Porous Pipe™

Irrigation technology of tomorrow that's here today

Porous Pipe replaces our Leeaky Hose. The Australian manufacturers have ceased making Leeaky Hose. An end of an era as we have been selling it for 26 years after seeing it on the Beyond 2000 TV program (for those of you old enough to remember the series).

That's the bad news. The good news is we are now the agents for Porous Pipe, a very similar product made in the UK. We actually looked at Porous Pipe 26 years ago, but after discovering Australain made Leeaky Hose, it was going to be a lot easier and cheaper to import from there than the UK.

Porous Pipe are located just across the road from Northern Polytunnels (our polytunnel supplier) so we can combine shipments in a container which makes importing Porous Pipe viable.

So for all our past customers who purchased Leaaky Hose and want to extend their system, don't despair, we now have Porous Pipe.

Saves up to 70% on water usage (when buried or under mulch) which might just save your plants this dry year.

Porous Pipe is an irrigation product made from old car tyres and recycled plastics. The hose is porous so it leaks over the whole surface.

Porous Pipe...

• Saves up to 70% on water usage (when buried or under mulch)

• Made from 100% recycled materials to ISO 9001

• Easy to install - light and pliable, no drippers or jets

• Low maintenance

• Uses standard 13mm hose fittings and connectors

• Will operate on high or low pressure (water tank or household tap)

• Uniform water distribution along entire length (up to 60 metres from one source)

• Fewer weeds, less plant disease, water delivered directly to roots

• Encourages deeper root growth - drought resistance

• Can irrigate any time of day or night

• Not affected by wind or sun (no burning of foliage)

• Invisible system - more attractive, less likely to be vandalised

• Approximate spacings - sand 1m, loam 1.7m, clay 2m

• Lasts 10 years or more under soil or mulch

• For optimum water savings and effectiveness, POROUS PIPE is best placed under mulch or buried in soil, but it can be used on the soil surface

• Ideal for awkward spots like narrow garden strips

• Can be curved around a garden to about the same radius as a standard garden hose without kinking

• The low flow rates and pressure requirements of Porous Pipe lead to significant savings in support plumbing, pumping and maintenance costs

How It Works

Porous Pipe takes advantage of the fact that water acts as its own conductor. It is designed so that water 'sweats' through its walls at a controlled rate over long distances at low water flow. At pressures of 4psi or below the hose will deliver moisture to the surrounding soil through capillary action (If your water pressure is higher than this, all you need to do is install an in-line tap to reduce the pressure - in­line taps are available from Garden Centres, Mitre 10, Bunnings etc.) As a rough guide, Porous Pipe releases water below ground at around 4 litres per metre per hour.

The following table will give a general indication of spacing of Porous Pipe in each soil type.

Where To Use Your Porous Pipe

Lawns - May be laid underground as a permanent system

New Gardens - Lay underground to promote root growth and prevent vandalism.

Established Beds - Lay on the surface in a pattern appropriate to the needs of the growing plants and cover with mulch or soil.

Vegetable Gardens - Lay in trenches spaced according to soil porosity to a depth which the vegetable is expected to root. (Keep the surface moist during plant establishment.)

Flexibility of Porous Pipe

The hose may be installed either above or below ground however it will degrade in time if left in the sun.

Below ground achieves the maximum water saving and soil improvement. Porous Pipe ideally only needs to be buried just under the surface Our Mantis furrower is ideal for preparing the soil for this.

Root systems do not grow into the hose. They grow vigorously over the whole wet band of soil, and do not clog the piping.

If you lay the pipe on the surface you should consider covering it with mulch or soil to reduce evaporation and maintain water savings.

When using recycled household water or dam water, ensure the end of each length is showing to enable flushing of sediment several times per year

Easy To Install

Porous Pipe uses standard 13mm hose fittings and can easily be cut to any required length.

The system may be connected to home, rainwater, dam or recycled water tanks and works efficiently from a minimum head of one metre.

Lay Porous Pipe on the flat or on gentle slopes approximately 20cm from plants. On hilly ground, lay the hose across the slope feeding from a normal hose or poly pipe.

Areas not requiring water can be bypassed by inserting a length of standard feeder hose or garden hose with 13mm joiners.

For an in-depth user guide, please open the following PDF file:

Porous Pipe User Guide

(PDF file 188kb)

This form is written in Acrobat Reader PDF format. If you do not have Acrobat Reader software on your computer, it can be downloaded free by clicking on the Adobe button.

Product available: Autumn special

Porous Pipe only $180 (for a 90 metre coil (now $150 per coil, that's $1.66 per metre)
Postage packing and insurance: $26.00 NI and $44 SI. Additional $6.50 for rural delivery.

Please note: To prevent unnecessary delays please make sure you select the RD option if you are at a rural address.

13mm fittings for Porous Pipe can be found at Mitre 10, Bunnings etc.