Final Preparations

Final Preparations and Start up

Before operating your drip system, it’s important to do a complete walk thru and check all your drip tubing and connections. Verify that the water source connection components are installed and each connection is hand tight. Be sure that all drip lines are securely attached to their fittings and that all drip tubing end caps have been installed.

If everything checks outs, it’s time to turn your water on. Begin by turning on you water and letting the system fill up for several minutes. You may hear a hissing sound coming from several locations on your drip system. This is the air that is being expelled from the drip emitters, soaker hose dripline, sprayers or bubblers. Once your drip system is fully filled with water, this hissing will stop. After the system has been running for about 15 minutes, check for any leaks with the water source connection components and with any drip tubing connections. Check that each drip emitter, sprayer or bubbler is working properly. If there is excessive leaking around any installed drip emitters or where any 1/4” barbed connectors are attached to 1/2” drip tubing, remove the emitter/connector from the 1/2" tubing and insert a goof plug to seal the hole. Then use your hole punch and reinstall the drip emitter or 1/4” barbed connector at least 1-1/2” away from the goof plug.

It’s important to remember that some leaking around drip emitters or barbed connections is normal with a system startup. As the tubing fills and expands, the connections will seal over time.

Make any adjustments to sprayers, bubblers or flow control valves that might be needed. Add any drip emitters that may have been missed during the installation or extra emitters, sprayers or bubblers to supply more water to a given area.