How do I connect a hose to existing sprinkler system black pipe

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duckDecoy

900 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

#303056 13-Jan-2023 11:51

My mother in law has 6 separate watering systems connected to an old distribution device which is fed by a hose with a gardena timer on it. The timer is set to go on 6 times across the night, and each time the cycle finishes the distribution devices clicks around to the next watering system pipe ready for the next cycle to begin. The watering pipes are the large black poly pipes you use for watering systems.

The distribution device is old and I don't think they make it any more. It is leaking, and is getting stuck when trying to shift between the 1st and 2nd pipe so it never cycles around to all of the different pipes.

This seems to be latest edition of the distributor.

The problem is the old one didn't have the pipes all coming in at the bottom, it was a circle and had the poly pipes coming in from all directions - one at 12 oclock, one at roughly 2:30 oclock, on at 4 oclock etc. So I cannot plug the pipes in directly to the replacement. I need to find a way to connect the existing poly pipes into the new distributor.

What I want to do is connect some garden hose to each of the existing pipes (possibly after snipping them shorter if I need to) and feed those into the replacement distributor. This will give me the freedom to put the distributor where ever is easiest and will be much less of a job than trying to reroute using poly pipes.

My question is: what is the best way to connect hose pipe onto the existing black poly pipe? I think it's the larger 19mm size.

EDIT: updated the pipe size

wratterus

1687 posts

Uber Geek

#3020808 13-Jan-2023 12:00

Is it larger that 19mm? That would be odd for a basic home system.

What I would do is get a whatever size your hose is to 13mm reducer, like this. Cut 6x short lengths of garden hose, if you heat the end up in boiling water it will fit nicely onto the 13mm reducer, you shouldn't need a hose clamp or anything unless you are running crazy water pressure. You would probably need a clamp on the larger end though.

Then get 6x of the standard hose connectors and hook to the distro box. Easy as.

duckDecoy

900 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#3020809 13-Jan-2023 12:03

wratterus:

Is it larger that 19mm? That would be odd for a basic home system.

I think you are correct, its probably the 19mm. I'll update the post.

And thanks for the advice.

outdoorsnz

676 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3020810 13-Jan-2023 12:04

Can you measure the hose size? I'm pretty sure you can get an adapter for the irrigation hoses to the standard hose size, provided they are not overseas sizes which I found out recently with a bilge pump is nearly impossible to get from bunnings etc.

wratterus

1687 posts

Uber Geek

#3020811 13-Jan-2023 12:10

No problem. I would expect it is 19mm.

With that thin wall poly pipe it's amazing how far you can stretch it (over larger fittings) when heating it up in boiling water if needed.

Assuming it is 19mm, you can use the cheap plastic ratchet clamps, like this.

MikeAqua

7785 posts

Uber Geek

#3020835 13-Jan-2023 13:54

You can get barbed tail fittings with a Gardena type male connector on them to suit either 13mm or 19mm. Mitre 10, Bunnings etc sell them.

Mike

wellygary

8339 posts

Uber Geek

#3020860 13-Jan-2023 14:21

Looking at the specs of the distributor, you have a number of options

"It is equipped with 26.5 mm (G ¾) male threads and is supplied with five Tap Connectors (Art. No. 901) and three end caps."
https://www.gardena.com/nz/products/watering/water-controls/water-distributor-automatic/966749301/

You can either go the tap connector route and connect your 19mm onto a 13mm section of garden hose with a connector on it,

Or you can stay at 19mm and just use tap to 19mm connectors,

https://www.tradetested.co.nz/p/gardening/watering/fittings-connectors/gardena-hose-connector-19mm

Or you can junk the tap connectors totally and just run the whole thing on 19mm poly pipe, splice new sections on the end and terminate if straight to 3/4 inch screw fittings and go directly onto the distributor....

duckDecoy

900 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

#3020888 13-Jan-2023 15:32

Does anyone think its a bad idea to reduce to 13mm hose? A couple of the pipes service a fairly large area that is uphill and the water pressure coming out of the sprayers isn't the greatest...

Would using 13mm pipe feeding into 19mm make the pressure worse/lower? Sorry if its a stupid question.

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wratterus

1687 posts

Uber Geek

#3020889 13-Jan-2023 15:36

It will probably be going down to 12/13mm or so through that device anyway. Shouldn't make too much difference. But if you can avoid it it won't hurt. Going straight to the 3/4 fitting is probably the best idea if that works with your hose layout.

The previously linked Gardena 19mm hose fittings are designed for 19mm garden hose, not the thin wall irrigation pipe (if that's what you have).