Full Product Manual

Installation Cost
Size of Area
Vandalism
Safety
Intended Use
Selecting Low-Volume Irrigation
A Xerigation design is appropriate in any nongrass planting scheme where low-
volume irrigation can reduce water usage and improve plant health. Some of the
factors that might affect your decision include installation cost, size of the area
being irrigated, protection from vandalism, human safety and the type of mainte-
nance that will be provided.
In most cases, the cost of materials will be similar for low-volume and conven-
tional irrigation systems. The cost of labor, however, is often less for a low-
volume system. Because you can often install low-volume systems at or near
grade, you will usually need less trenching and therefore less time and labor.
Generally, nongrass planting areas of any size can use low-volume irrigation.
There are, however, two considerations: plant density and maintenance. A large,
densely planted area with a homogeneous plant material, for example, requires
uniform watering over a fairly consistent root depth and is therefore better
irrigated with broadcast methods. Also, a large area may be easier to maintain if
irrigated with a conventional system, which has fewer parts.
In areas where vandalism can be a problem, it is important to design a system
that can be installed below grade as much as possible, with exposed components
placed out of sight. Consider the individual circumstances of the site when
deciding between low-volume and conventional approaches.
Low-volume systems provide greater safety by reducing run-off on walks and
paved areas, and overthrow into the street or pedestrian right-of-way.
Low-volume irrigation may be less appropriate for sites with heavy traffic
because the exposed tubing can be damaged. Frequent soil cultivation may also
damage low-volume tubing. In these cases, a low-volume system may still be
appropriate if you install it below ground using conventional PVC piping (or
high-density polyethylene tubing in colder climates) and drip components
installed on 1/2" threaded risers. Although the cost of installing low-volume
systems below grade may be higher, the long-term benefits of this type of irriga-
tion make it a very worthwhile alternative. This is, in fact, how most commercial
drip systems are designed and installed today.
Xerigation Product Line
Rain Bird’s Xerigation product line offers a full range of low-volume irrigation
products for many landscape applications. These products include a variety of
emission devices, distribution components, valves, filters, pressure regulators
and risers.
Illustrations and capsule descriptions of many of these Rain Bird Xerigation
products are included in the appendix of this manual. For complete information
about the Xerigation product line, see the Xerigation section of Rain Bird’s
Landscape Irrigation Products Catalog. To obtain a copy of this catalog, contact the
Rain Bird Technical Services Group at 1-800-247-3782. Or, visit the Rain Bird
website at www.rainbird.com, where you can review Rain Bird’s online catalog
and download construction/installation details, written specifications and
technical information.
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