- Ben Ho
Irrigation System Maintenance
Happy Summer
We want to take some time and discuss the importance of irrigation (lawn and bed sprinkler) system maintenance. At the beginning of the season, systems are typically turned on and more often than not, ran through once, generally left unsupervised. Despite our recommendations and experience dealing with irrigation systems, we see too often the damage done by improper maintenance of lawn and bed sprinklers.
What are some signs of maintenance problems? With systems coming on in the later evening or early morning, existing or potential problems go unnoticed. Typical signs of irrigation system maintenance issues are large dry spots forming, a washout from a broken head/line, or struggling plant material. By the time these issues are found the damage has already been done.
It can take quite a bit of time for plant material to recover and lawns to green back up. Not to mention unnoticed breaks can be taxing on the water bill along with creating costly damage to your property.
How can I save myself time and money with my lawn care?
Understanding that seasonal watering time adjustments play a crucial role in the health of your landscape can save you from headaches and save you money. The amount of watering the landscape requires in the spring and early summer is typically not sufficient enough in the summer coming into fall. While recommendations of 1 to 2 inches of water per week is a general rule of thumb it requires some adjustment throughout the year. Each home and landscape is its own microclimate and can even vary from neighbor to neighbor.
What questions should I answer before figuring out how much water I should use? Is your lawn on the south side of your home, are there shade trees casting over your landscape, what is your soil makeup, what type of grass or grasses is your lawn composed of, are there surface roots, etc. These items along with weather conditions, evapotranspiration (et), sprinkler types and outputs must all be questions you must answer before you can provide adequate watering. You must keep in mind that heads are mechanical and need to be adjusted throughout the season in order to maintain proper coverage. With that being said like anything else mechanical they can wear out, leak, stick, plug up, and need to be replaced over time. As the ol' saying goes "Time is money". Ask yourself how much is my time worth and would I rather be cursing my irrigation system stumbling my way through it, or is my time better spent elsewhere? Our job is to take care of the irrigation system maintenance for you, so you can get back to what matters most to you. Give us a call and let us resolve your irrigation system issues.