Need help with water pressure problem

[Ted]

I'm running a drip system from the faucet in my garage to a second story balcony. What I have is some 1/4" tubing that goes directly from that faucet, up one length of the garage door, across the length of the garage door (two car garage), down the length of the garage door, out the garage to a patch of dirt, up a tree that brushes against my condo, extending along a branch finally entering my balcony, up to a flower bed - whew......

okay...Now, I have enough pressure to water two flowerbeds - 4 drip sprinklers. I want to add three more pots and know that i won't have the water pressure to do so.

The total distance that the tubing covers, from the faucet to the flowerbed, is around 50'.

I have issues here with the homeowners association so I have to keep things as stealth as possible - that's why I chose to use the 1/4" instead of the 1/2" tubing.

Soooooo...in an effort to gain a little more water pressure, I was thinking of re-tubing the lengths on the inside of the garage - up, across, and down with the 1/2" tubing.

I guess what I'm looking for here is someone kind enough to help me with some calculations...

My constants are: Water pressure, distance from the faucet to the flowerbeds, and the height from the ground floor to the second story.

Variable(s): The inside diameter of the tubing.

I'd like to know if I could increase the water pressure by "cutting down" the amount of 1/4" tubing (closest to the faucet) that I'm using and instead replacing it with the 1/2" tubing. The total length of all tubing with still be the same - still 50'. The height that the tubing travels would also still be the same and so would the starting water pressure (whatever that happens to be).

Say for example I now have:

50 feet of 1/4" tubing from water source to flower bed and that I get a water presure reading of X.

Faucet[==========50' of 1/4" tubing===========]flowerbed

If I use 20' feet of 1/2" and 30' of 1/4" should my water pressure increase?

Faucet]===20' of 1/2" tubing===][==30' of 1/4"==]flowerbed

If I use 40' feet of 1/2" and 10' of 1/4" will my water pressure increase even more?

Faucet]===40' of 1/2" tubing===][==10' of 1/4"==]flowerbed

Thanks... :)

[SQLit]

From what I know about drip systems they are all low pressure systems. Changing the size will get you more volume. Can you install valves at the upper deck? If so put two valves on the main line going to the head locations. Water one at set at a time.

[PipeDown]

How come you know there will not be enough pressure, can you not just turn the faucet up a little more. most drip systems need pressure reducers to keep from blowing the heads off the tubes and maintain correct flow rates. Do you know because you already tried a simple extension of the existing tube.

You're working way too hard. Drip systems can usually be expanded significantly without pressure problems as long as you are using drip emitters. If you are using sprinkler heads then you need more flow but even these use low pressure. Only when you add so many emitters that they require more flow rate than the tube can supply will you experience a pressure drop.

It sounds like a 1/2' tube for main supply to the area then 1/4" branch tubes to the pots will work just fine.

[Ted]

Thanks for the advice.

I went ahead and made the change (the 1/2" for that section of 1/4") and it helped out quite a bit.