reducing high irrigation line PSI

[kvet]

What's a good way to reduce 120psi irrigation line down to the typical low PSI required for drip systems?

Last year I tried to add a drip system to the parental units' vegetable garden by going from garden hose faucet to timer to filter/pressure regulator to drip system. I did this order because several people told me the plastic pressure regulators are not designed to be under constant pressure. Well, turns out the timer units also have max pressures, most no more than 80-90 psi (the one linked to is 100psi). The system broke down every couple days, whether the timer jammed, the pressure regulator leaked, or the connection between the filter and drip line broke and dug a beautiful hole into the ground. Total PITA. I want to overcome last years' watering obstacles.

Here are the solutions I see:
1. irrigation valves like from rainbird which is directly connected to PVC then to the plastic pressure regulator
2. brass behemoths with a bell on it before it gets to hose valve, then repeat last years' system
3. swap the order of last years' setup from hose valve to plastic pressure regulator to timer

#1 may be problematic as I don't have any electrical to control the valve. Unsure if a battery powered timers have enough juice to control the valves.

#2 is pricey

#3 is dicey

The biggest issue last year was with the connection from the regulator to the drip line.. it popped off all the time, could not get a secure connection, even after tring several different brands, threading, and teflon tapes.

Any better ideas? I linked to products that I'm familiar with and/or used in the above in case you are interested to see specifics. Don't remember whether it was 3/4" or 1" setup.

[estación seca]

My first step would be to talk to somebody at a professional irrigation supply store. Is there a Ewing store nearby? If not, contact them through their Web page. They can help. They list a lot of different pressure regulators on their Web site.

[kvet]

Most of the links in the original post direct to ewing irrigation. There is one walking distance from my house, thank you for the suggestion, it was a good call after being transferred to someone knowledgeable in the store. Dude said the 120 psi is too high to begin with, and I need the brass valve. There's actually one at street level for the property's irrigation supply, I'll try adjusting that, but it may impact the rest of the irrigation on the property. It'll be like a live PID, oh bother. Maybe I'll just manually water daily, it's not that much, and with good weather that shouldn't be an issue being outside

[rbarata]

I assume you have a garden...drip systems typically operate at 2 bar...you could have a water tank 2 meter high and get that pressure. A reducing valve it's easier but that's just a thought.

[Ray]

You just need a regulator.

[kvet]

After some tinkering, we've discovered the irrigation's pressure regulator is likely busted. The unit is 30 years old, and I've been able to find current modern replacements... Wilkins 2" 600xlhr. They run around $850 There's a repair kit for ~$200-250, however, I'm concerned this thing will fall apart upon trying to dismantle it, there's significant corrosion on the housing. Ugh. This could explain why the sprinkler valves have been breaking over the last couple years as well.

I wonder how difficult they are to replace.

[estación seca]

Is your line pressure that high? Why? I don't think that's standard. I would not try to repair anything severely corroded that handles water under pressure.

[rbarata]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Is your line pressure that high? Why? I don't think that's standard. I would not try to repair anything severely corroded that handles water under pressure.

I agree 8 bar (120 psi) is too much for a house water line. Here it is around 3 bar (43 psi).
If something bursts at 8 bar it might be dangerous.

[DirtyCoconuts]

do you have access to a large barrel?

id build a stand and put the barrel up at roof height and buy a super cheap float valve and let the hose fill the barrel and the barrel water the plants