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Soaker hoses

2K views 22 replies 16 participants last post by  Fred Monty 
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#1 ·
What is the general idea on soaker hose installation?

Should they be right up next to the foundation, or should they be off the foundation a few inches or so?

I'm just looking for the general rule when installing soaker hoses to help prevent your foundation from cracking.
 
#3 ·
I'm just looking for the general rule when installing soaker hoses to help prevent your foundation from cracking.
Good question, water is cheap compared to foundation repairs. I thought they were supposed to be placed 6-12" from the edge of the foundation?

I am considering burying mine and plumbing them into my sprinker system as a separate zone on a 2hr/week frequency.
 
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#5 ·
I decided to try the soaker hoses you buy from Lowe's. I guess 12"-18" is the consensus, and about 3" deep.

miketyler, I'd love to plumb mine into the sprinkler system. Maybe I'll do that. Thanks for the idea.
 
#10 · (Edited)
I would think at least an hour a week to do any good during the summer. If I turn it on for 15 minutes its a slow drip all along the length of the hose and doesnt amount to much - maybe 1/4" or less?

I just bought some 75 footers and noticed they have a restrictor in the end of it. That probably slows the flow down to some degree. In Lake Ridge we have some pretty substantial earth movement. I definitely want to maintain the correct balance to keep everything in it's place. :D
 
#16 ·
bcoop said:
His s/n is junior. He does Fred's, and several others. I'm going to have him come look at ripping up my entire yard and starting over.

As in rip out all the grass and shit? Dees he do that? Lyn and I were just talking about this fall getting someone to come dig 2 feet of dirt out of the flower beds and replace it with good soil. This shit is all clay and rocks, except for an area I added a shitload of topsoil and cow manuere too for the flowers to grow.

Guess I need to PM him!
 
#17 ·
97blkpny said:
Whats the difference in being right up next to the house or being a foot away? Seriously, whats the downside to right up against the house?
I asked my Dad about something like that awhile ago. He was not sure since he deals in houses that have full basements, but suspected that you could possible put too much water on the foundation. That could possibly cause washout or errosion under the foundation, especially during drought...since the ground maybe receeding from the foundation in a lot of places.

However, he was not real sure about that but it seemed logical to me.
 
#18 ·
heres my only thought... if you are going to get a soaker hose and then hook it to your sprinkler system... don't you think that the sprinkler system is doing a sufficient enjoy job keeping the foundation damp enough? my entire house is surrounded by my sprinkler system and personally I think thats enough... :confused: :confused: :confused:
 
#19 ·
2165 Turbo Rail said:
heres my only thought... if you are going to get a soaker hose and then hook it to your sprinkler system... don't you think that the sprinkler system is doing a sufficient enjoy job keeping the foundation damp enough? my entire house is surrounded by my sprinkler system and personally I think thats enough... :confused: :confused: :confused:


It would all depend on how close the closest sprinkler heads are, whether there are any gaps in coverage, and how close it sprays to the foundation.
 
#20 ·
Yellowstang said:
As in rip out all the grass and shit? Dees he do that? Lyn and I were just talking about this fall getting someone to come dig 2 feet of dirt out of the flower beds and replace it with good soil. This shit is all clay and rocks, except for an area I added a shitload of topsoil and cow manuere too for the flowers to grow.

Guess I need to PM him!


Yep. Cut up my current St. Augustine sod. Pull all my boxwoods. Grade the dirt, level everything out, add bermuda sod, etc.


More extensive in the back yard. 4 ft retaining wall, couple of dump trucks worth of dirt, etc. Backyard is going to require the sprinkler system be pulled up and re ran, though. :(


Fuck doing that shit myself. I've got my hands full with the remodel as is.
 
#21 ·
I dont think my sprinkler system even gets a 1ft deep soak. Maybe 3-4 inches? How long do you let each zone run?

If I did connect it to my sprinkler system, it would be on its own zone and on a separate schedule. Probably would run an hr/week during the hot season on one of the system's off days.
 
#22 ·
I used Drip Irrigation tubing comes with compensating valves in different distances. a 250 foot roll runs around $100 and then the fittings are around 25 cents a piece

6" 12" and 18" pressure compensating and non compensating.

For each bed I have a separate zone and then I can create the configuration of the tubing however I need within the bed. As long as you have 35-65 psi the system will emit water and not clog or erode like a soaker hose. I added an additional line near the foundation 8" away and it seems to be working. 10 minutes per zone 3 times a week gets me about 12" of coverage with 12" emitters Any longer and it turns to soup. Pretty easy to do and you can bury up to 6" or let it sit on top. For the beds I just buried underneath the mulch for the grass I dug a channel 2 inches down.
My slab guy recommended the 8" away and said not to over water or you will create a pest problem and still have shifting.

Raymond


Saves water by reducing watering the mulch and only the plant roots.

I use the Sprinkler Supply on Davis in NRH near Little Nickys they have lots of components to work with.
 
#23 ·
It always a good idea to have your soaker hose as near to foundation as possible. This allows for a lesser pipe and there will be no tangling. It will also be useful to soak if you are planning to have a concrete slab as well. I recently installed a concrete pool deck in my home removing the old tiles. Having the soaking hose nearby was very useful.
 
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