Familiarize Yourself with the Basic Components and Concepts

• The best way to familiarize yourself with the tools you will need for installation and basic components of a drip irrigation system is to explore the online catalogs. You will want to learn about connections, valves, filters and timers to control water getting into your system; options for flushing your system either manually or automatically; tubing of different sizes to get water to your yard and possibly container plants; hole punch and emitter insertion tools; different types of fittings (e.g. elbows and T's); and, of course, the many different kinds of emitters available.
  
  

Gallons Per Hour (GPH) not Gallons Per Minute (GPM)

• It takes some getting used to, but drip emitter output is measured in GPH. The water out the end of your hose or through a conventional sprinkler is measured in GPM. Drip takes minimum water pressure to operate. If operating your drip system off your home water supply, it is unlikely that you would have an issue with either pressure or water flow. If you plan to run off of a RainHarvest System or from a water storage tank, you may have to boost pressure and flow with a simple irrigation pump.
  
  

Sketch Your Yard and Garden--Divide Into Watering Zones

• You will want to split your yard and garden into zones or circuits that make sense. You might have one for a vegetable garden and one each for your front- and back-yard landscape plants, for example. Purchase your tubing to match your plans. It generally comes in 100- and 500-foot rolls.
  
  

Select Your Emitters and Matching Punch and Insertion Tools

• Emitters come in sizes from 0.5GPH on up to 12-14GPH or so. They can simply drip or bubble water or they can mist, spray or even function like miniature sprinklers. It is easy to get carried away, but for most residential situations, staying in the 1-4GPH range makes the most sense. Just add extra emitters around plants that need more water than others on the circuit. There are also both self-cleaning and pull-apart emitters. It is probably a non-issue, unless you have a long run down a slope or something where pressure would build with gravity, but pressure-compensating emitters are available. There are micro tube and emitter combinations for potted plants. Don't forget the matching hole punch and insertion tool.
  
  

Install Your System

• Lay out and assemble the tubing with fittings to match your sketch. You may need yard staples to hold it in place. Attach your water supply, valve and filter. Using the hole punch and insertion tool, insert your emitters. Flush the system thoroughly. Install flush valves or implement whatever method you decided to use to seal the system when in use. Balance the pressure, taking care not to use any more than necessary for the system to function. It is supposed to look dull and unexciting when operating correctly.