Sprinkler piping- use PEX or schedule 40?

[AchingBack]

I've installed miles of PVC pipe. Most of it was class 200. You probably don't need schedule 40. Save your money, and take the wife to dinner. The Difference between Schedule and Class PVC Pipes | South Austin Irrigation Repair Austin, Dripping Springs, Buda, Wimberley Tx

 

[plowhog]

I was not aware of class 200 pipe. I see they carry it at HD and Lowes, but I can only find basic fittings for it (coupler, elbow.) I would also need at least a male adapter to screw the sprinkler head into.

One more question. Direct bury (rated) sprinkler wire, or put down some 1/2 electrical conduit? I don't mind running conduit I'm just not sure what to use and how it would look to come up out of the ground. Put a junction box at grade level?

 

[Complete Turf Care]

I am in South Louisiana where there is no frost line. Our ground never freezes.

Last week I installed a new irrigation system on a baseball field (about 2.3 acres)

We used schedule 40 for all pipe that is under constant pressure. This means anything that is before the zone valves. Anything after the valves that only has pressure when that zone is on, is Class 200 pipe. All the fittings are the same for schedule 40 and Class 200.

We use the direct bury sprinkler wire and do not put it in conduit.....most of the time. If we install the sprinkler wire in an area where someone might use a shovel often, I would put it inside conduit to protect it. The valves only use 24 volts, so not a lot of juice running through them. We did install a booster pump on this system and ran those wires through conduit. The pump is 220 volts.

Also, we use waterproof wire connectors for any connections. We use this type that has some sort of gel in it to protect the connection. King Innovation 2 - Dry Conn Direct Bury Silicone Tube with Strain Relief and Red Yellow Gorilla Nut - Qty 2 for Sprinkler & Irrigation Systems

 

[kc5dlo]

Class 200 will give you more capacity as well. Lowes and Home Depot usually have guides provided by the manufacturers that are great for planning a project. It can help you determine the capacity of your supply and charts that show different pipe size gpm and whats required for different heads. Lots of other usefull tips too. They were free last time I looked at one.

 

[MidTn Mark]

I guess I get to be the lone pex fan. I run it anywhere I can as long as I can prevent uv exposure. It is incredibly easy and fast. I run propex (Uponor) as the ID of the fittings is larger than the standard pex fittings.

The time savings alone offset the price of the fittings.

Mark

 

[hslogger]

In my area, black poly pipe is used for the end plumbing on the irrigation mode. It is connected with a couple elbows so the emitter assembly can be flexed during stress and easily repaired. google " street elbows and irrigation". What I mean, in residential work, the grid is laid out with white pic for the mainlines. The ENDS are pieces of "funny pipe", black poly with emitter of your choice.

On big main lines, and irrigation line in fields, PVC is the right stuff, period. Black poly is often the target of underground creatures that will chew through it. They avoid the white PVC like the plague. I speak from personal experience. All my buried irrigation line is PVC.

 

[BoFuller]

I agree that sch 40 is way better, but I needed something quick and cheap for my fruit trees I had planted. Actually, the ground is so hard that I have yet to dig any ditches for burying it. My black poly has been laying out year-around for 3 years now, and is still working fine.

 

[EddieWalker]

I agree that sch 40 is way better, but I needed something quick and cheap for my fruit trees I had planted. Actually, the ground is so hard that I have yet to dig any ditches for burying it. My black poly has been laying out year-around for 3 years now, and is still working fine.

From what I've been told by the local Water Utilities, black poly fails from movement in the ground. Freeze/thaw cycles move the ground quite a bit, and it's not able to withstand that over a period of time. If you don't have expansive soil, it will last a lot longer then places that do. If it's not in the ground, and you drain it before it freezes, then it might last forever. Does the sun affect it?

 

[BoFuller]

I have VERY expansive soil, so maybe I should just not worry about burying it. The sun takes a beating on everything, but I’m happy that it has lasted 3 yrs so far. Eventually I’ll probably go to sch 40, but at this point I’m not sure where everything is going to end up (additional trees, green house, etc) so I’m better off laying it on the ground.

 

[BoFuller]

One other note - all my irrigation is gravity fed. I have water tanks sitting up higher than the trees and bushes and it all feeds without pumps.