A drip tape is one of the most important components of a drip irrigation system. As a matter of fact, it is the most important component of a typical drip irrigation system.
The drip tape houses the emitters which emit water to the root zone of the plants on the field.
Often times, farmers are faced with damaged drip tapes and they do not know what to do to repair the damages on their drip tapes.
This article will explain how you can repair your damaged drip tapes.
What is a drip tape?
A drip tape is a flexible plastic pipe or hose used for the passing of water in a trickle form to the root zones of plants.
Emitters or water emitting points are placed at equal distances on drip tapes. Some drip tapes have emitters placed every 30cm on them, some have emitter spacing of 10cm, 50cm and 25cm etc.
The drip tape also called a T-Tape is usually laid on the surface of the soil and beside a row of plants. There are some types of drip tapes that can be laid beneath the soil, they are called sub-surface drip tapes.
The drip tapes have characteristics like the diameter, emitter water emission rate, thickness, pressure limit and pressure compensating capability.
Causes of damages in drip tapes
The following are the main causes of damages in drip tapes:
Damage due to human error
This type of damage is caused by the wrong usage of farm tools and implements like cutlasses, hoes, rakes and tractors etc.
A farm worker for instance may mistakenly cut the drip tape with a cutlass. Once, this happens, the drip tapes will be leaking water and will not function properly again.
Activities of rodents and large animals
Animals like rat, wild hare, wild pigs and other large animals may damage drip tapes. Farmers who experience this should use rodenticides and other strategies to ward off these animals.
Items needed to repair a damaged drip tape
The following are some of the items needed to repair a damaged drip tape:
- Drip tape joiners
- Small repairing tools
- Gums
- Valves etc.
How to repair a damaged drip tape
The drip tape joiner is the main device used for the repairing of damaged drip tapes.
To repair a damaged drip tape, you just need to cut away the damaged area and join the cut drip tapes together with drip tape joiners.
You will need a sharp knife, saw or pliers to cut away the damaged drip tapes.
Do you have problems of damages on your drip tapes? If yes, you can contact us on 08025141924 for assistance.