How to fan out 1/4" tubing to ten 1/8" tubes?

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RickCorey_WA Everett, WA(Zone 8a) Dec 18, 2012

I want to fan out one 1/4" polyethylene tubing to ten 1/8" tubes. Does anyone have a cheap idea, or cheap and easy?

I have a bunch of John Deer "Spot Spitters" as low as 3.6 GPH.
Since 1/4" OD tubing will provide up to 40 GPH, in theory I could run 11 Spot Spitters off one 1/4" tube.

I don't want to use a lot of Tees and reducing batbs because each will restrict the water flow and drop the pressure.

The Spot Spitters are only 20 cents each, but the fittings cost more than the spitters!
The 1/4" to 1/8" reducing barbs are 15.5 cents each!
I'm paying 30 cents for a 1/4" cross or 19 cents for a 1/4" Tee.

I didn't really want to use seven 1/4" Tees, nested 4 deep, to give eight 1/4" outlets. That's 7 x 19 cents = $1.33.

And nesting four 1/4" crosses two deep to get 9 outlets would cost 4 x 30 = $1.20.

And adapting eight 1/4" tubes down to eight 1/8" tubes would add another 8 x 15.5 = $1.24.

There has to be a cheaper way with less finger pain!

I was thinking of a "double headed octupus" - jamming four 1/8" tubes and one 1/4" tube into each end of a short length of Tygon or flexible PVC tube - keep jamming in more 1/8" tubes until the bigger tube is stretched.

Then force water-resistent glue into the gaps. Do you think that could be made not to leak? And what kind of glue would you use for 10-20 PSI? Silicone caulk? The irrigation mini-tubing is polyethylene, and Tygon might be flexible PVC or polyurethane.

it seems like more work, but more workable, to start with some water-resistent wood or drillable plastic.
Drill a 0.250" hole through the length of it (OD of 1/4" tube is 0.250").
Then drill 8 0.187" cross-holes (OD of 1/8" tubing).
Then glue tubing into snugly-fitting holes and live wwith the turbulence c aused by right-angle turns.

Odd that 1/4" tubing has .250 OD, but 1/8" tubing has 0.125 ID!

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