SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers

As long as the controller at least allows you to adjust the duration of each zone, then you should be able to combine drip zones and sprinkler heads on the same controller.

If you are asking if a drip zone and a sprinkler zone can be combined on the same circuit of a controlller, the answer is no. You need to be able to adjust the watering duration (and if possible, even the watering frequency) of drip zones and sprinkler zones independantly.

Are you saying that you have different types of valves for the drip vs. the sprinkler but you want them all in the same valve box? If so, there's nothing wrong with mixing them.

I assume the ones for the drip are different because they include filters and pressure regulators? The drip lines require a 150 mesh or 200 mesh screen filter (even if on city water), and most drip equipment isn't designed to withstand more than about 35-50psi.

The thing I did was to add a filter fine enough for the drip system for the entire system (should prolong the life of the valves). Even on city water, the first year I was cleaning the filter I found a splinter of wood the width of a toothpick about 1/4" long (on city water). Then, while it took some creative piping, I placed a 40psi pressure regulator to the pipe feeding the drip irrigaion side of the valve box.

Are you saying that you have different types of valves for the drip vs. the sprinkler but you want them all in the same valve box? If so, there's nothing wrong with mixing them.

I assume the ones for the drip are different because they include filters and pressure regulators? The drip lines require a 150 mesh or 200 mesh screen filter (even if on city water), and most drip equipment isn't designed to withstand more than about 35-50psi.

The thing I did was to add a filter fine enough for the drip system for the entire system (should prolong the life of the valves). Even on city water, the first year I was cleaning the filter I found a splinter of wood the width of a toothpick about 1/4" long (on city water). Then, while it took some creative piping, I placed a 40psi pressure regulator to the pipe feeding the drip irrigation side of the valve box.

I would like to piggy back a question about sprinkler and drip on the same zone. I recently went through almost this exact conversation and decided to convert an entire zone to drip only so I could adjust the water time and because it seems the most controllable. But here's my question: if ON THE SAME ZONE you were to replace sprinkler heads with a lower flow head, like an MP rotator (or something similar) and then add a higher flow drip line, does anyone think that you could sufficiently water with both sprinkler and drip? My thought being that a head like an MP rotator often has to be run longer duration due to its needs.



I have been wondering this for a while and have never had anyone sufficiently answer whether or not this would be a reasonable idea.

Everything comes back to precipitation rate and your plants' requirements.
It also depends on the drip line and spacing.

You don't mention which MP Rotator so I'll choose the middle (MP 2000), half circle.
At 40 psi you get 19' coverage, .74gpm, .39 inch per hour precip rate and 44.4 gallons per hour.(MP Rotator chart )

High flow drip line: .9 gallons per hour. Now, how far apart are the lines? What is your emitter spacing?
Rain Bird gives the following example: (231.1 (a fixed number in formula) x 0.9 GPH (emitter flow rate)) / (12" (emitter spacing) x 11.2" (row spacing)) = 1.5" per hour. (The 11.2" row spacing comes from an earlier example of a garden. Not a requirement or recommendation. Just for illustration.)

In this example your drip line puts out 3.84 times the precipitation rate of the MP Rotator.
If you use button emitters or micro sprays you have to figure their gpm and spacing and plug into formula.

The short story is you can do anything you want as long as you understand the precipitation rates. If your soil is happy with .39" hr and your flowers need 1.5", no problem.

In other situations the ratio could be reversed.

All nozzles/rotators have precip rates published. For example, look at Rain Bird charts on the bottom of page.
Drip systems take a bit more work to figure out.

Make more sense?