal on everything.
Why is it that the 1/2” pipe that I have is larger than the 1/2” fittings I have? The barbed 1/2” elbows and extenders slide in and out with ease…
sorry for the slow response, it's crazy season right now. Anyway, there are actually different sizes of 1/2" tubing. There is the thicker wall (about 2.5 mm) poly tubing called "funny pipe" or "swing pipe" or "flex pipe." It has a smaller inner diameter. there is also 1/2" poly tubing that has a thinner wall (about 1.5 mm) This is typically sold as Drip Tubing. It has a larger inner diameter, so the fittings for this kind of tubing won't fit those designed for Flex Pipe. Usually in a hardware store, the fittings for the flex pipe are with the irrigation parts and the other fittings are with the poly tubing.
I installed those clamps on barbed fittings. 5gpm, 60psi, used apollo fittings and leaks every where. I have to use 2 clamps to stop the leaks and some are still leaking. idk whats with this stupid thing. pvc is a piece of cake to attach but not flexible. I wish i used pvc all along
I hear you on that. I always install PVC, and generally dislike poly fittings. But I hate to hear that you're having that much trouble with them. At 60 psi, there shouldn't be a problem getting them to seal with one clamp. I wonder if it's an issue with the fittings?
@@Proirrigationtraining one thing that helped is heat gun. After heating, poly takes the shape of fitting with the clamp and is much efficient. But still i needed 2 clamps. Depends on poly flexibility and outside temperature i guess
I'm rebuilding the sprinkler system that came with the house we bought. It was three 1/2" poly pipe sections just tied into a hose bib. Each zone is fed entirely by 1/2" poly pipe, and the number of heads varies from 1 to 5 per zone. Needless to say, the performance is pretty terrible. They have sprayers with a range of 20-36 ft spaced 14 ft apart, and each sprayer on the 5 head zone is barely managing to even reach the other heads 14 ft away. I'm probably going to end up digging the whole thing up and replacing it next year...
Hey Adam, thanks for watching! The problem is in the 1/2" tubing. It just can't flow enough water to meet the demand. You can only get 4, maybe 5 (with high pressure) gpm. If you want to use polyethylene tubing, 3/4" will flow 8 gpm comfortably, and 1" will flow 14 gpm. A lot of people get confused about flow demand. You determine this by the nozzles on your rotors. Look at the nozzle, then go to the manufacturer's charts and see what flow you'll get at your available pressure. The total of the heads on that zone can't exceed the pipe's flow rating, or you'll get weak performance.
Can this pipe be used for toilet waste that is attached to an up flush toilet?
I don't know about that. It's not rated for it, but that doesn't mean it won't work. At least for a time.
is there ever any problems with rodents chewing through this tube/pipe
Yeah, for sure. And once they get a taste for it, they will destroy a system. That's why pretty much all tubing should be buried. Drip tubing should be covered with mulch.
Note: vasiline absolutely safe and neutral to people and plants.
You're definitely right about that. And in the small amounts needed, would surely be no problem. BUT, I still wouldn't use it, just because it would persist, rather use Dawn if anything.
Vaseline is petroleum based and can break down polyethylene. Could use a water soluble lubricant like KY
@@rjbush Great point, I never thought about that. Thanks for watching!
@@Proirrigationtraining I've been using dawn dish soap for all my barbed fitting repairs for years with no issues. Working on a 30 head install with about 400' of piping and the only thing I use is dawn dish soap to lube things up. Makes a difference and the soap will eventually flush out the heads and not harm the plants or turf.
@@weinkaufa Great tip, Dawn is super mild, and cheap as well. Thanks for watching and appreciate the comment!
I hope nobody actually tried to tighten one of those clamps to 60ft/lbs as mentioned at 8:48. That should be 60 inch/lbs, which would only be 5ft/lbs.