at,

Try this site.

http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/dripguide.htm

Are you looking to do the work yourself or hire a irrigation or landscape contractor? Basic info to do both are as follows:
1. Where is your water source coming from?
2. What are you dimensions of the beds and the lawn?
3. Are you on a limited budget or want the most efficient way to go.
4. What is your water source pressure and Flow rate?
aloha

Thanks for your help lehua!

Excellent website.

1. Where is your water source coming from?
Since I plan on doing this myself on the cheaper side I have 3 outdoor spigots that I plan on using as opposed to getting into the main line in the house.

2. What are you dimensions of the beds and the lawn?
I will be taking exact measurements this weekend and sending them off to Rainbird. Do you have any opinions on this? I figured it is free and if they help you sketch out what to get what is there to lose! What is nice though is I live in a semi-urban area and my total lawn space is around 1,500 sq ft. This is why I figured I could do it fairly cheap. My main confusion is how to best link up a drip system along with the regular lawn sprinklers and how to get them on different zones to have the best pressure. I guess Rainbird will help with that?

3. Are you on a limited budget or want the most efficient way to go.
Unfortunately my budget is fairly limited. The wife has had to keep me in check this season as I have done a complete lawn reno last fall and full landscaping this spring. My only selling point that convinced her is that I won't be out watering by hand for over 2 hours haha.

4. What is your water source pressure and Flow rate?
Yet to figure this out. Will go to HD today to get the pressure gauge to check.

Aloha! I am actually taking my second trip back to Kauai and Maui next month. Can't wait! One of my favorite places in the world I have ever visited... if not my favorite!

at,

1. How do you plan to utilize the three spigots?
2. Rainbird can really help you with DIY stuff. Drip areas and lawns need to be separate zone with different run times. Once you get to that level this forum can help. Your difficult decision is what type of irrigation heads you want to use on the lawn. This uses the most water flow.
3. You don't sound very convincing about having a limited budget. Your landscaping is a very important factor in how you and your wife feel about your house.
4. Do you know how to figure out your flow rate? Rainbird will want to know this along with the pressure for designing your system.
5. Where do you stay on Maui or Kauai. Two totally different climate experiences. I lived on Oahu for 25 yrs and know the islands well. Enjoy the aloha.

1. How do you plan to utilize the three spigots?
- Not quite sure yet. Meant that more in terms of having easy access to a spigot if needed. I know running a sprinkler system off of a spigot is not ideal or recommended by most so I will see where I end up with that after some more research.

2. Rainbird can really help you with DIY stuff. Drip areas and lawns need to be separate zone with different run times. Once you get to that level this forum can help. Your difficult decision is what type of irrigation heads you want to use on the lawn. This uses the most water flow.
- After reading through all the pages in the website you sent I really did learn a lot. That was very helpful, Thank you! I will definitely be running a couple zones. My main concern right now is the lawn irrigation, my perennial beds are all thriving right now with hand watering 1/2 times a week (which I enjoy doing). It was mainly the lawn that gave me the problem. When temps were cooler I didn't mind watering an inch once a week, but since we have been in back to back heat waves even twice a week just couldn't keep up with this weather and I just don't have the time for that. If adding a drip line system next year to split up costs is possible without it being more difficult I will aim to do that.

3. You don't sound very convincing about having a limited budget. Your landscaping is a very important factor in how you and your wife feel about your house.
Haha yes I would agree with you on that (and so would my wife!). I by all means want to make sure that I do the system properly but just want to keep costs as minimal as possible while doing that. If you saw my yard you would know what I mean. The grass areas are not large my any means and pretty much the full lawn can be setup to have all the sprinkler heads in the garden beds as opposed to digging into the lawn. And I agree with you, I sometimes feel that the landscape is more important to me than the inside of the house haha.

4. Do you know how to figure out your flow rate? Rainbird will want to know this along with the pressure for designing your system.
- Yes, got that all down.

5. Where do you stay on Maui or Kauai. Two totally different climate experiences. I lived on Oahu for 25 yrs and know the islands well. Enjoy the aloha.
- We rent a house on both islands as we prefer this over the resort/hotel feel. Makes us feel more at home on the island and also allows us to cook our own food with fresh ingredients from the fish and farmers markets. Kauai we prefer to stay on the North Shore near Princeville and Maui we prefer to stay more central near Kihei so we can more easily access both the west side and Hana on the east. I am envious of your lifestyle. If a job opportunity came up the wife and I would pick up and move!

Thanks for your help!

at,

1. Flow rates are additive from the different spigots. You could split the flow at each spigot so you can use it as a spigot as well as feed your irrigation system. Connecting the spigots together would allow you to reduce the number of zones you would need.
2. It sounds like this is unnecessary with your set up, but it would help if you used some large impulse sprinklers for your lawn. I think will be fine with the tall RainBird popups. With 50-60 psi there will be adequate water throw arc.
3. With a small lawn pop ups will do nicely. Rotary pop up are more reliable with more even coverage. When you are done installation, I can help with a way to assess the water coverage.
4. What is your pressure and flow rate?
5. You have selected the best way to visit the islands. Staying in one place for your visit enable you also to get to know your way around and that helps you decompress quickly. The Hanalai Bay/Princeville area on Kauai is a gorgeous area. I hope you will do the 17-mile hike to Kalalau long the Napili Coast. Make sure you pack your camera and mosquito repellent for that one. Haena Beach Park with the wet caves is interesting as well. The Kihei area is more built up and therefore more affordable with places to stay for an extended periods. Maui is a much larger island to roam and Kihei is virtually in the center on the coast. My favorites their is Wailea with a boat trip to snorkel at the small volcanic crater off the coast called Molokini. Of course Hana is a wonderful Get-Away-From-it-all Place. My favorite is Kula(horse Country and Protea Farms Country) on the slopes of Haleakala. Have a good breakfast at Kula Lodge overlooking the central valley of the Vally Isle and a great Italian dinner at Longhis in makawao. My lifestyle is making a living and enjoying the good healthy things and places just like you. Let us know how everything works out. Aloha