Drip emitters are fast becoming the most popular way to precisely apply water to individual plants. Unlike drip emitter tubing, which has the emitters pre-installed in the tubing at equal intervals, drip emitters give you flexibility to insert emitters with the same or different flow in 1/2-in. “blank” (meaning no emitters are pre-installed) distribution tubing at any interval. This is especially useful in shrub areas with different size plants and random spacing. Another advantage of drip emitters is that you can replace them with higher or lower flow emitters or entirely change the spacing as the landscape matures. Pressure compensation is achieved by a flexible flat diaphragm disc which keeps the flow constant across a range of pressures. This is especially important when multiple emitters are used over a long run of tubing. Pressure compensating drip emitters have a removable cap which allows for easy cleaning of the diaphragm. Use a drip punch tool to create a hole in 1/2-in. tubing and insert the 1/4-in. barb on the emitter into the tubing or insert the barb directly into the end of 1/4-in. drip tubing. Available flows are ½, 1, 2 and 4 gallons-per-hour (GPH). Recommended operating pressure is 30 PSI. For outdoor irrigation use with cold water only.
