Q. Why is there uneven or no flow at the end of the drip line?

A. There are several reasons this may be happening. First, you may want to check for clogged drippers/emitters. If your system is older there may be mineral deposits or debris clogging the emitters. Many times, this behavior is caused by incorrect pressure within the system. Be sure you have the appropriate pressure regulator installed in your system. If correct, you may want to test for a faulty pressure regulator by installing a pressure gauge (such as item #1643) at the end of one of your mainlines or lateral lines. It is also often caused by exceeding the capacity of your system by having too many drippers/emitters on the drip line or your run of tubing exceeds its maximum length. See the Tubing Buying Guide for maximum run length and maximum gallons per hour information.

Q. What does it mean when the water coming out of my system is getting less and less?
A. It could be dirty filters or no filter. If you don’t have a filter, it is highly recommended to get one even if you have “clean” water. Also, if you are using a hose, make sure the valve is open sufficiently to allow optimal flow and pressure. If it is less at the end of your lines than at the beginning, the flow may be reduced because of pressure loss within the lines. If using non pressure compensating emitters, the flow may be reduced as the pressure is reduced. 

Q. Why are all the drippers on my ½” tubing barely dribbling any water? I use a filter.

A. You may have exceeded the maximum gallons per hour for your tubing size. See the Tubing Buying Guide for maximum gallons per hour information. You can either change the drippers to ones with a lower flow rate or you can split that line into two zones. Also you might want to check the flow rate of your water source to ensure you have not exceeded that. Here is a link to our Flow Rate Calculator and instructions for your convenience.

Q. Why is more water coming out of the emitters in my drip line toward the bottom of the slope than the top? 

A. Gravity. If you have slopes or elevation changes in your system we recommend using Pressure Compensating (PC) drip line or drippers. This helps to apply the water uniformly in uneven terrain.