Irrigation Piping
Types Of Irrigation Piping
Irrigation piping works are the core of the entire irrigation system as it is mainly responsible for channeling water from the water source to an agricultural farm or garden and lawn. Therefore, it is imperative to educate oneself about the types of irrigation piping suitable for your lawn or farm.
Basically, there are two types of pipes or tubes commonly used for sprinkler system laterals namely polyvinyl chloride pipe (PVC) and Polyethylene tube (Poly). Laterals, in this case, refer to the pipes or tubes between the zone control valves and the sprinkler heads or emitters. Both types of pipes are plastic whereby PVC is usually white or gray in color whereas polyethylene is black and flexible.
Important Information That You Should Know
As a general rule of thumb, all PVC pipes should be protected from sunlight as they will degrade in sunlight due to the UV rays, causing them to become brittle and eventually fall apart. A UV damaged PVC tends to display a noticeably brownish color and is best to be concealed underground. However, if exposure to sunlight in inevitable, 3 coats of exterior latex paint can be applied or better yet, put foam pipe insulation around the PVC pipe.
On the other hand, poly tube does not break easily and is more forgiving in rocky soils as it is less likely to crack even if it is installed on the side of a large rock as compared to PVC pipes. Saddles are often used on poly tube laterals and are a quick and easy way to connect the sprinkler risers to the lateral pipe. They are easy to install especially when a smaller diameter riser is connected to a larger diameter tube.
PEX tube is a form of poly tube except that it is much stronger and durable, but also more expensive. Due to its strength, it is slowly replacing the copper plumbing within houses. Given its thicker wall than conventional copper tubes, it has less flow capacity. It may be used for irrigation laterals but tends to be too expensive in most cases.
Entrust Your Irrigation Problems to Professionals!
Hydro Solution has served various customers around Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang, Johor and other states in Malaysia. We offers professional service for irrigation system installation as well as installation for sprinkler system. Call us now and let our friendly customer service guide you from there!