Drip Irrigation Conversion in Solano, Napa & Sonoma County
A drip conversion takes the spray heads out of a planting bed and puts the water at each plant’s roots: the bed on its own valve, a filter and pressure regulator at that valve, and tubing with emitters sized to each plant, under the mulch. The lawn stays on its sprinklers.
What changes when a bed goes from spray to drip?
Where the water lands.
A spray head throws water through the air, over the leaves and onto whatever sits next to the bed. Spray puts water down faster than most soil takes it in, and the afternoon wind takes its share.
Drip lets the water out at the soil, a measured amount at each plant, under the mulch, and it uses far less water than spray.
- ASpray, A. Water on the wall
Each head throws past the bed and onto the stucco.
- BSpray, B. Mist on the walk
Afternoon wind carries the spray off the bed.
- CSpray, C. Heads right at the walk
The bed gets more water than the soil can take in.
- ADrip, A. Dry wall
Nothing is thrown, so nothing lands on the stucco.
- BDrip, B. Dry walk
The water leaves the tubing at the soil, not through the air.
- CDrip, C. Water at the roots
A measured amount at each plant, under 3 inches of mulch.
Each part has its own page: The valve · The drip schedule · The mulch
A proper drip conversion: what’s in it?
Water needs to reach the ROOTS
His post was about a job where the drip was already in and the plants were still dying: the tubing sat too far from them, and the emitters were the wrong size.
Its own valve
A bed and a lawn need different run times.
- Its own valve
- A bed and a lawn need different run times.
- A filter and a pressure regulator
- Drip runs on clean water at low pressure.
- Spray heads capped
- Every one on that valve.
- Tubing run to the plants
- Emitters at the roots, sized to each plant.
- Three inches of mulch
- Keeps the water in the soil and the weeds down.
- A drip schedule
- Longer, slower runs on the drip valve alone.
The 3-year warranty on qualifying irrigation and lighting systems: ask which parts of your conversion qualify.
They did an excellent job installing a landscape lighting system and a drip irrigation system for my property.
PICHIN PLATA, Google review (opens in a new tab)Replaced my sprinkler valves, drip line timer, and drip line wiring
Luke Vera, Google review (opens in a new tab)
Sprinkler & drip installation · Irrigation · Drip vs sprinklers
Which water rebates pay for drip?
Mostly through a lawn swap: the lawn comes out, low-water planting goes in, and drip waters it. Each program is your water provider’s, and each wants to see the lawn first.
back for swapping 800 sq ft of lawn for drip-watered beds
$1.50 per sq ft, up to $1,500.
- Solano County Water Agency (Fairfield, Vacaville, Suisun City, Vallejo and Benicia): $1.50 a square foot, up to $1,500 for a home.
- City of Napa · Cash for Grass (Napa city water customers): $2 a square foot, up to $2,000 for a single-family home.
- Town of Windsor (Windsor): $1 a square foot, up to $1,500, plus up to $500 for irrigation equipment. Plus up to $500 toward pre-approved irrigation equipment, labor not covered.
- City of Petaluma · Mulch Madness (Petaluma single-family homes): No cash: free mulch, compost, cardboard and a drip conversion kit.
We design and install the drip to each program’s terms and set the controller for it. You apply to your provider.
Planning a lawn swap? Call before anything comes out.
Call for a free quote(707) 803-9734Every provider’s rules and rebates: Watering rules by city · Rebates by city · Solano County · Napa, CA · Windsor · Petaluma · Sonoma County
Shared valves and drip rebates
Not well.
A valve opens everything on it for the same minutes, and drip needs far longer runs than spray to put down the same water. So a converted bed gets its own valve, or every spray head on that valve is capped.
Usually not on its own.
SCWA and Napa pay per square foot of lawn replaced, not for beds that were never lawn. Windsor also pays toward pre-approved irrigation equipment, so ask Windsor before buying parts.
Water the plants, not the walk.
Carlos sees which beds are still on spray, then quotes the conversion free.
Call for a free quote(707) 803-9734
