Drip Irrigation Index

Can Toro Aqua-Traxx replace Rivulis T-Tape 508-12-220?

Toro EA5081222-750 is a candidate replacement. The two tapes list the same nominal size, wall thickness, emitter spacing and flow at 8 psi. Confirm your fittings and the conditions on your longest row before ordering.

Rivulis T-Tape versus Toro Aqua-Traxx
SpecificationRivulis T-Tape508-12-220Toro Aqua-TraxxEA5081222-750
Diameter5/8 in. nominal5/8 in. nominal
Wall thickness8 mil8 mil
Emitter spacing12 in.12 in.
Roll length7,500 ft7,500 ft
Flow at 8 psi0.22 GPM/100 ft0.22 GPM/100 ft
Flow at 10 psiUnverified0.25 GPM/100 ft
Filtration150 mesh140 mesh (105 µm)

How much flow do 24 rows need?

For 24 rows of 180 ft, the total tape length is 4,320 ft. Divide by 100 and multiply by the manufacturer’s flow rate.

  • 9.50 GPM at 8 psi for either tape
  • 10.80 GPM at 10 psi for Toro

These are nominal flow estimates. Pressure loss along the supply and laterals, elevation and other open outlets affect what the system delivers. Calculate flow for your own rows.

Row length depends on slope

At 10 psi inlet pressure and 90% emission uniformity, the 2006 Toro chart for the EA5XX1222 family gives these two values.

Level862 ft
1% uphill427 ft
Same model family, inlet pressure and uniformity. Only slope changes.

Rivulis lists 770 ft at 90% emission uniformity for one level row. Rain-Flo lists 950 ft for the same Rivulis model. Its table gives no corresponding slope, inlet pressure or uniformity target. Confirm the conditions and exact roll version before using a length to size your system.

Confirm your 5/8-inch fittings

The fittings on your rows already hold the Rivulis tape. The open question is whether they hold the Toro tape. Neither tape maker lists the other brand’s fittings, so the closest published evidence is a fitting maker’s own selection chart. Irritec’s Perma-Loc chart sets two limits for its 5/8-inch tape fittings, the 500 - T5 series: inside diameter and wall thickness.

Published tape dimensions against the Perma-Loc 5/8-inch fitting limits
Perma-Loc limitRivulis T-Tape508-12-220Toro Aqua-TraxxEA5081222-750
Inside diameter0.625 to 0.645 in.Unverified0.635 in.
Wall thickness4 to 30 mil8 mil8 mil

Toro prints 0.635 in. as the diameter of its 5/8-inch tape, without saying inside or outside. Read as an inside diameter, it falls within the Perma-Loc limits, and so does the 8 mil wall. Rivulis prints 5/8 in. nominal and no measured diameter, so the same check cannot be made for T-Tape from its data sheet.

Find the model of each fitting

Three fittings touch the tape on every row. Read the part number on your order record or on the fitting itself, then look it up in its maker’s chart with the Toro dimensions above. These are the 5/8-inch tape fittings as the two makers’ documents name them.

5/8-inch tape fittings by place on the row
Place on the rowIrritec Perma-LocToro Pro-Loc
Row start
  • A1-T5B250 250 series barb
  • A1-T5B400 400 series barb
  • A1-T5HT 3/4 in. male hose thread adapter
  • FTA5-250B 250 series barb adapter
  • FTA5-400B 400 series barb adapter
  • FTA5-75MPT 3/4 in. male pipe thread adapter
Coupler
  • A1-TC500 coupling
  • FTC500 tape coupling
End closure
  • A1-T5PLUG end plug with finger ring
  • A1-T5CAP threaded end cap
  • FTA5-FVL low-pressure flush valve

Toro’s brochure lists its tape fittings by nominal size only. It gives no diameter or wall range for them, names no other brand of tape, and shows a flush valve where Irritec shows a plug or a cap. A fitting from any other maker needs that maker’s own chart.

Check the pressure regulator

Toro lists 4 to 15 psi for 8 mil Aqua-Traxx. The metric Rivulis data sheet lists a maximum of 1.24 bar, about 18 psi, for 8 mil T-Tape in the 16 mm (5/8-inch) size. A regulator rated above 15 psi sits outside the range Toro publishes: read its rating before you swap the tape.

What stays unverified

  • The measured inside diameter of Rivulis T-Tape.
  • Whether Toro’s 0.635 in. is an inside diameter.
  • A pressure rating for the fittings: neither fitting document gives one.
  • Any fitting whose maker publishes no dimension range.

No published dimension replaces a trial. Install one fitting of each kind on a short length of the new tape and run it at your working pressure before you cut the rows.

Sources