Soaker hose vs drip line: porous tubing vs fixed emitters

Short answer

A soaker hose seeps water through its porous wall along its whole length and is not pressure-compensating, so its maker keeps it to short runs on flat ground. Drip line meters water through built-in emitters at a set spacing, at a flow its maker rates. Pick soaker tubing for a short, level strip; pick drip line when you need a predictable flow per foot.

Picks that fitAll picks and how to choose

Raindrip 015005T 1/4 in soaker tubing (50 ft)Check price on Amazon
DIG Microline SHB106 1/4 in dripline (6 in spacing, 100 ft, brown)Check price on Amazon
DIG Microline ML‑112 1/4 in dripline (12 in spacing, 100 ft, black)Check price on Amazon

How each one puts out water

A soaker hose has no emitters. The wall itself is porous, so water weeps out everywhere along it.

Drip line is solid tubing with emitters built in at a fixed spacing. Water leaves only at those emitters, at the flow the maker rates.

Raindrip's soaker tubing

Raindrip's 015005T is a 50 ft, 1/4 in porous soaker hose of recycled rubber that seeps water along the whole line and is meant for short runs on flat ground.^[1] Raindrip's product page says it is not pressure-compensating and that its flow varies with tubing length and elevation, higher near the source.^[1] It lists the tubing at .250 in OD and .170 in ID.^[1]

The product page gives no flow rate or maximum run. Raindrip's FAQ does: it gives its soaker tubing a flow of 1 GPH per foot when the run is kept under 15 feet, and warns that longer runs water unevenly.^[2]

Raindrip lists the soaker hose as its own product, next to but separate from its emitter dripline, without explaining the difference on that page.^[3]

Drip line, for contrast

DIG's 1/4 in Microline is .170 in ID by .250 in OD, the same size as Raindrip's soaker tubing, but it has emitters every 6, 9 or 12 inches.^[4] In the 1/2 in class, Netafim lists Techline CV at 0.66 in OD and 0.56 in ID with 0.26, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.9 GPH emitters.^[5] Netafim describes Techline CV as pressure-compensating.^[5] DIG's Microline table, by contrast, shows its flow rising with pressure.^[6]

With drip line, you know the flow at each emitter at a given pressure, and the maker publishes how long a run can be. The run length guide shows those tables.

	Raindrip 015005T soaker tubing	Drip line (DIG Microline, Netafim Techline CV)
How water leaves	Seeps through the porous wall along its length	Through emitters at fixed spacing
Pressure-compensating	No, per Raindrip	Microline: flow rises with pressure; Techline CV: yes
Flow figure	1 GPH per foot under 15 ft (Raindrip FAQ)	Per emitter, at a stated pressure
Run length	Short runs on flat ground; uneven past 15 ft	From the maker's table
Size	.170 x .250 in	Microline .170 x .250 in; Techline CV .56 x .66 in

How long can a soaker hose be?

For Raindrip's soaker tubing, keep it under 15 feet, per its FAQ.^[2] The 50 ft coil is the amount you buy, not one run. Other soaker hoses need their own maker's figure. On a slope, Raindrip's note that flow varies with elevation is a reason to choose drip line instead.^[1]

Can I connect soaker tubing to a drip system?

Raindrip says its 015005T connects with a 1/4 in micro fitting or a Clamp N Pierce connector.^[1] So a short length can branch off a drip supply line like any 1/4 in tube. Because it puts out water differently from drippers, give it its own branch and check it separately.

Soaker tubing and drip line that fit

Picks that fit5 products

For a short, flat strip, choose the Raindrip 015005T 50 ft soaker tubing and cut it into runs under 15 ft.