Before you add watering devices to the tubing, flush it free of dirt and debris. Once the water runs clear from the ends of the lines, turn it off and close the lines with end caps or figure-eight closures.
Figure-eights are simple to install but are less easily removed when you need to flush the line. End caps come in both compression and locking styles and have a tip that can be unscrewed to flush the line; some are designed to flush automatically before and after each watering period. Use your irrigation layout as a guide in locating the various watering devices, but rely on your own judgment in repositioning them as needed.
Drip emitters
To install a drip emitter directly into 1/2- or 3/8-inch drip tubing, punch a hole in the tubing (as shown at bottom) and then insert the barbed end of the emitter.
You can also install an emitter on microtubing run from the main drip line. Connect one end of the microtubing to a hole in the drip line with a barbed 1/4-inch connector. Then insert an emitter into the other end and position it at the plant. You can hold the emitter in place with a stake. On slopes, locate emitters on the uphill side of the plant.
To make a chain of in-line emitters, string them together with microtubing and then secure the microtubing to the main drip line with a barbed connector. The microtubing coming from the water source goes into the colored side of the emitter. Use a goof plug or emitter to cap the end of the microtubing.
Sprayers, minisprinklers, and misters
To install a spray device, run microtubing from a hole in the main drip line, attaching it with a barbed connector. Extend the microtubing to a plastic stake at the desired location. Some devices screw directly to the stake; otherwise, the stake merely supports the microtubing.
Pop-up sprayers and minisprinklers go into the ground. Some come with optional protector attachments to keep soil out. Some mister heads come with built-in spikes as well as barbed connectors that can attach directly to a main drip line or microtubing.
Emitter line
Larger, 1/2-inch emitter line can be connected to the main drip line with a compression fitting such as a tee, an elbow, or a coupling. Plug the end with an end cap. Attach 1/4-inch emitter line to the drip line with a barbed connector and seal the end with a goof plug or, if you want extra flushing action, a drip emitter.
How to punch holes in emitter line
When making holes in drip tubing for emitters and barbed fittings, use a punch designed for the purpose.
1. Make sure the tubing is lying straight and in its final orientation, not twisted.
2. Position the hole so that the emitter will drip to the side or downward.
3. Hold the punch at a right angle to the tubing to ensure a round hole that will seal tightly against the emitter's barb.
You may find the piercing process to be easier if you slowly twist the punch as you push it into the tubing. On some punches, the tip may become clogged; if so, clear it out before punching again. If you punch a hole in the wrong place, seal it with a goof plug.
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