Either as a result of poor irrigation choices or a change to the design of an area in the
landscape, an irrigation zone currently being watered with pop-up sprinkler heads may be
better served using drip irrigation.
Fortunately, there's an easy way to make the switch.
The retro drip adapter from Landscape Products was designed to allow you to convert a standard
sprinkler zone over to drip irrigation without the hassle of building a new drip zone from
scratch.
The choice to make the conversion can help prevent wasted water due to wind and evaporation.
Each retro drip adapter includes a 30 PSI pressure regulator integrated into the cap
and has two outlets for connecting inline emitter drip tubing or .710 polyethylene tubing
for point source emitters.
The body of the adapter houses a 150 mesh filter to protect the emitters from being
clogged by debris and sediment in the water supply.
The first step in the installation process is to figure out how much water will need
to be delivered to the plants in the landscape.
Since each adapter has a maximum output of 6 1/2 gallons per minute or 390 gallons per
hour, this will help you determine how many adapters you will need.
Be aware that the retro drip adapter requires a minimum of a 1/2 a gallon per minute or
30 gallons per hour of flow for pressure regulation to begin.
For example, if using 1 gallon per hour emitters, you would need a minimum of 30 emitters in
the zone for proper operation.
After determining water requirements, locate and flag all of the sprinkler heads within
the existing spray zone.
Based on how many adapters you plan to use, choose which sprinkler heads are best located
for conversion to drip adapters.
Remove the first head, being careful to leave the threaded riser in place.
Now remove the cap and filter from the body and screw the body onto the exposed riser.
If you're using multiple adapters, repeat this process for the remaining heads.
Once all of the drip adapter bodies are in place, open the zone valve to flush out any
debris that may have accumulated during installation.
After the zone has been flushed, replace the filter and cap to the adapter body.
You can then install the drip tubing.
If the area you are planning to irrigate is densely planted, you will likely want to use
inline drip tubing like EZ-ID CV color coded drip line from Landscape Products.
In order to connect the tubing to the drip adapter, you will need 3/4 inch swivel adapters
with a 17 millimeter barbed end.
Insert the barbed end into the tubing, making sure that the tubing is seated all the way
to the base of the fitting.
Screw the hose swivel onto one of the outlets on the adapter's cap and repeat the process
for the other side.
If you only need one outlet, you can close off the other outlet using an optional threaded
cap.
If you plan to use point source emitters to irrigate a sparsely planted area, then you
follow the same process as with the inline emitter tubing but you will need to use a
compression swivel adapter to connect the 710 polyethylene tubing to the retro drip
adapter.
Again, be sure that the tubing is seated all the way into the hose swivel before connecting
it to the drip adapter.
Complete the installation by connecting point source emitters to the poly-lateral tubing
with 1/4 inch distribution tubing.
Once you have all of your retro drip adapters, tubing and emitters installed, cap off any
unneeded heads with the universal sprinkler shut-off cap.
To do this, remove the cap, nozzle, spring and stem from the existing sprinkler head.
Attach the top portion of the shut-off cap to the old sprinkler head cap as shown here.
Then screw the new assembly back onto the existing sprinkler body.
Finally, be sure to test the system for leaks.
You can now enjoy the benefits of saving water with a more efficient conversion to drip irrigation.
Product specifications and design information for all of the products shown here today can
be found at your local Ewing branch or you can visit us online at ewingirrigation.com.