Water pressure on 4 way tap

[kapadiafarhan]

Connecting this 4 way tap has dropped the water pressure significantly. Connections as follows: Tap 1 - garden hose Tap 2 - drip irrigation line 1 Tap 3 - drip irrigation line 2 Tap 4 - 2x sprinklers (to be installed)

I'm concerned tap 4 won't have enough pressure for the sprinklers. The main tap is connected to a rainwater tank with a pump. Any suggestions? Tia

[JacobZ]

Hi @kapadiafarhan,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

The drop in water pressure from your 4-way tap likely stems from the combined demand on your pump or restrictions in the tap.

I'd suggest optimizing the setup by adding pressure regulators to the drip irrigation lines, as these require lower pressure. Use Pope 100kPa Pressure Reducers on the drip irrigation lines to reduce the pressure on these lines which will free it up for the sprinkler line.

If you install the drip regulators and are still having issues, you may need to replace the pump with a higher flow rate model or run the sprinklers independently of the irrigation lines.

Unfortunately, I think you're going to have to employ a test-and-see approach to this project. Give the pressure reducers a try and see how you go. 

If you still have issues, let me know and I'll offer further advice.

Jacob

[kapadiafarhan]

Thanks a lot Jacob. I understand that I've put the reducer on all four taps causing the issue. I'll move the reducers to the two drip lines. Do they need filters too? What about the sprinkler line? Does it need a filter too?

[JacobZ]

Hi @kapadiafarhan,

The best place for a filter would be between the tank and the pump. If debris is getting in, it will be most detrimental to the pump, so it should be dealt with before it gets to the pump. Having the filter before the pump will also mean the pressure on the lines won't be reduced.

This Stefani Rain Water Tank Premium Grade Pre Filter or this Karcher Large Pre Filter Pump would be worth looking into. 

Let me know what you think.

Jacob

[kapadiafarhan]

I presume my pump has a filter then in which case I only need reducers and not filters it seems. I'll check if I do but thanks for the info.