Installing Micro-Sprinklers

Micro-sprinklers require a little different layout than either high-pressure sprinklers or other drip emitters. They are spaced and laid out like high-pressure sprinklers, but the connections and tubing are that of drip systems.

Stake out the sectors to be watered using stakes or flags to represent the positions of the supply hose and the lateral lines. Assemble the sprinkler stakes. There is usually a thin riser that must be screwed or pressed into the top. Then sink them lightly into the soil to mark the planned positions of the sprinklers.

Lay out the 1/2-inch supply line and assemble it with connector tees and elbows. It should be no farther than 5 feet from full-circle micro-sprinkler heads or 10 feet from half, quarter, or strip heads, because those are the limits for 1/4-inch vinyl tubing, given the relatively high gph needs of micro-sprinklers. Cut the vinyl tubing to the length needed to reach from the stake to a convenient point on the 1/2-inch supply line, leaving a few inches of slack for adjustments.

Now punch a hole in the supply line with a hole punch, insert a connector in one end of the vinyl tubing, and plug the connector into the supply line. Attach the other end of the tubing to the barbed connection on the stake. Some stakes include a clip or notch into which the tubing can be slipped to prevent it from being yanked off the stake.

Turn on the supply line and flush until clean. Cap it with an end closure. Insert the appropriate type of micro-sprinkler into the top of each riser. Turn on the water again, and adjust the location and direction of the micro-sprinklers until you have complete coverage, then sink the stakes firmly into the ground.