Low Pressure Drip Irrigation Part 2

When I got home tonight, I went and inspected the work I completed yesterday, only to find a small puddle at the bottom of the 100L water butt that I had sat on the ground.  In my haste yesterday, I had bent the tap and the rubber grommet was not forming a seal.  I lost about 25L during the day.

I decided to fix it up straight away, but as I was unable to lift the 100kg of water, I had to drain ¾ of the butt into the veggie patch before I could disconnect it.  I found a very large terracotta pot with a crack in it, so I turned it upside down and used it as the base for the water butt which gave me a little more pressure from this butt and it is now above the level of the garden beds.  I fixed up the tap, stopped the leak, and made sure that everything still worked.  All good for now, and no more leaks.

I then tested the solenoid.  I removed the 19mm plug that I had put in the end of the main line and started to manually start each of the stations on the automatic control panel.  It took a while, but I figured that it is station #2 and the solenoid works fine.  So far so good.

I then cut the main line level with the top of the garden bed, put in a 19mm elbow joint, and then inserted a 19mm in-line filter to ensure that no dirt from the rainwater tanks would block the drippers when I start the system.  I then put a 19mm in-line tap so that I can fill each butt from the main rainwater tank, and so I can isolate all the garden beds with just one tap.  It was just on sunset, and by this time I had an audience with Kim and Amy watching me lay more 19mm pipe across the back of each bed.  Amy decided to help me out, so she became my girl friday and handed me clips and nails to hold the pipe in place so that I could fasten the pipe to the wooden garden beds.  At the end of each bed I put a 19mm to 13mm T piece so that I can start the next stage on Wednesday night.  I finished the main line for four of the five beds before I ran out of 19mm hose clamps so I stopped for the evening.  I will have to pick some up tomorrow.

Sorry that there are no photos today, but by the time I finished, it was very dark.  I will take pictures of the handy work tomorrow, I promise.