Drip tape
Encyclopedia
Drip tape is a type of thin walled dripperline used in drip irrigation
. The first drip tape, a product known as "Dew Hose", was developed in Watertown, New York, in the 1960s by Richard D. Chapin of Chapin Watermatics, USA.
Drip tape is made of polyethylene
and is sold flat, on reels containing several thousand feet. The wall thickness typically ranges from 4 to 25 mils
(0.1 - 0.6 mm). Thicker walled tapes are commonly used for permanent subsurface drip irrigation and thinner walled tapes for temporary throw-away type systems in high value crops. Water exits the tape through emitter
s / drippers. Typical emitter spacing ranges from 8 to 24 inches (200 – 600 mm). In some products, the emitters are manufactured simultaneously with the tape and are actually formed as part of the product itself. In others, the emitters are manufactured separately and installed at the time of production. Some of these manufacturers claim that their product is not a tape, but a thin walled dripperline, but in popular parlance, both types of products are called tapes. Typical tape diameters are 5/8", 7/8", and 1-3/8", with the larger diameters more commonly used on permanent installations with longer runs.
Drip tape is a recyclable material and can be recycled into viable plastic resins for reuse in the plastics manufacturing industry.
Some of the more notable manufacturers of drip tape are:
Drip irrigation
Drip irrigation, also known as trickle irrigation or microirrigation or localized irrigation , is an irrigation method which saves water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone, through a network of valves,...
. The first drip tape, a product known as "Dew Hose", was developed in Watertown, New York, in the 1960s by Richard D. Chapin of Chapin Watermatics, USA.
Drip tape is made of polyethylene
Polyethylene
Polyethylene or polythene is the most widely used plastic, with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons...
and is sold flat, on reels containing several thousand feet. The wall thickness typically ranges from 4 to 25 mils
Thou (unit of length)
A thou also known as a mil or point, is the verbalized abbreviation for "thousandth of an inch." It is a unit of length equal to 0.001 inch....
(0.1 - 0.6 mm). Thicker walled tapes are commonly used for permanent subsurface drip irrigation and thinner walled tapes for temporary throw-away type systems in high value crops. Water exits the tape through emitter
Emitter
-In general:*A device used to exude any signal, beacon, light, odor, liquid, fragrance, ionizing particles or any other type of signal.-In horticulture:*A device used in drip irrigation.-In electronics and instrument physics:...
s / drippers. Typical emitter spacing ranges from 8 to 24 inches (200 – 600 mm). In some products, the emitters are manufactured simultaneously with the tape and are actually formed as part of the product itself. In others, the emitters are manufactured separately and installed at the time of production. Some of these manufacturers claim that their product is not a tape, but a thin walled dripperline, but in popular parlance, both types of products are called tapes. Typical tape diameters are 5/8", 7/8", and 1-3/8", with the larger diameters more commonly used on permanent installations with longer runs.
Drip tape is a recyclable material and can be recycled into viable plastic resins for reuse in the plastics manufacturing industry.
Some of the more notable manufacturers of drip tape are:
- Grupo Chamartin (Spain)
- Aquarius Brands, Inc (USA)
- Chapin Watermatics (New York, U.S.A.)
- Eurodrip
- Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd. (India, USA, UK, S.Africa)
- Netafim Irrigation (Israel, U.S.A.)
- Plastro Irrigation Systems (Israel)
- Roberts Irrigation (California, U.S.A.)
- T-Systems International (California, U.S.A.)
- Toro Ag (California, U.S.A.)
- Valplastic USA (California, U.S.A)