On Using a Soaker Hose - By the Numbers

[OldGuy43]

It's confirmed; I was over watering A LOT!!!

The Test Materials:
(a) My soaker hose: Two of those cheap flat cloth ones, each 50' long. I probably bought them at WalMart or Harbor Freight.
(b) A 20 gallon translucent barrel, thoroughly rinsed. I got it for free at a local car wash.
(c) A 50' 5/8" garden hose.

The Test:
(a) Place one 50' section of soaker hose into the barrel, being careful not to kink it.
(b) Turn on the water and start the kitchen timer.
(c) Repeat with second section to eliminate any variables.

The Results:
(a) 20 gallons in approximately 4 minutes and 30 seconds.
(b) Repeated the test with the other 50' soaker hose. Same result.
(c) Removed, stretched both hoses, pressurized and checked both sections for large or excessive leakage. None found.

The Numbers:
(a) 20 gallon [US, liquid] = 4,620 cubic inch
(b) 1 square foot = 144 square inches.
(c) My garden last year; 13' x 8' = 104 square feet = 14,976 square inches.
(d) Time to cover the garden to a depth of 1" using one 50' length of soaker hose = ~15 minutes.

Author's Conclusions:
Last year, using both sections of soaker hose (100') and watering for 1 - 2 hours every 2 - 3 days I was really over watering. That's embarrassing.

Thanks to Online Conversion.com for making things a lot easier to calculate.

 

[SuperChemicalGirl]

Thanks for this. I've been contemplating a soaker hose... but had no idea how to use it. Did one leave it on all day? Apparently not!

Think I'll stick to handwatering a few areas under plastic for now... mother nature is trying to drown all my non-protected plants this week anyway.

 

[digitS']

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your test, OG. And, this is from a guy who doesn't use soaker hoses!

Maybe some folks' eyes will glaze over as soon as they see all the numbers. Please, just look at the top & bottom lines, if that is so!

(I've used that conversion website, OG! I've got www.metric-conversions.org on the tool bar. Even tho' it claims to be "metric," it will still convert English measurements. Example: 20 gallon [US, liquid] = 4,620 inch .)

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm a engineer by education and experience, so I checked your math going a little bit different route. I came up with the same thing you did so your math sure looks right to me. Thought I'd just mention that in case anyone was doubting you. Trust but verify.

Your test was with one of those cloth hoses. I use the black foam type so mine will be different. The water pressure will be different too, depending on your water pressure and the length, size, and condition of the hoses. My rain barrels just got filled up so it will be a while before I can check them out. Thanks for doing it and for the method. That will give a good approximation.

 

[so lucky]

Ridgerunner, I have the black foam type, also, so I will be interested in your test results when you are able to do that. I used our soaker hoses around a small stand of pine trees recently, where the ground is soooo very dry and hard. It didn't seem like much was seeping through at all, so I left them on for about 6 hours, over two days span. I hope there was a lot more water coming out than it seemed. My DH cringes every time I turn the water on, but I'll be darned if I will put all that time and energy and money into planting trees, shrubs and garden, just to let it all die for want of water.

 

[OldGuy43]

I'm a engineer by education and experience, so I checked your math going a little bit different route. I came up with the same thing you did so your math sure looks right to me. Thought I'd just mention that in case anyone was doubting you. Trust but verify.

Your test was with one of those cloth hoses. I use the black foam type so mine will be different. The water pressure will be different too, depending on your water pressure and the length, size, and condition of the hoses. My rain barrels just got filled up so it will be a while before I can check them out. Thanks for doing it and for the method. That will give a good approximation.

Thank you. I agree, and am not offended. Good to know that all those years of school housin' 'n book larnin' twarn't wasted.

Since I'm near the end of the public water supply, water pressure is highly variable here. I ran the test several times during the day and found only minor variations in the results. (on the order of 10-15 seconds to fill the barrel)

You make another good point. I thought it was obvious, but I guess I should have posted a disclaimer like the ones on car commercials; "Your mileage may vary blah, blah, blah, blah, blah..." There's just to many variables to make a flat statement about water flow. Everyone should run their own test. The point I was trying to make is that it is really difficult to estimate how much water you're putting down with a soaker hose.

 

[digitS']

. . . The point I was trying to make is that it is really difficult to estimate how much water you're putting down with a soaker hose.

I think you've got that right, OG!

The only times I have used a soaker hose was along a narrow sideyard and in 1 bed of my dahlia garden. I intended to put soaker hoses throughout that dahlia garden and replace the overhead sprinklers - they weren't field sprinklers like in the big veggie garden but still . . . they were strong enuf the damage the blooms if they hit them close enuf to the sprinkler head! Besides, I know full well that putting the water down low would be a better idea. I just didn't know how to do it :/.

My approach that year was to run the soaker hose in that bed of dahlias at the same time as I ran water to the sprinklers elsewhere. It didn't work! I could put my pans and cans down and catch the sprinkler water - to measure time/inches. I had NO idea how much water was going into that 1st bed.

Steve