The advantages of burying the tubing are many, including protection from the sun, mechanical damage, etc. However, burying drip emitters along with the tubing invites problems with root intrusion and makes emitter inspection more difficult. An irrigation system with buried drip emitters is much less forgiving and requires better management skills than above ground placement. As a general rule, above ground drip emitters are more difficult to check in the field for plugging due to their greater numbers and smaller wetted pattern. The cost of low volume irrigation systems varies widely, depending on the spacing between trees, vines or crop being irrigated, type of filters used, whether the emission devices are drip emitters or micro-spinklers, the competition between local dealers, etc.
Drip systems are generally in the same price range.
Self installation of a system that has been designed by an expert can reduce that price, but does not allow recourse if there are problems. Design tolerance is the difference in system pressure found throughout the field and typically ranges from 5 percent to 10 percent with 5 percent representing a more uniform design. TDH indicates the total pressure required to run the system, with the higher value usually requiring a larger pumping plant and higher operating cost. All irrigation designers should be able to provide this information. Though a system with a higher quality design may cost more going in, it will generally be cheaper to operate over the life of the system.