Frequently asked questions

The Netherlands and Belgium, and many more countries, are affected by extreme weather conditions. Our garden has a lot to endure, including extreme drought. Over the years, we suffer more and more from longer periods of drought. To keep the garden in good condition, and thus green, irrigation has become increasingly important!

A drip set is especially suitable for watering plants close to the root. Some plants absorb water better this way, preventing mould and other woes on the leaves. In addition, the water also evaporates less quickly as it can reach cooler and more shaded soil. Drip hoses and drippers are made to always dispense the same amount of water. So you can also water in a targeted way with a dripper; exactly where you have the plant or flower box.

A sprinkler set, on the other hand, waters plants or the lawn from above! It also allows a larger area to be watered quickly, as it sprays over all the plants. Some plants, such as aubergine, cucumber, begonia and passion flower, like to be watered on the leaves. You actually simulate a rain shower with it.

A clear manual comes with each set, and instructional videos are also available. It’s very simple and easy to do, try it out!

If you have decided that you want to experience the convenience of a watering system, it is important to place it in your garden at a good time. If you are going to bury a SummerRain Sprinkler kit for Lawns, you should not do so when the grass is starting to grow. Also, it is better not to irritate the roots of your plants and flowers when you place or dig in a drip kit along them.
Therefore, the best time to connect your new irrigation set is in autumn when you prepare the garden for winter, or in spring before everything starts flowering and growing. Then you will be right on time with regular watering of your garden when spring starts!

Note that frost can destroy your new sets if there is still water in the pipes. So don’t connect your set to the tap until temperatures drop below zero!

It is best to spray in the morning from sunrise until about 10:00 am, or in the evening after 10:00 pm. If you spray during the day, a lot of precious water evaporates, and plants and grass can suffer heat damage. This is because the water droplets act like a magnifying glass, intensifying the sun’s rays on the vegetation.

It’s better not to spray in full sun during the day, the water droplets act like a magnifying glass and intensify the sun’s rays. The extreme heat can quickly damage your vegetation!

Make sure you can water your entire garden; pay special attention to the corners, these are often forgotten. Are you short of a sprinkler? No problem, these are also available separately.

No, it is not a requirement. For the best performance of the lawn sprinkler set, it is wise to dig it in. It is also possible to dig in the main pipe of the drip kit set for plant pots and the sprinkler sit for borders. It is even possible to bury the drip hose for borders and hedges! However, this should not be any deeper than 10 centimetres.

Of course, in the manual we mention how to place the sprinklers in your lawn. If you place the sprinklers correctly, there is nothing wrong! The pop-up sprinklers come out about 10 cm above the ground level, so place the sprinkler itself as low as possible. Test the system by going over the sprinkler with your mower (of course when it is switched off). Didn’t hit anything? Perfect!

Yes! With our irrigation controler you can water at set times, even when you are on vacation. You simply create a watering schedule via the app and send it to the computer before you leave.

Yes, you can do this with our irrigation controler. Download the app and easily create your own program. This makes the spraying automatic and you don’t have to look after it anymore. Very handy for when you’re on vacation!

Of course! We also have all parts available separately, and the extension set is also available to you.

A drip hose is a long hose where a small hole is made every 30 centimeters; a dripper. This is where water seeps out gently so that it can be absorbed by the roots of the plants. Because the hose is on the ground, or just below it, the water gets right where it is needed and no water is wasted or evaporated before it is used. SummerRain’s hoses are pressure compensated; that means the same amount of water comes to the beginning of the hose as to the end of hose.

The drip hose from the drip set for borders and hedges is best placed next to the stems of a hedge, or placed along the plants in the border. Do you have borders with many small plants? Then place the hose about 50 centimeters apart.

You may place a drip hose above and below ground. If you do so underground, place it no deeper than 10 centimeters below the surface. This way the water can still seep out easily from the holes in the drip hose and flow through the soil.

In principle, SummerRain’s drip hoses cannot clog because there is a small labyrinth behind each dripper. This little maze prevents sand and dirt from clogging the dripper. In addition, this hose also contains a substance that repels the growth of roots around and inside the hose.

Do you feel like no water is coming out of your drip hose? Please check if there’s enough water coming out of your tap, there are no kinks or bends in the hose or that there are no damages in the hose. If your hose is underground, be careful not to damage it with garden tools!

This depends on the weather, soil type and type of plant. If it is dry, you can have the drip hose on for at least 30 minutes every day. After half an hour, see how the soil reacts; if there are many puddles, then you can water for another half hour the following day. If the soil is dry, keep it on for another 30 minutes.

Yes, that is possible. But note: you need a pump for that. Ask at your point of sale about the possibilities.

The amount of water your lawn needs depends on a number of factors. For example, how warm it is, how often it rains, the type of grass and the soil. If you water a little each time, the water will stay on the surface and the roots will not be encouraged to grow deep. Sometimes you may make them work for the water, so sometimes water a little longer so it sinks into the soil! In general, your lawn needs around 2.5 cm to 4 cm of water per week. So more in summer than in winter!

There are many types of soil; each has is own water absorbtion properties. For example, sandy soil lets water through more quickly than clay soil. As a result, sandy soil may needs to be watered more often and for longer than the dense clay soil.

The table below shows you how often and at what temperatures you should water, based on the soil type:

The water capacity per set varies a lot. It is important that enough water comes out of your outdoor tap, namely at least 800 litres per hour.

The smallest sets, which are the drip sets for flower pots, consume between 10 and 20 litres of water per hour. The largest sets, the sprinkler set for borders 35 m² and sprinkler set for lawns 35 m², use between 850 and 960 litres of water per hour. So pay attention to this before connecting the sets. You can always increase the water capacity with a garden pump!

You can quickly find out how much water your tap gives with the bucket test! Take a 10-litre bucket and put it under your outdoor tap. Make sure there are no extra couplings or SummerRain sets attached to your tap. Now turn the tap fully open and count how long it takes the tap to completely fill the bucket. You calculate the capacity (i.e. how much water per hour your tap gives) as follows:

10 litres / number of counts to fill the bucket = number of litres per second. Multiply this by 3.6 to calculate the capacity in m³/h.

For example: 10 / 15 seconds = 0.67 litres per second -> 0.67 x 3.6 = 2.4m³/h

Important! For the larger SummerRain sets, you need a bit more water to make them work properly. For the sprinkler kit for borders 35 m² and lawn kit 35 m² you need at least 850 litres per hour. Please note this before connecting!

This is mostly due to reduced water pressure. Especially during periods of severe drought and high temperatures, the demand for drinking water is very high. This lowers the water pressure in the mains system, leaving too little for the sprinklers to work optimally. It is possible to split the system into several zones so that less capacity is demanded from the water mains, but this requires some adjustments. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

How much pressure is needed varies from set to set. From an outdoor tap, an average of 2.0 bar of water pressure comes out. This is sufficient for the drip kits, but the larger sprinkler kits (such as those for 35 m² borders and 35 m² lawn sets) benefit more from a pressure of 3.0 bar.

The sets can all handle a maximum of 4.0 bar.

You can easily connect the SummerRain sets to the garden hose using the equipment you probably already have at home. The hoses (main pipe or drip hose) can be cut to size with sharp garden shears or even sturdy kitchen scissors. Tighten the couplings by hand, or use work gloves to apply more force. Be careful not to overtighten, otherwise you may cause the threads to warp.

Should you experience any problems connecting the sets, we have a few golden tips!

For example, do the couplings not clamp nicely into the tube?
Then first heat the hose by placing it in warm/hot water. The hose will now become slightly more flexible, allowing you to press the coupling firmly into the tube. First loosen the coupling, revealing the green coupling. You push this into the hose, after which you tighten the coupling on it again. Now you have connected the hose completely leak-free!

Can’t get a small coupling stuck in the extension tube, connection plug or microtube, for example?
Then use some soapy water! It will then click together lubricated.

Can’t get the connection plug or dropper into the supply hose?
Use the hole punch to put controlled pressure on the plug. Place the plug or dropper in the middle of the hole in the handle of the hole puncher, and now use this as a larger handle to press it into the supply hose.

There are a number of ways you can get your installed sets ready for winter. First of all, shut off the outdoor tap so that it cannot freeze.

Disconnect the beginning of your system from your garden hose and drain it on this side. If it is possible (it is not buried too deep), also unscrew the end cap on the other side of the set. Now the water can drain under free flow and no pressure is created to freeze to pieces.

For the pop-up sprinklers from the lawn set, it is better that there is as little water in them as possible. The easiest way to do this is by briefly placing an air compressor on the beginning of the system’s hose here. This will blow all the water out of the system! Do this with care.

For the sprinkler set for borders and hedges, it is important that there is no water in the raised areas with border sprinklers. You can also detach the border sprinklers with extension tube and all from the supply hose, so that it cannot blow over either. In principle, they can stay put and can take a lot, but a good autumn or winter storm could potentially buckle it.