History

Chapin Watermatics was founded in 1960 by Richard "Dick" Chapin affectionately known as the "Father of Drip Irrigation". The first product was a greenhouse watering system that metered out water to individual plants. The water was supplied through the main tubes and carried to the plants by spaghetti-like smaller tubes. Some scoffed at the idea but soon Dick was shipping tubing all over the country that led to the incorporation of Chapin Watermatics Inc. in 1962 with Dick as President and his wife Ruth as Vice President.

TUBE-WEIGHTS, DRIP SPIKE, TRICKLE STIKS, SPRAY TUBES, SPRAY STAKES AND SPRAY HANGERS were some of the exclusive products developed and marketed worldwide by Chapin Watermatics for the Greenhouse and nursery market over the years.

Discussion with Norman Smith, an extension agent from Nassau County, New York on the possibility of using plastic tubes for irrigating tropical melon led to an experiment with hand punched round tubing at Old Westbury Gardens on Long Island. Success of this experiment led to the development of the first thin wall drip hose known as "Dew Hose". A seam on the hose was sewn which allowed water to seep out at regular intervals along the length of the hose.

With continuous improvements to his product, Chapin eventually developed a dual-wall design which allows for use on long row lengths over rough terrain. Dick, who owns 16 US patents and 44 foreign patents, designed and patented Twin-Wall® hose which became the industry standard. The remarkable methods and process to produce the Twin-Wall® hose was developed in house and patented. The "turbulent flow" design with notched or punched outlets at various spacing’s to suit the plants requirements came next offering even greater uniformity of flow over long runs. Field experimentation, feedback from experts based on soil and water condition, effects of insects and rodents led to further improvements and development of TWIN-WALL - BTF, TWIN-WALL - DELUXE and TWIN-WALL - MARATHON range of Drip Tape with several salient features and flow rates to suit various row crops.

Richard "Dick" Chapin has made major contributions to the Drip Irrigation industry for over 30 years and has received many awards and honors for his tireless efforts on behalf of the irrigation industry.

While continuing the active work for the irrigation industry Dick and the Chapin family have expanded the focus to help the poor families in developing countries to feed themselves with the design and development of a "family sized" drip kit. Chapin Living Waters Foundation was established to support the cause and Dick and his team has successfully completed several missions and is continuing to help the poor families in the third world by working with various charitable organizations.

To focus their efforts on charitable work, Chapin Watermatics Inc. was sold in May 2006 to another pioneer in Drip Irrigation from India. Mr. B H Jain who leads Jain Irrigation Systems Limited, has been the recipient of the Crawford Reid Award in recognition of his significant contribution to irrigation industry outside the United States.

The Chapin Family and the Jain Family have known each other for over 20 years and believe that joined forces will take Chapin Watermatics and the Chapin Brand to new heights in developed and developing markets of the world.