With record-breaking drought and fears of future water shortage making national headlines, eco-conscious homeowners are making great strides in reducing their water usage. Cars are going unwashed, showers are becoming shorter, and dishwashers only run when fully loaded.
Despite their valiant efforts to conserve, many homeowners are unaware of one enormous water-waster lurking in their own drought-resistant backyards: their drip irrigation system.
The Problem
When working properly, drip irrigation is a water conservationist’s dream. Emitters slowly drip water into the landscape, penetrating the soil to encourage deep root growth. However, drip irrigation systems have a significant and costly weakness: emitters simply won’t stay put. The problem begins as soon as the barbed ends of emitters are inserted into polymer drip lines, compromising the integrity of the plastic and making the lines more susceptible to damage.
When an emitter pops off the line, more water is diverted to that portion of the landscape, causing other plants to wilt and die. Since most drip systems operate in the dark early morning hours, the missing emitters go unnoticed. Instead, homeowners assume the landscape needs more water, so they increase watering times – which simply exacerbates the problem.
The devastating result: broken drip emitters result in millions of gallons of wasted water a year. A study by Arizona State University Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) found that just two broken emitters are estimated to waste more than 100 gallons of water per hour.
The Solution
Meet Drip Crimp: the first patented, commercial-grade hand tool and copper ring designed to permanently secure drip irrigation emitters to plastic drip lines, preventing water waste. Using this simple and affordable tool, homeowners can save millions of gallons of water each year.
The product launched June 16, 2015 on Kickstarter, where Drip Crimp inventor and founder Beau Ralphs aims to raise $10,000 by July 16, 2015 in order to cover product die costs before kicking off production this summer.
Drip Crimp utilizes a copper ring that encapsulates the bulge in the 1/4” poly drip line that the emitter barb makes when inserted, permanently securing it to the drip line. The copper material used in the Drip Crimp shields the line from ultra violet rays and corrosive elements, extending the life of the system and eliminating the need to constantly cut and re-insert emitters. Drip Crimp takes only a few minutes to install and supports both existing systems with aged lines and new systems.
“I’ve personally struggled with bursting emitters and high water bills for years and knew that there had to be a better fix to this recurring problem; especially during a time when many states are experiencing record drought,” says Drip Crimp inventor and CEO Beau Ralphs.
“We’ve come up with a simple, low-cost, permanent solution and we see Kickstarter as the perfect vehicle to launch Drip Crimp and help customers across the country save time and money while eliminating the problem of needless water waste,” adds Ralphs.
