Greenhouse irrigation systems make watering a snap , saving you tons of time . But they can be very expensive to purchase .

So we came up with our own cheap aim , and it work great . It ’s quick and easy to install , and you may make it with basic items you may retrieve at any house betterment shop where they sell irrigation equipment .

In this post , I will show you ill-treat by dance step on the button how to design , piece , and instal your own DIY overhead sprinklers for your nursery .

How To Make DIY Overhead Sprinklers For Your Greenhouse

Closeup of a sprinkler head with water shooting out of it

Table of Contents

Our Overhead DIY Greenhouse Watering System

There are lots of unlike greenhouse irrigation systems out there , but they are crazy expensive to buy . Plus , they ’re usually designed for declamatory commercial-grade greenhouses , not a small spare-time activity one like ours .

So , my very handy hubby came up with an idea for a DIY undertaking . It ’s ace simple , and it only consume him about 20 minute to progress and install it . Plus it is a moderately inexpensive project too , which is a huge add together bonus .

Supplies Needed

Tips For Designing Your Own

Every greenhouse is different , so you will likely need to make a few modifications to our watering system design to fit the size of it and shape of yours . For perspective , mine is about 20′ long by 18′ wide .

We just ran the mainline poly tubing down the center ray at the very top of our glasshouse . So we only needed 3 sprinkler heads spaced equally down the center for total insurance coverage . Here are a few tips to visualise out yours .

DIY Greenhouse Sprinkler System Installation Steps

measure 1 : visualise out how many sprinkler heads you ’ll demand – The360 degree headswe used spray up to 15 foundation , and our glasshouse is 20′ long by 18′ wide .

Depending on how orotund yours is , you may need more or less head . The nebuliser from each head should overlap to verify that every corner will get watered .

We space our heads about 6 - 7 foot apart to assure raft of overlap , but you could space them out a bit more if you want .

How To Make DIY Overhead Sprinklers For Your Greenhouse

Related Post : How To Build A DIY Greenhouse

Step 2 : Cap one end of the tube – It ’s easy to cap one end of themainline tubingfirst using thepoly end capbefore installing the sprinkler head . plainly press the cap hard onto one ending of the tube and you ’re done .

Step 3 : measuring rod and abbreviate the mainline tubing – To deploy the first sprinkler head , measure from the end cap to the spotlight where the head will go on the mainline irrigation tube . Then skip the tube using thePVC cutting toolor aPVC organ pipe picture .

How To Make DIY Overhead Sprinklers For Your Greenhouse

Step 4 : instal a tee and riser pipe – introduce apipe tee connectorinto both ends of the mainline at the spot where you just cut it . Once that is secure , eff one of thehead risersinto the top .

I recommend wrapping somethread tapearound the bottom and top of the riser pipeline before installing it for a watertight seal .

Step 5 : instal a sprinkler head – To set up the head , simply screw it into the top of the riser to secure it .

How To Make Overhead Sprinklers For Your Greenhouse

Once that is in place , measure the aloofness from this first sprinkler head to the pip where the next one will go . Then but repeat these dance step for the rest of the heads you ’re install along the poly tubing .

Step 6 : set up the hose fitting – Once you ’re done installing all of the sprinkler head , measure to see out how long the end of your mainline needs to be . Be certain to allow plenty of room to reach your garden hosepipe from your glasshouse .

Then cut the tube and bind thefaucet hosepipe fittingonto the end by simply pushing it in until it ’s unafraid .

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pace 7 : examine your nursery irrigation system – Now that you have everything put together , essay it out to verify it ’s all working with no leaks before install it .

It ’s much well-to-do to fix any leakage while it ’s laying on the ground , rather than have to get up on a ravel in your glasshouse to attempt to fix them overhead later on .

To test your organization , simply bed the hose attachment end of the poly tube onto your garden hose and turn on the spigot . If there are n’t any leaks , then you ’re salutary to go .

Closeup of a sprinkler head with water shooting out of it

If you find some leaks , many times you’re able to well fix them usingthread tape . This helps to produce a more snug burst and a better seal on the pipe threads , helping to foreclose leaking .

dance step 8 : set up your overhead greenhouse sprinkler scheme – My greenhouse soma is made out of PVC pipes , so we simply usedzip tiesto sequester the irrigation tubing to the frame . If yours is made out of Sir Henry Joseph Wood , you could use1/2″ pipe strapsto seize the tubing rather .

footstep 9 : Run your new organization – you could expend your new overhead sprinklers flop away to water your nursery , or manually turn it on anytime you postulate to irrigate .

Full spray pattern 360 sprinkler heads and risers

Step 10 : automatize your watering system ( optional ) – you’re able to manually ladder your greenhouse sprinkler any metre you want , but why not automate them ? It ’s super soft with ahose timekeeper , and you may simply set it and bury it .

If you want to use the spigot for more than one hose , you may plug your timekeeper into a basicgarden hose rail-splitter .

If you decide to use the timekeeper , I urge check on your greenhouse on a regular basis to make certain everything is getting enough water .

Installing an end cap onto  the sprinkler system tubing

You may find out that you involve to adjust the timer after testing it out for a few days , or as your plants start to grow large .

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Printable Instructions

How To Make DIY Overhead Greenhouse Sprinkler

Materials

Tools

Instructions

Notes

ensure to test the sprinkler organization for any making water before put in it in your glasshouse . It ’s much promiscuous to fix leaks while the system of rules is laying on the background than it will be once it ’s hanging overhead .

Cutting the mainline poly tubing with a PVC cutting tool.

Installing a sprinkler head riser

Installing a sprinkler head on top of a riser.

Installing the hose fitting on the end of the irrigation tubing.

Testing my DIY sprinkler system before installing it in my greenhouse.

Hooking my greenhouse irrigation system up to a garden hose.

Wrapping pipe tape around the threading on a sprinkler head.

My overhead watering system attached to the greenhouse frame with zip ties.

My overhead sprinklers running in my greenhouse.

My 2-Dial automatic digital hose timer.

My greenhouse with our overhead sprinkler system installed

Easy DIY Overhead Sprinkler System For Greenhouse Irrigation