"dps" wrote in message
...
bill wrote:
Can someone please tell me the proper water pressure for using the
"leaky hose" made from old tires.

Thanks in advance.
Bill




I believe they're designed for full household water pressure, which
probably is in the range 30-60 psi.

If you leave them out in the garden continuously, they do get holes
(larger than designed), probably caused by insects or rodents. You can
cut out the bad spot and splice them with regular hose splices,
available at your hardware store (around $1 apiece). At some point it's
probably cheaper to buy a new one (and re-use the splices on another
hose).

The maximum water pressure for use with a soaker hose is 30 psi. Ideally,
you want the hose to only sweat, with water just oozing out of the pores -
no spray. Too high a water pressure is most likely the cause of holes,
although I wouldn't necessarily rule out creatures entirely. At any rate,
the intention of these devices is to deliver water at a very slow rate over
an extended period of time so that the water is able to percolate well down
into the root zone. I don't believe I have particularly high water pressure,
but I run my soakers with only a quarter turn or so of the faucet -
certainly not anywhere close to full volume. To determine how long these
types of hoses should be run, test the soil in 20 minute increments. When
the water has penetrated to a depth of 6-8 inches, you have accomplished
your goal. This could be anywhere from 45 minutes to several hours,
depending on the soil type.

pam - gardengal