Do You Really Need a Pressure Regulator? Understanding Water Pressure & Irrigation Systems

Pressure Regulators are an essential, often overlooked component in a Drip Irrigation system. Adam walks through how to determine what kind you need and if you even need one at all.

Drip irrigation operates at low pressure, so if your water source’s pressure exceeds the operating pressure of your drip emitters, you will need a pressure regulator to ensure efficient and uniform performance of your drip irrigation system.

Which regulator you need depends on the connection type of your water source, the flow rate of your zones, and the optimal operating pressure of your emitters.

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[CastBlastCamp]

Keep it up Adam! Cant wait to be fully drip irrigated thanks to you and Drip Depot

[c.m.bigler]

First time viewing one of your videos...I was already more than impressed not even a quarter of the way through... then i put my video critic hat on. I can't find anything to fault here. The voicework is great. Mic is clear and seems to be properly running thru a soundboard. The speaker is easy to understand and we don't have to warm up to any geographic accent. The cadence has a bouncy inflection without being annoying. You managed to resist the urge to get cute and/or funny. The actual information delivered in this content, is expert level. There is no fat to trim & that is refreshing...if it's a stylistic choice - then kudos. If it's out of respect for people's time, then run for public office please. Video editing is flawless, perhaps even professional. The object of which he speaks about is made visible precisely as the viewers ears register it as relevant. And then beyond the video itself, the channel is as good as the video presentation. Hes actively engaging with comments, and in a non-patronizing, meat & potatoes way.

This video has underwent a vucious heatcheck & the results are in. It's a HARD-PASS! Heatcheck Grade: Molten Lava
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[gfabulous]

Thank thank you so much for this video.

[TheOriginalMarimoChan]

Thank you for explaining this, it was confusing to me.

[aunttriciaattic]

This is good information but I have a headache now. I thought I was doing good with a soaker hose. Now I have to buy more

[dhanapos]

Hello very nice video! I would like to ask, I am finalising a design for my gravity fed drip irrigation and my source water is from 40m elevation away. Sould I put my pressure regulator still on the source or should I place it near my drippers?

[harvey]

Good info. My pressure at the backflow preventer is 104 psi, way higher than recommended. That probably explains why I have had pipe joints to separate and leak.

[TheAnthonyBrandi]

Question. are the pressure regulators compensating for inlet pressure? dose the output change if the input pressure changes? these are orifice based regulators i assume. could you not just use a gate valve and have the ability to change the orifice size and fine tune your setup. say you plan on running different plants with different harvest times and you emitter count could change up/down. i find using a gate valve works better for fine tuning.

[richardlyles]

Do you have a universal coupling for drip lines. I want to use it on a garden row drip line that is between rowers. The drip line is removed for row tilling or hoeing

[lostwithoutabeat]

How do we determine the max upstream pressure a regulator can handle? we have a pump on our rain barrels feeding a drip system (all components from y'all except the pump). We have the system feeding 9 raised beds and each bed has it's own 10PSI regulator. I went out this morning and water is gushing out out ALL the beds, like, if I unhook the line from the regulator, water SHOOTS out of the regulators. Any ideas?

[sharierfle]

We have a spiket what would you recommend for this since the pressure.

[cutleyb]

Nice video. What I have always wondered is if I need 25 psi for my entire beds, why can’t I just turn my faucet valve to the required opening? My pressure meter shows I get 25 psi at a 1/2 turn opening of my faucet. Why need a regulator?

[MarjorieGeiser]

Question: Because a couple years ago the water line we had going to the garden broke, we now hook up a hose that runs to the garden. It appears the pressure regulator would go AFTER the timer, rather than from where the hose connects to the house, correct? I have the timer set up by the garden, at the end of the hose.

[mnchnn]

Hi, there are 24 types of pressure regulators on the drip depot website. I’m not sure what the difference is. I plan to connect b-hyve XD one outlet timer to 50 plant pots with a mix of 1/4’’ drip line and adjustable drippers on stake. Would be grateful for any advice

[ggrunau]

When choosing a Hose Thread Pressure Regulator for my drip irrigation system what PSI range would be a safe compromise if I am combining drip-line sections with poly tubing sections using various emitters?

[ClearWater.]

Hi, is the prlv only use to regulate each regular regulator to have constant pressure in each lines or can i just get the prlv to regulate all 8 of my lines to have constant 10 psi? Each line is about 80 feet and the water pressure on the property is 40-45 psi. It seems to drip fine when i have 4 lines open but when i open the 5 line i lose water pressure in the lines. Im trying to have all 8 lines open at one time if possible by using regulators or am I missing the point on the use of regulators? 😅 Thank You

[jonesy]

Hi. I checked out the diagram but not certain when it talks about low and high, and hose or pipe threaded. I'm guessing I may find someone at Lowe's or Home Depot that may be able to explain this, and guide me to the next purchase, right.?. Or, should I talk to my plumber? My plumber never mentioned my high main valve pressure reading. I just found out because I was getting some estimates on completing a drip irrigation system in a new raised bed area I've attempted to complete for the last few years so I'm not sure if he is the right person to ask. Any thoughts? Thanks!! Great info!!

[Lawless]

I've worked on systems that have no regulator. They seem to do fine. I put a pressure meter on one, and when it turned on it quickly dropped to 30psi from 50. So...I guess if its big enough the high flow will drop the pressure? fyi

[mikeferretti]

What about a system only using 1/4" lines?

[skyphantom]

We have the opposite problem, losing pressure with every drip & sprayer