PIPELINES

Description of PIPES

The irrigation pipe, the great protagonist in any irrigation system 

If we intend to set up a network or any irrigation system, the first element we must think about is the pipelines. The irrigation pipe It is the main protagonist in any agricultural or residential installation, and certain factors must be taken into account before making a choice.

In this way, it will not be the same to think of a pipe for drip irrigation that in a tubing for a sprinkler system. And you also have to take into account the material from which the pipe in question is made and what characteristics it has. 

But don't worry if you are not sure what irrigation pipes are what you need. Next we are going to try to explain everything you need to know about a irrigation pipe

But first things first, we are going to try to define what we are referring to when we talk about irrigation pipes

What exactly is an irrigation pipe?

As we said, a irrigation pipe (o irrigation pipes) It is the main element in an irrigation system. The network of pipes will be in charge of transporting the water from the intake, well or pond to the surface that we want to irrigate.

The irrigation pipes used to transport water are always circular, since it is the geometric shape that conducts water most effectively. In this way, disturbances due to pressure losses are significantly less than if the pipes were made of other shapes. 

Due to these disturbances, the corners are not very good at conducting fluids. Therefore, a 90 degree bend is always going to be preferable to an elbow with the same angle.

Furthermore, the irrigation pipes circular can be better adapted and bear a greater weight when they are buried that the irrigation pipes with a flat geometric shape. 

Regarding the manufacturing material, we can affirm that the irrigation pipes made with PVC and PE (polyethylene) are, by far, the most used in the world of agricultural irrigation, both for conduction and for the distribution of water on the surface. 

And now that we know well what are irrigation pipes, we are going to see different irrigation systems and which are the most suitable pipes for each of them. 

What is the best pipe for drip irrigation?

It is increasingly common to see people who choose to choose this irrigation system. But before we start to choose which is the best drip irrigation pipe we must understand well what this system consists of and what its main advantages and characteristics are. 

Advantages of drip irrigation

As we have already mentioned, this irrigation system is becoming more and more frequent. Not only in large irrigated areas, but also in small plantations and urban gardens. 

This irrigation system has multiple advantages, the most important being, without a doubt, making the most of the water. With a drip irrigation pipe Unnecessary losses are avoided, maintaining optimal planting with minimal water consumption. 

Each plant obtains in this way only the water it needs. But this is not the only advantage. This irrigation system offers other advantages related to the development of the plant, such as favoring the development of a taproot. 

A taproot is an elongated, downward-growing root, rather than a root that grows branched and close to the surface. The taproot more easily reaches the nutrients that accumulate in the lower part of the earth. In addition, they have a greater absorption and water reserve capacity. The branched and superficial roots are, on the contrary, more exposed to the cold, the sun, etc. and they have a lower absorption capacity. 

On the other hand, by implementing this irrigation system and using a drip irrigation pipe We prevent an accumulation of water from occurring, thus preventing the appearance of fungi and rot. 

How to choose the best drip irrigation pipe?

There are several types of irrigation pipes used for drip irrigation, depending on our needs and the extent to which we want to irrigate. The polyethylene pipes They are used to insert the drippers, which are both integrated and punctured on the outside. With these pipes we can place each dropper in the exact place where it is needed, so that the use of water is maximum.

As we said, we must take into account the extension that we need to cover, in addition to the irrigation points that we have thought to place. Once we have these two clear factors we will choose the diameter of the irrigation pipe. Thus we can find several types, the most common being:

The pipes for drip irrigation of 5 × 3 millimeters They are indicated for small irrigation systems. They are mainly used to water pots or plants far from the drip pipe, managing to carry the water further by connecting this pipe to the main drip pipe.

16mm pipes. These drip irrigation pipes are the most common. The diameter of these irrigation tubes allows creating systems adapted to any type of crop, both for large agricultural facilities such as gardens, small orchards, etc. 

The 16-millimeter pipes have the possibility of carrying either punctured or integrated drippers. These pipes are handled very easily, which allows us to quickly install an irrigation system. If branch lengths require greater flow capacity, 20mm drip tubing can also be installed. 

Traditionally, drip irrigation pipes they carry the drippers on the outside, so they are supplied without a dripper and then the dripper is added to the pipe in the place that the farmer wants. Currently there are other systems of drip irrigation with the built-in dropper. 

Irrigation pipes with integrated dripper

As we said, there are pipes whose dripper is already incorporated into the pipeline. The good thing about this kind of irrigation pipes is that they require much less installation, since the drippers are integrated at a fixed distance in each roll, and it is not necessary to go one by one by clicking the dripper. We can find, mainly, two types of pipes:

Heavy-wall integrated dripper tubing. This type of pipe is ideal for both large agricultural facilities such as gardens, small orchards, etc. Normally they have integrated drippers from 25 cm to 150 cm, depending on the type of crop, age of the trees or the state of the land, so it will be necessary to know well the needs of the plant and its environment to choose the flow and more adequate distance between drippers. If the dripper has the ability to be anti-suction (AS), we can bury this pipe, thereby avoiding surface breaks when handling the pipe, passing vehicles, collecting, fumigating, or even being bitten by animals looking for water.

Integrated thin wall dripper tubing. Also known as "irrigation tape", it is suitable for seasonal irrigations of vegetables and greens. They have a thin wall to have a single use in the campaign. The drippers are usually integrated every 20 or 30 cm, depending on the separation between the seeds. This type of pipe with an integrated dripper is more economical due to its thickness, in addition to not needing to collect and store for future tilling and sowing for the next season. 

Irrigation pipes for conduction

Before talking about how to choose the best irrigation pipe For the conduction of water to a drip or sprinkler irrigation system, we are going to define well the differences between the use of the PVC Pipe and polyethylene pipe.

Obviously, a drip irrigation system needs to receive the water through larger pipes that lead the water to the drip irrigation pipe. This pipe is usually buried at a certain depth, in contrast to the drip irrigation pipe that usually occurs on the surface. This conduction system is made up of a set of pipes connected through a closed circuit that is fed by water from wells, reservoirs, rivers, canals, etc. depending on the availability of each area and the required flow.

What pipe to choose for conducting water in an irrigation system?

Depending on the required water flow and the network pressure that we need for our system, we will use pipes with one size or another. These pipes, being large, are usually installed buried.

The most used pipe in the main network is the PVC pressure pipe, due to its speed of installation, price and work capacity.

For secondary networks, those prior to the drip pipe, it is usually polyethylene pipe. If the pressures do not exceed 6 atmospheres, the pipe is usually low density agricultural pipe (PE32). If it exceeds these pressures, it installs high density food pipe (PE100)

Within the wide variety of irrigation pipes, we can find other models depending on your application:

  • Sanitation pipe, used for evacuation of water without pressure, or canalization of ditches. It is mainly installed in corrugated polyethylene, although it is also distributed in tile-colored PVC.
  • Drain pipe, to infiltrate water to the ground by means of drainage through perforations in its surface. It is mainly installed in polyethylene, although it can also be made in PVC.
  • Sanitary PVC pipe, or also called evacuation, for sanitary downspouts or circulation in small diameters of water without pressure. 
  • Transparent PVC pipe, used for irrigation viewer after subscribing, or vertical height meter. 
  • Flexible PVC pipe, for the conduction of water in drains or in areas where, due to the characteristics of the installation, it is not possible to use rigid PVC pipe.

As you can see, there are multiple options we have when choosing one irrigation pipe. Everything will depend on the preliminary study of the irrigation system to be installed, depending on the type of crop, the needs of the land, the water to provide ..., and thus be able to select the type of irrigation pipe that best suits your needs. needs. On Mundoriego we offer you all the irrigation pipes that you may need. 

And do not forget that, if you have any questions related to irrigation pipesBoth pvc pipes o polyethylene pipe, you can contact us on the phone +34 655 968 154, or write us an email at info@mundoriego.es. Our customer service team will assist you as soon as possible.