Mery Christmas everybody! Barb, I've used the drip kits with the drip fittings that come in 1/2 or 1 gph. Also used some of the spray nozzles you can get for them. I guess you are talking about the 3/8" black plastic main with the small PRV, that you tee into with the 1/8" tubing with drippers/nozzles on the end. I've not been terribly pleased - they tend to clog up, and I discovered that ants would get into the tubing for the moisture,and then when I'd turn them on they would get stuck and clog the nozzles, and I would have to clean them out often. Don't know exactly how the ants got in there, but they did. Needless to say, I don't use them anymore.

Merry Christmas to you too.
That is the type I was asking about. Thank you for the reply. I guess it would be great if we didn't have ants HAHA Like that will ever happen. I've used everything to get rid of ants but nothing is full proof all the time unless you stay on top of it or use poison which I don't like to use.
It is strange they'd get into the drip system if the ground is wet or damp? Could it be that their trying to get away from the water not knowing the hose is where it's coming from?
I thought that using the irrigation system you'd leave it on 24-7, so the hose would be filled with water at all times?

Back to using soaker hose then.

I didn't leave mine on 24/7 - I'm thinking it would stay too wet and use more water than necessary. I turned mine on 1-2 times per week for several hours, but not continuously. I suppose if you did it would definitely keep the ants out.
I've given up on the pourous soaker hoses, but I do use the flat ones that have the holes. I just point the holes down. I found some in brown and in gray (usually they are green)so they don't show in the shrub beds like green would. There is bound to be a better solution - sounds like an invention waiting to happen.

Maybe I could change out to the flat type of soakers.
I'm not inventive enough, so I doubt I'll be the one to come up with a new way of watering, but I could always give it a try.

I use the irrigation drip and love it. From time to time a dripper will get clogged, all you have to do is take it off and let the water rush through the opening and then put it back on. I have learned the hard way not to use any of the spray nozzels, just go with the 1 gallon per hour pressure compensating drippers. I wouldn't actually use a kit, just get the 1/2" main line tubing, the 1/8" tubing that reaches to each individual shrub, and the 1/8" soaker tubing for perennials. Then get enough 1 gallon PC drippers to reach all of the shrubs and you are set.
I've got them everywhere, the oldest set is 4 years old and still working. The most used ones are in the rose gardens, one is 3 years old, the other is 1 year old. I turn them on once a week for a few hours or so during the heat of the summer. The roses love it. Many other shrubs don't need that much water. The only big problem I've had is that every once and a while some critter will knaw on the 1/2" line trying to get to the moisture. This results in a fine mist being shot out of the line every time the water is turned on. It's easily fixable, just cut the line and take out the knawed part and put a 1/2" connector in to connect the hose.
M