Contractor
Landscape Contractor FAQ
- Welcome to Netafim USA
- What is low volume irrigation?
- Is this a new technology?
- What makes drip irrigation so good?
- What types of low volume products are there?
- Why should I install Netafim USA products?
- Where can I use it on my projects?
- Does it really save water?
- Is it easy to choose the correct product to use?
- What other products does Netafim USA sell?
- How do I buy Netafim USA products?
Welcome To Netafim USA
Thank you for visiting the Netafim USA Landscape Division web page.
Netafim USA is home to the most innovative low volume irrigation products in the world.
Netafim International opened the first commercial drip factory in the world over 45 years ago in Israel. Today, Netafim is among the 3 largest irrigation companies in the world, with factories and offices in every major country.
While Netafim USA’s key focus has been the development of low volume irrigation products for the agricultural market, you are visiting the web page of the Landscape & Turf Division of Netafim USA. We in the Landscape market are devoted to taking the same fine products used agriculturally and applying them to residential, commercial, and municipal landscape beautification.
As a professional irrigation contractor, we believe that adding Netafim USA products to your arsenal will provide your clients with more effective solutions to their watering needs, and provide you with incredibly high quality components that you can feel good about selling and installing. At the same time, you will find that a typical Netafim USA zone can be installed more quickly, with fewer tools and less manpower.
What Is Low Volume Irrigation?
Low volume, drip, or dripline irrigation is the application of water directly next to the plant, either with the water being applied on the surface near the plant, or in the ground, being delivered directly to the root zone.
Is This A New Technology?
No! When Netafim opened its first factory in the mid-1960’s, there were already a number of people that had been working on this technology for over 25 years. But Netafim USA created commercial viability for drip irrigation by developing and mass manufacturing products for sale.
This spawned an industry that today is recognized as the most efficient way to water, and the way that the vast bulk of farmers irrigate around the world.
What Makes Netafim USA Drip Irrigation Products So Good?
Netafim USA products offer a wide variety of advantages, including saving from 30% – 70% of the water used with overhead sprays, oscillating sprinklers or rotors, as well as much healthier plants and turfgrass. In fact, plants that are drip irrigated often grow to maturity as much as 50% faster, and do so with less disease.
What Types Of Low Volume Products Are There?
Netafim USA offers two primary products – drip and dripline.
Drip – Drip emitters, sometimes called point source emitters are well known by many people. An emitter is inserted into a pipe that feeds through a garden area and is designed to provide water to a specific point. Hence the name “point source”. In our site you will see a variety of point source emitters. There are two families of them, Pressure Compensating Point Source Emitters and Non-Pressure Compensating Point Source Emitters.
Dripline – Dripline is tubing that has emitters already installed in the tubing. This form of low volume irrigation is very popular because it wets the entire garden area, whereas Point Source emitters only irrigate specific points. In fact, the concept of both overhead watering a dripline irrigation is to create an even wetted pattern throughout the area being irrigated. the problem is that the vagaries of overhead watering preclude that from happening.
Most contractors install dripline products such as Techline® CV and Techline®, and find their installation times are dramatically reduced.
Why Should I Install Netafim USA Products?
There are several reasons. Among them
- While drip and dripline irrigation has been used around the world for over 45 years, it has only been in the last 10 years that products such as Techline have made low volume irrigation in landscape and turf applications easy.
- Clients sensitive to water use are requesting low volume irrigation for their projects, often aware of articles heralding the benefits of saving water and growing healthier plants.
- Making Netafim USA products a standard part of your product portfolio will help separate you from other designers and architects in your area that aren’t “up to speed”.
- With the competitive nature of the business, being able to offer quality products from Netafim USA helps set you apart.
- For years Techline CV and Techline have been called the Irrigation Problem Solvers because many of the problems you face cannot be easily solved with fixed spray and rotors. Areas like
- Curved, narrow or angular planting areas
- High traffic/high liability areas
- Areas subject to vandalism
- High wind areas
- Areas where plant growth blocks or will block water
- Slopes
- Hardscapes that could be bleached or stained such as house or building facades, wood fences or at-grade windows.
- Medians or curbs where car bumpers can block spray
- Low pressure or low volume
- Interiorscape plantings
- Watering window issues (The amount of time that the system can be irrigated)
- Areas where municipalities have watering restrictions or bans during drought that allow low volume zones to be used without restriction.
Where Can I Use It On My Projects?
The easy answer is anywhere. Netafim USA products, especially Techline CV and Techline, can be used in shrub and groundcover areas, in flowerbeds, vegetable gardens, and even in turfgrass.
It has passed the rigorous tests that its use in Agriculture demand so you can rest assured that it will meet or exceed your quality and performance requirements.
Remember that the slogan “The Irrigation Problem Solver” is not just words. As an irrigation contractor you often run into one or more of the application issues described above that overhead irrigation solutions just can’t effectively answer.
Does It Really Save Water?
You bet! In North America there are often 30% – 70% savings in water alone. Seems hard to believe doesn’t it? But think about it.
You know that sprinklers throw water everywhere. In the street, on the house, on the sidewalk, in the neighbor’s yard, on the fence, into the trees and bushes, and into the air. Hopefully some of it gets to the root zone where the plant needs it, but often not enough.
Because of wind, evaporation (humidity), run-off, out of adjustment issues, and when the irrigation system is operated, many “overhead” irrigation systems are only about 50% efficient. (Read that another way.many overhead systems use twice as much water as they should to get the job done).
As a professional installer, you have a vested interest in not only creating a lush landscape for your client, but you also need to be aware of the amount of water your systems use. Saving your clients 30% – 70% of the water an overhead system uses makes good sense!
Netafim has developed two brochures that explain the benefits of low volume irrigation to your clients. Click these links to download and read them: The Right Solution For Beautifying Your Yard and Irrigation Fact versus Fiction.
Is It Easy To Choose The Correct Product To Use?
Yes it is! Very easy in fact when you use Netafim USA’s most popular dripline, Techline. (For more information, please view Design Manuals and other materials in our Online Library)
With Techline, you simply answer two basic questions; are you irrigating shrubs and groundcover or turfgrass, and what type of soil do you have.
Armed with only that information, we can tell you exactly which model of Techline to use
- How far apart to install rows of Techline
- What the application rate is
- How many minutes to run the zone to apply 1/4″ of water
- How many GPM every 100′ uses
- How many feet a length of Techline can go
We can also tell you other things, such as roughly how many feet of Techline you will use in an area when you know how many square feet there are.
Please visit our Techline CV and Techline Calculator which will automatically run the calculations given the correct input and estimates how much dripline you will need plus determines all of the other major components such as filter, PRV, staples, flush valves, etc.
We know that you work with various irrigation manufacturers’ catalogs. In there are a wide variety of products that may or may not work in the areas you are designing for. With Netafim USA, the correct product is always chosen. The guesswork is gone.
What Other Products Does Netafim USA Sell?
Netafim USA sells a variety of products, including:
- Emitters – Pressure Compensating Point Source Emitters, Non-Pressure-Compensating Point Source Emitters and all fittings
- Dripline – Techline CV, Techline
- Filters – Techfilter, Disc Filters, 1″ Screen Filters
- Pressure Regulators
- Line Flushing Valves
- Air/Vacuum Relief Valves
How Do I Buy Netafim USA Products?
Netafim USA’s Landscape products are distributed only through landscape irrigation distributors. (Please visit our Distributor Locator page to find the one nearest you.)