Maintenance

Maintenance

Like everything else, a bit of preventive maintenance will go a long way with keeping your drip system in working order. Periodically check your system for any leaks or ware in the drip tubing. Inspect all drip emitters, sprayers and bubblers and verify that each are flowing and not clogged. Clean or replace any components that have become clogged or have stopped flowing water. Check the filter screen each week for the first month for any debris built up. Clean the screen with a soft nylon brush and water. The frequency at which your filter screen needs cleaning will depend upon your water’s quality.

Check to see if any drip tubing has been moved and under strain, also check for any nicks or cuts and use couplings to replace and bad sections of tubing. It’s best to flush your drip tubing a few times each year. This can help to flush out any minerals that may have built up in the tubing over time. Over time, it may be necessary to add more emitters, sprayers or bubblers as your landscape matures and its watering needs change.

It helps to keep a small repair kit of parts to deal with any problems that might occur over time. Common parts to have on hand are 1/4” barbed fittings, 1/2” tubing couplings, small lengths of both 1/4” and 1/2” solid drip tubing, extra drip emitters and plenty of goof plugs.