Buying Guide > What do I need to connect my sprinklers to the water main ?

State and local government requirements for irrigation installation vary throughout Australia so we recommend that you contact your local council and find out their requirements before starting connecting to the water main. The following diagram illustrates a typical connection of a sprinkler system, and the table following provides a list of appropriate items. Click on a the product code for more information or to add to your shopping cart

Item	Products
Isolating Valve	Brass Ball Valve 20mm / Bronze Ball Valve DR 20mm (Other Valves)
BackFlow	Dual Check Backflow 20mm F X F
Mainline	PVC Pipe 25mm x 6M Class 12
Tee, Elbow & Cross	PVC Tee 25mm, PVC 90º Elbow 25mm & PVC Cross 25mm (Other PVC Fittings)
Mainfold	Automatic Manifolds
Solenoid	Solenoid 25mm Threaded Bonnet 24V, Other Solenoids
Wire (not shown)	Cable & Joiners
Teflon Thread Tape (not shown)	Teflon Thread Tape
Threaded Nipple, Reducing Nipple (not shown)	NyGlass Nipple 20mm & NyGlass Reducing Nipple 25mm X 20mm (Other Threaded Fittings)
LD Poly Pipe	19mm LD Poly Pipe

Frequently asked Questions

What pipe do I use between the water take off point and the manifold?

The pipe between the water take off point and the manifold, called the mainline, is under constant pressure and must therefore be able to handle this load. In domestic irrigation it is most usual to use 25mm class 12 PVC pipe for the mainline however metric poly pipe (25mm or 32mm PN12.5) or 20mm copper pipe may be used. Unless copper pipe is used the mainline must be buried to protect it from Ultra Violet radiation.

Are manifolds for manual and automatic systems the same?

No, Wet Earth’s manual manifolds are designed to fit directly onto a garden tap and manifolds for automatic (solenoids) are not. Manual manifolds are usually built around 20mm pipe sizes while automatic manifolds are more normally built around 25mm pipe to make direct connection to the solenoids easier.

A manifold for solenoids may be constructed from PVC, HD threaded Poly, or “O” ring sealed PVC or HD Poly Treaded Fittings. Each method has both advantages and disadvantages.

• PVC – Quick, leak free and cheap. However if you have not glued PVC before it can be tricky and you get no second chance! 4-5 seconds after you slip the pieces together, it’s all over, if it’s wrong throw it away, start again. A PVC manifold can be difficult to expand. You will need Tees, Elbows, maybe a cross, short pieces of PVC pipe as joiners as well as glue and primer and a fitting to link into your water take off isolation valve.
• HD threaded Poly – Slower, mid cost but subject to leakage. Threaded poly fitting can be difficult to seal even with a lot of PTFE (Teflon) tape as poly tends to expand as it’s tightened up. Threaded poly manifolds can easily be expanded. You will need tees, elbows and nipples. A nipple is usually all that’s required to link into your water take off isolation valve.
• “O” Ring Sealed Fittings – Quick, more expensive and leak free. Available in either PVC (expensive) or HD Poly (mid cost) these fitting combine the best features of both PVC and Treaded fittings. These fittings seal using a rubber “O” ring and can be disassembled very easily to allow for expansion. You will need Tees, Elbows and maybe a cross. A nipple is usually all that’s required to link into your water take off isolation valve. Wet Earth has a range of HD Poly “O” ring seal fittings.