You might try not opening the valve up so much. Apparently the pressure regulator isn't lowering the pressure enough.

Ed

I just installed an 7 GPH emitter at the 1/4" to 1/2" connection. The 1/4" soaker is rated at 0.9 GPH per foot. I have an 8' section.

0.9 GPH/ft x 8ft = 7.2 GHP

And the darn soaker tube still has a stream of water coming out. What the heck am i doing wrong?

TK,

let's start from the beginning. What is your water source flow rate (gpm) and pressure (psi)? When you write automatic distribution tubing, is that a poly line connected to what? An automatic valve from a controller? Please describe the entire system in order to analyze the different branch flows and pressures. Thanks and aloha

So, from the beginning. I have a dedicated underground sprinkler zone for my flowerbeds around the perimeter of the house.
+A 3/4" tube feeds into and out of the value.
+From there the 3/4" tube makes a 90 deg turn up and reduces with a 1/2" pvc reducer.
+Above the reduced, i installed a 25-30 psi regulator (good for 10gpm to 300 something, and for pressures up to 80 psi) (Before installed in the regulator, i tested the pressure at the end of the 1/2" tube and read 40 something psi, that's why i installed the regulator)
+Above the regulator the 1/2" poly tube has a tee and heads to the front and back of the house.
+At the back of the house, about 50' from the valve, I punched a barbed connector for 1/4' drip emitter/soaker tube rated for 0.9 gph / foot @ 25 psi. The barb connector does not regulate flow. After the drip tube was spraying (rather than dripping), I figured the flow rate was still to high, so I replaced the unregulated flow connectore with a 7 gph emmitter for the 8 feet of 1/4 drip tubing. That essentially equals the 1/4" specified 0.9 gph / ft flow rate. At this point the water was still spraying out of the drip tube holes, so i decided i'd shoot really low. I installed a 2 gph emmiter in lieu of the 7 gph at the 1/2 to 1/4 tube interface and it still doesn't dribble out and thats is only allowing 0.25 gph / ft to pass thru the drip tube. (2 gph / 8 ft = 0.25 gph/ft)

I do not know my flow rate. I will try to measure it at the end of my drip line at lunch today and post that info here soon. Thanks for the help.

I'm a little dizzy trying to read all your info, so pardon me if i sound a little ignorant.

I use several drip emitters for some of veggies. My system had such high pressure that it actually caused a couple of my emitters (cheapo) to bust at the seam (they work fine now that i've glued them back together).

I wasn't happy with the reducer that I had, so I did a couple things:

1. broke out the hot glue gun and closed up the hole inside the reducer
2. bought some adjustable emitters and dialed them way down

Not sure if any of this helps, but it worked for me.

TK,

Your pressure reducer is not working. 40 psi is fairly low and should be able to be reduce to 20 psi by an in-line regulator(nothing fancy and expensive). By torguing down the emitters is doing what a pressure regulator does. You are essentially doing what Dirt Tracker said to do(restrict the flow so much that the devise(valve or emitter) drops the pressure). The only way to check the pressure regulator is to check after the pressure regulator. That is how you check your house pressure regulator by testing off a yard faucet. Testing upstream. Thanks for all the info. That helps. Flow rate does not matter for drip but pressure sure does. Flow rate is affected by pressure. Pressure needs to be close to the design pressure of the drip line or fittings. Aloha

I finally fixed the soaker drip line problem this way.
Off my 1/2" main line I attach a 1/4" tubing then I put a 1/2 GPH or 1 GPH pressure compensating emitter (Ewing has the type with a barb on the outlet end as well)on this end I hook up a short 1/4" tubing to a barbed T connector on one other end of the T connector I run a 1/4" soaker hose (it looks like a small foam hose bought at OSH) circle it around the plant and hook the other end to the last end of the T connector. Water will oose out all along the 1/4" soaker hose all around the plant. This also works great for potted plants or for ground cover.