How to Install a DIY Foundation Watering System (Complete Guide)

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Adam walks through considering and installing a DIY Foundation Watering System. This system will help save you time from hand watering and money on costly foundation and structural repairs.
Shop our selection of Foundation Watering Kits: www.dripdepot.com/foundation-...
It's possible to create any layout based on these modular drip irrigation components, no matter how large or unorthodox the foundation footprint.
This system is ideal for dry, clay-heavy soil in Texas and Oklahoma, providing a more efficient, durable, and cost-effective solution than a soaker hose for foundation and structural preservation.
If you'd like to start with the exact kit we installed in this video, we used a modified Basic Foundation Watering Kit: www.dripdepot.com/foundation-...
Special thanks to Hummingbird Estates in Jacksonville, Oregon.
www.hummingbirdestate.com/
Foundation Watering Guide: help.dripdepot.com/support/so...
How to Zone Your System: • How to Setup a head as...
How to Find your Flow Rate: • How to Check the Flow ...
How to Design a Drip Irrigation System: • How to Design a Drip I...
Tools used:
- 🔨 Hammer
- ✂️ Scissors
- Tubing Cutters: www.dripdepot.com/1-inch-poly...
Parts List:
Head Assembly:
- Hydro-Rain HRC 980 Hose Timer: www.dripdepot.com/product/hyd...
- Hendrickson Bros J10 Hose Vacuum Breaker: www.dripdepot.com/bros-j10-ho...
- Tee Filter: www.dripdepot.com/product/tee...
- Senninger 3/4" Hose Thread Pressure Regulator: www.dripdepot.com/product/sen...
- 1/2" Irritec Perma-Loc Tubing x Female Hose Thread Swivel (FHTS) Adapter - Thread Size: 3/4" FHT: www.dripdepot.com/perma-loc-t...
Tubing, Fittings, Drippers, Etc.:
- 1/2" Polyethylene Tubing: www.dripdepot.com/polyethylen...
- 1/2" Polyethylene Pressure Compensating Drip Line: www.dripdepot.com/product/hal...
- 1/2" Tubing Tee: www.dripdepot.com/perma-loc-t...
- 1/2" Tubing End Cap: www.dripdepot.com/perma-loc-t...
- 1/2" Tubing Coupling: www.dripdepot.com/perma-loc-t...
- 1/2" Tubing Elbow: www.dripdepot.com/perma-loc-t...
- 1/2" Tubing Coupling Valve: www.dripdepot.com/perma-loc-t...
- 8" Galvanized Steel Wire Stake for 1/2" Tubing: www.dripdepot.com/product/8-i...
- 1/2" Tubing Holder Stake: www.dripdepot.com/product/hal...
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Intro
0:20 - Who needs to Foundation Water?
0:33 - How to determine if you need to Foundation Water
1:03 - How do you automatically water a Foundation?
1:43 - Planning the System
2:29 - Parts you need for an Automatic Foundation Watering System
5:57 - Installing the Head Assembly (connecting the tubing to your water)
7:13 - Installing the Mainline
8:37 - Connecting the Drip line to the Mainline
10:39 - Installing a Coupling Valve into the Mainline
12:14 - Flushing the System
12:54 - First Watering Cycle to Troubleshoot any leaks or errors
13:48 - Frequency & Length of Watering Cycles
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▶️ Website - www.dripdepot.com
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Опубликовано:

30 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 47

@MrMichaelPet 5 месяцев назад

Absolutely the most professional video about foundation watering. Thank you so much.

@dripdepot 5 месяцев назад

You're very welcome, thank you for the feedback as well, it is truly appreciated!

@simonjohns6474 Год назад

Love your product. I just installed a dip system on my raised beds today. I would highly recommend this to anyone that is interested. So easy to install and super customizable. Little tip for people struggling to get the tubes on the barbs. I put some olive oil on a paper towel and wiped it on the barb. Slide on so easy!!!

@GardeningwithDave 7 месяцев назад

Hot water also works great as well.

@the-hollywood-dog-says-6072 11 месяцев назад

You are extremely helpful and a great presenter!

@CastBlastCamp Год назад

I never would have knew about foundation watering.

@dripdepot Год назад

You and me both! This actually came to us entirely through customers, going back a few years now. None of us had heard of foundation watering -- the first time someone asked about it we were like: "You want irrigate... your house?" Then we started researching it and learned of the benefits, particularly in dry climates. :)

@jh2519 11 месяцев назад

@@dripdepot I just moved to Houston from Montana and I had no idea about watering foundation. With this extremely hot summer and drought, I am finding out the hard way. All of my doors in my house started binding up, a few tiles in my floor were cracking, and some of my drawers roll open when I try to shut them. Thanks for the info, hopefully this can reverse some of the damage!

@dripdepot 10 месяцев назад

@@jh2519 You bet! We're up in Oregon and it was much the same, we hadn't heard of it either. Once it was explained to us by some patient customers we understood, but our initial reaction was somewhere along the lines of: "You want to water your house!?" I hope it does reverse the damage! I'm in no way an expert on house foundations, but I do suspect that, at the very least, it can prevent any further damage. We've received a lot of good feedback from people doing this and they reported it was very successful.

@tkimmel8260 Год назад

More questions: Just skip a patio area that is adjacent to the house foundation? No line or water there? Is the line flexible enough to go around corners, or do I need to get elbow connectors? Is it okay to use two faucets, or is it better to keep all the supply water coming from one faucet? Does it matter? I’m in Texas, but I’m going to order at least some of my supplies from you because you’ve been so helpful! Thank you!

@dripdepot Год назад

In most cases, patios are skipped (though foundation near them may be watered to maintain even soil moisture). You can skip it by either using "blank" tubing (no emitters in it) through the patio area or using two spigots, as you touched on, so that the patio doesn't have to be crossed at all. The line is reasonably flexible, but not for sharper turns -- for the corner of a house, I'd probably use an elbow fitting -- I do think going without, it could still make the corner, but it wouldn't be as flush and as neat looking. The elbows in this case will be party for aesthetics (keep it nice and tidy looking). In regards to faucets, it may not matter -- if a single faucet can provide enough water to supply all the emitters, there's no harm in going with a single faucet. A very large foundation or house might end up high enough flow that it would be beneficial to divide it into two zones fed by two different faucets. This part will become more clear as you test the flow rate of your water source (timer and bucket) and plan out the total linear feet of dripline you'll need. Also, I'm very glad you found the video helpful! At the end of the day, that' my ultimate goal, so thank you so much for the feedback :)

@doeboy319 11 месяцев назад

hi everyone. I wanted to add some insight over the importance of the soil properties itself. Usually Foundational issues are seen in heavy clay soils. To help with this, adding mulching or cover crops help add organic matter to soil. Therefore it doesnt crack as easily (doesnt expand and contract when wet/dry as much) also prevents soil erosion.

@dripdepot 11 месяцев назад

Very good information here, thank you truly!

@doeboy319 11 месяцев назад

@@dripdepot thank you as well for this informative video!

@AlejandroRodriguez-dt5it 11 месяцев назад

I’m sorry, can you explain a bit better. I’m in TX and my home is on heavy claim soil. Where should I be adding mulch?

@doeboy319 11 месяцев назад

@AlejandroRodriguez-dt5it I can try. Adding organic material to the soil makes it over time, more like what you would use in a garden or what you can find in a bag of potting soil. It's loose, fluffy, holds moisture, and has soil biology (bacteria and fungi). This is optimal, because good soil holds water well, is easy to water, and with this won't expand or contract as much as a higher clay soil. Mulch is essentially a thick layer on top of the soil, this helps shield it from the sun and helps with moisture retention and over time naturally breaks down into great organic material. Another youtube video might be able to fill in more or give you a better idea. But these are the basics. Hope it helps

@matthewharper8933 Месяц назад

Great video and website! We just bought our first home, newly built in Dallas, TX. I'm starting to see a gap from the clay soil drawing away from the foundation, so I'm eager to buy one of your foundation kits, a hose timer, etc. One question I don't see covered yet: our driveway is adjacent to one side of the house. It's a split driveway with light gravel down the middle, so we could irrigate that part, but our car would go over the hose twice. I'm really not sure how to handle that.

@dripdepot 29 дней назад

Great question! There are a couple ways you can handle this to protect your tubing but also get water across the driveway. 1. You could bury the tubing beneath the drive way -- they make hose attachments that use water to bore a small passageway beneath concrete. This is probably one of the more difficult ways to do it, particularly if repairs ever need to be made. Running it through some protective conduit (class 200 PVC pipe works well there) is advised so that repairs are minimal. 2. You could use quick connects so that you can quickly disconnect when not watering and then reconnect before the next watering cycle. This does take more babysitting of the system than is always desired. 3. I saved what might be the best for last -- this solution actually came from a customer who was asking the same question (I wish I could take credit!). He ended up using larger sized cable protectors -- the same type you see in offices and other locations where a lot of wire or cable is ran. This allowed him to simply run the tubing across his driveway, but still protect the tubing from damage. You'd want it to be the sturdier and larger cable protectors, but they did the trick for him :)

@khoupernikkus6967 10 месяцев назад

Thanks Adam for the extremely thorough walkthrough! I have just submitted an order for the parts needed to convert our existing soaker hose-based foundation watering system to a drip line system. Regarding the Tee filter, is there an actual filter cartridge that needs to be routinely replaced? Or is it a mesh filter, like the ones in pop-up sprinkler heads? Thanks a bunch!

@dripdepot 10 месяцев назад

You're very welcome, thank you as well! Great question on the filter -- it does have a cartridge/element inside -- with clean water, it won't need to be replace too often. And when it gets clogged, you can usually spray it down to get the debris off. Screen filters filter from the inside out, so you can spray the outside of it to remove the majority of the debris. Eventually it will need to be replaced, but it shouldn't be too often :)

@TuckerAhlstrom-lq2yh Год назад

Hello! Just ordered and installed drip irrigation all around my foundation. Is it okay to put a Irritec Perma-Loc Tubing Tee - Size : 1/2" at the start of the system? I have it routed from the one faucet on the back of the house and immediately splitting with the tee to go around both side of the house.

@dripdepot Год назад

You bet, completely acceptable to Tee the mainline near the water source -- I'd say it's fairly common as well, with gardens often being on both sides of a yard (or needing to get to the front and back). So long as the other limitations are accounted for (200' maximum length for 1/2" tubing) the Tee at the start won't present any issues :)

@louvisciotti9293 Год назад

Thanks for the info! I live in Houston, TX. What is your opinion about burying the drip line about 4-6 inches underground? Also, I'd like to use a sprinkler hose vs a drip line or soaker hose and would like your opinion on that. Thanks again and great video!

@dripdepot Год назад

Thank you as well for reaching out! Burying emitter lines have pros and cons -- on the plus side, it keeps things out of sight and helps prevent accidental damage from landscape maintenance equipment and foot traffic. It also protects it from exposure to the elements (particularly UV). With that said, it does make maintenance more difficult (have to dig to access it) and makes it harder to discover leaks. Buried emitter line is also more prone to plugging -- when using it buried, there are some speciality versions out there you can get to reduce the odds of clogging. If you go that route, look for anti-siphon drip line with the outlet flap (the flap closes when it's not in use to keep debris from entering the emitter outlets). When it comes to sprinkler hose / soaker hose / drip line, I'm definitely biased towards drip line since I work in drip :) With that said, I think drip line is objectively better in almost all cases. Sprinkler hoses and soaker hoses tend to be just holes in some hose (sprinkler hose) or porous along the entire length (soaker hose). This means there's nothing to prevent them from performing horribly, particularly further down the line. What happens is, the earlier parts of the hose use up the majority of available pressure and flow, leaving the later lengths of the hose emitting far less water than earlier parts. Dripline has actual emitters beneath each hole along its length -- the emitters feature labyrinthine passages and sometimes diaphragms -- these (along with a pressure regulator) help control the amount of water being released by each emitter. That's why with drip line, you see things like "0.5 GPH Flow Rate at 25 PSI" but don't see things like that with soaker and sprinkler hoses.

@arjunkr6133 11 месяцев назад

@@dripdepot Thanks for the insightful video! Any recommendation for emitting spacing like 12 vs 18 inches for clay soil areas like in North Texas?

@dripdepot 11 месяцев назад

@@arjunkr6133 Good question, and it could go either way, particularly with clay soil -- if the 18" spacing is seeing full coverage (it definitely can depending on how dense the clay soil is) it's probably the more efficient route. In most cases, I'd probably test it out a bit (with a very slow dripping hose or similar) and then dig around to see how far the water spread :)

@user-tr1kv2gr7i 11 месяцев назад

My lawn goes right up to the foundation. Can the drip line be installed in the grass in such a way that I can mow over it or can I install the drip line right next to the foundation?

@dripdepot 11 месяцев назад

We do see some folks raise their mower and mow over the tubing/drip line, but the results are often mixed (taller than desired lawn, damaged drip line). Unfortunately you don't want it too close to the foundation as it could cause other issues (getting into any cracks in the foundation, eroding soil away). While not ideal, the drip line is pretty light weight, depending on the amount you need to use, it can be fairly easily lifted out of the way during mowing. :)

@treebrune4936 11 месяцев назад

Does it matter the orientation of the holes in the dripline (the built-in emmitters)? Do they go facing up or facing the ground?

@dripdepot 11 месяцев назад

Very good question! I wish I could go back and mention this in the video now, thank you for the great question. The emitters, as much as possible, should always face up :) They'll work fine when oriented down, but it increases the risk of clogging (debris getting in through the emitter). Thank you again!

@tsjgnlnl Месяц назад

I see that you used the same drip line for the place that has the most sun and the side that has less sun. In the video you said you were going to use 1GPH for the sunny part and 0.5 GPH for the less sunny part. How did you get the 1GPH and 0.5 GPH flow rates with the same 12" drip-line which would be 0.5 GPH.

@dripdepot Месяц назад

The two drip line look identical, as the emitters that are responsible for controlling most of the output, are inside the drip line. Even the emitters are going to look very similar other than small (and probably difficult to see) differences in orifice size and flow path. There is one more way to account for sunny vs shady that we didn't mention in the video, and that's emitter spacing -- poly drip line like this is commonly available at 9", 12", 18" and 24" spacing -- this allows someone to go with a wider spacing on the side of the house that doesn't need as much water, and/or a closer spacing on the sides more exposed to the sun.

@tsjgnlnl Месяц назад

@@dripdepot Ok. In the video he used a 1/2" mainline and 1/2" dripline with 12" spacing, didnt mention any other dripline being used thats why I got confused. I just ordered the foundation watering kit and it has 2 100' 1/2" drip lines with 12" spacing. I guess if i wanted a higher flow rate I could punch some additional holes in the dripline?

@dripdepot Месяц назад

@@tsjgnlnl Yep, other than the mention at the start, I didn't mention the difference in flow rates again -- the video was getting pretty long at that point so we made some tough decisions in the cutting room floor. And you do have it right (and that's a great suggestion!), you can indeed punch in additional drippers between the ones in the dripline if you end up needing more water on the sunny side of the house.

@liiontommy Год назад

How many hours should a side be in the sun before we consider using the 1.0 GPH line?

@dripdepot Год назад

Very good question -- the answer isn't necessarily "x" amount of hours, as it can vary quite a bit based on other factors (soil type, etc). Essentially that threshold would be reached when using 1.0 GPH on that side provides the same consistent moisture as 0.5 GPH on other sides with the same watering cycle (assuming they're on the same zone). In actual practice, I suspect it wouldn't take too many more hours than other sides of the house are getting, at least in general situations and particularly during a hot dry summer like this one.

@trevorreed4711 10 месяцев назад

To avoid evaporation, would you suggesting running your hose in the evening or very early morning?

@dripdepot 10 месяцев назад

Very good question -- it might be worth checking with locals to see if there's some advantage to running it during the heat of the day, but when using it for irrigation you've got the exact right of it -- running it early in the morning or evening does reduce evaporation. Evaporation will already be low (it drips directly into the soil, the wet spot on top, where evaporation will occur, should be small), so we maximize the efficiency by running early or late. With the goal of foundation watering being an evenly moist foundation, I suspect running it so the foundation is sufficiently moist (but not wet) early or in the evening will see it through the heat of the day. Try a cycle out, and then dig around a little after (or late into) the hottest part of the day and make sure the soil is retaining moisture :)

@mikejones4721 Месяц назад

I purchased the straight, inline filter. It leaks at the connection with the pressure regulator. No matter what. Also, what causes the faucet to squeal when it runs through the system?

@dripdepot 29 дней назад

Mike, check for the gasket in the female side of that connection -- if the gasket is missing, that's the culprit. If it's there, fire me off a picture (or maybe even video so I can hear the sound too) in an email from here, happy to help everything get up and running like it should: help.dripdepot.com/support/tickets/new I can confirm that, with the gasket in place, that connection should not leak (also make sure there's no thread seal tape, that can cause leaking but shouldn't be used with hose threaded connections).

@AlejandroRodriguez-dt5it 11 месяцев назад

Hello! How do I get this exact system? I live in TX and the summer heat is killing my clay soil and I’m worried about my foundation. Please help.

@dripdepot 10 месяцев назад

Everything in the video is available on our website :) We can also help you find it all if you like, just fire us off an email at our Contact Us page -- during office hours (Mon-Fri 7 am to 3 pm PST) we'll get back to you quickly, usually within minutes. Just in case, here's the link directly to our Contact Us: help.dripdepot.com/support/solutions/articles/11000049095-how-to-contact-drip-depot These systems are actually pretty straight forward as well -- as you saw in the video, not too many parts are required -- a head assembly to connect it all to the water source, some mainline tubing and then the dripline. An elbow or tee fitting here and there and an end cap or two and you're basically done. We can help in keeping it simple :)

@AlejandroRodriguez-dt5it 10 месяцев назад

@@dripdepot Hi. Any chance I could set up a time for a video call to give you a quick run down in real time if my home set up to get your best recommendation?

@tkimmel8260 Год назад

It doesn’t need to be buried?

@dripdepot Год назад

It can be buried or above surface :) When it's above the surface there will be some evaporation, but it should still be minimal as it drips slow enough that water should not pool on the surface. It's a bit of a tradeoff, burying it is a little more efficient but slightly increases the risk of clogs.

@leojosephbutlerjr.mbamsha7531 2 месяца назад

I requested for assistance from this company and did not receive what I needed to purchase this equipment. I strongly recommend to consult a professional before purchasing this equipment with no guidance or support.

@dripdepot 2 месяца назад

We read and reply to every email we receive, during office hours typically within minutes and we all have a good understanding of these systems. I'm unsure where you tried to contact us, but from this link you'll get a reply every time: help.dripdepot.com/support/tickets/new