Soaker hose problems.

18 years ago

I have a 10 row garden with 40 foot rows. I am using soaker hoses to water the rows in my garden. I have a 1/2 inch PVC line running the length of the garden with valves to water only the rows that need it. I am using a 25psi reducer at the faucet. I have tried hoses from different stores and keep haveing the same problems. The hoses keep blowing. Speaking with numerous nurseries and other gardeners I came to the conclusion that maybe mice were eating them. I tried organic powders containing garlic and blood meal, as well as poison. Nothing ate the poison but I am still getting holes in my hoses. Until the last time I replaced them all I had more menders than I had hoses in the garden. Since my other efforts aren't helping, does anyone have any ideas. Could my pressure reducer be faulty?? I have 60psi at the faucet and have my timer and reducer connected to it. I am able to water 375 feet of hose at the same time. I know the reducer is doing something, it leaks through the check valve hole. Do I need a reducer on every hose or could it be something else?

Help

Bert

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

davidandkasie
18 years ago
soakers are supposed to have less than 10 PSI on them. seems like it is supposed to be under 5, but i know less than 10!

i have a 500 ft roll of soaker that i ran in a continuous loop last year. i put 2 female ends on it and hooked them both to a splitter so that water would flow the whole length of it. i had blow outs all the time until i put the pressure reducers in. i had to play with the splitter anyway to keep the pressure down.

this year i got some PVC and will tee off and run several 100 ft runs. i have to pick up a reducer my self to feed teh PVC.
bert2730
Original Author
18 years ago
A little more on the pressure reducer I have. It is just a little piece of plastic pipe and says 25psi on it. Picked it up from lowes or the depot, don't remember. Does anyone have one of these, seems like maybe its missing something. Should it have a little disk in it like all of the hoses, on the female end??

Here is a link that might be useful: Lowes.com
Related Professionals
Fall River Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Allentown Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Modesto Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Santa Fe Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Pullman Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Ottawa Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Ashland Landscape Contractors · Abilene Landscape Contractors · Fort Dodge Landscape Contractors · Elgin Landscape Contractors · Providence Landscape Contractors · Santa Fe Landscape Contractors · Owensboro Architects & Building Designers · Starkville Architects & Building Designers · Peoria Architects & Building Designers
tejas55
16 years ago
I've had soaker hoses blow the ends off but it was only when I had the faucet turned on all the way. I now just turn the faucet very low and just run it longer. But I've given up on low quality soaker hoses springing leaks and getting clogged up so I'm making my own soakers with PVC pipe with holes drilled in it. It absolutely has to be better than soaker hoses.