IRRIGATION Commercial Irrigation Innovation

In 1915, John Brooks began to install labor-saving watering devices at industrial and commercial sites, as well as city parks, in Michigan. The devices were piping networks, mostly made of copper. This was an early form of irrigation.

Today, Marc Dutton owns Brooks’ former company and sees the leaps and bounds the industry has made since those early days. “Today’s irrigation world has greatly benefited from the invention of plastic pipes, much-improved splicing techniques for wires and, of course, the computer chip, which has given us phenomenal improvements in irrigation control,” says Dutton, owner, Marc Dutton Irrigation, Waterford, Mich.

While copper piping may be just a memory, commercial irrigation remains a growing service, and the technology used in commercial system components continues to evolve, making convenience an easier sell for contractors.

MEET THE CUSTOMER. If money is spent on landscaping to make a commercial site look attractive, the property manager and building owner will want to protect the investment. One way to do that is with adequate irrigation. “No one wants to drag a hose out and risk injuring pedestrians or wait until after business hours to water,” says Jeff Carowitz, senior consultant with San Marcos, Calif.-based Strategic Force Marketing, and a consultant for Hunter Industries, also in San Marcos.

This is why business owners opt for irrigation systems. But for many commercial land owners, not just any irrigation system will do.

“Compared to residential customers, commercial customers generally are willing to spend more up front for better performance over time and less maintenance,” explains Mike Rivers, director of the commercial division for Rain Bird, Tucson, Ariz.
 
The amount a commercial client will spend compared to a residential client depends on the region and the size of the irrigation system, Carowitz adds, pointing out that contractors usually provide a more elaborate cost-benefit analysis for commercial clients because these clients are generally willing to spend more if they know the systems will perform well.

Commercial building managers also want to know how much training their employees need to have to work the system, Rivers says, adding that a low-maintenance system is typically best. “The building manager is responsible for keeping an eye on the system and checking it once a month for proper operation,” Carowitz says.

Other important factors those shopping for commercial irrigation systems should consider are durability and vandal resistance because “many commercial sites are unguarded, especially at night and on the weekends,” says Rick Heenan, sales manager at DIG Corp., Vista, Calif.

IN CONTROL. Recent advancements have made it possible for irrigation contractors to control systems from a remote location, which means contractors can manage system schedules in place of property managers. Because contractors have complete control of the systems they install, this can also reduce their workload, which equates to a higher productivity rate.

“Having a remote to communicate with an irrigation controller is much easier for a commercial landscape contractor,” Heenan says. “Often times, the controllers are placed in remote locations, such as on the side of a road or deep within a landscape, that are difficult to approach and park close to. That’s why a remote makes it easier and safer to communicate with the controller. Contractors should save labor hours staying in their trucks to program controllers instead of spending time walking to each one.”

In addition, PC-based, or central controls have become popular, Carowitz says, adding that some controllers rely on weather-based stations or Evapotranspiration-based controllers to make sure water is applied at the correct rate according to weather conditions. This can be done away from the job site or, in many cases, the controllers are self-adjusting.

PC-based or central controls start around $5,000 to $6,000, Carowitz says, adding that “the sky’s the limit,” depending on the number of controls the system offers. Some systems cost as much as $40,000 to $50,000. Weather-based or ET-based controllers can add $150 to $350 to the cost of an irrigation system.

REALIZING WATER SAVINGS. Even before remote controllers, irrigation systems were designed to save water. Commercial contractors and manufacturers were the first in the irrigation industry to be concerned with water conservation, Carowitz says. In fact, there have been water conservation-driven irrigation tools in the industry for as long as 20 years, Rivers adds. 

Smart controllers, or weather-based controllers, reduce labor costs because the contractor can minimize seasonal programming changes, Heenan says. Programmed controllers can also work remotely, shutting down systems when it’s raining, checking weather and performing other functions to make sure water isn’t being used when it’s not needed. A commercial remote controller like this can cost about $600, Carowitz says.

Pressure-regulated sprinklers and valves are also efficiency boosters. “When managing a larger network of pipes, it makes sense to regulate the pressure for each station,” Carowitz says. “The advantage is that you’re controlling pressure, running at optimum pressure and not wasting water.”

It costs about $60 to $70 to add a pressure regulation valve to each sprinkler head, Carowitz says, noting that the valve can be added at any time on most models. In sprinkler heads, it’s usually a 20 to 30 percent additional cost to add the pressure regulation feature, he adds.

Generally, there are a number of products on the market that can help save water, Rivers says. He estimates self-adjusting controllers save up to 50 percent of the amount of water used at a site. “When you talk about product-based savings, an irrigation system is a system,” he says. “Many variables contribute to an efficient system. First, it should be installed and maintained correctly in order to realize a savings.”

There is no concrete way to tell how much water a system can save. “People want to believe there’s a silver bullet product, a solution that’s guaranteed to save 50 percent, but that won’t always be the case,” Rivers says.

Rather, the amount of water saved depends on the specific site, its climate and conditions, Heenan says. “The bottom line is that with the use of smart controllers, the savings are seen both in time management and water conservation.”

Because time management also can be important to the contractors installing these advanced features, they might want to know how much work will be involved if they choose to go the route of advancements. In general, the features don’t require more installation work or maintenance once they’re installed, Carowitz says. However, some of the features, like a central control, may require a higher level of interaction.  

EQUIPMENT EFFICIENCY. Cutting-edge commercial irrigation equipment can help commercial property managers realize a savings in other ways as well. For instance, some of today’s rotors can undergo abuse from children kicking or standing on them or turning them to spray water on their friends, Rivers says.

Newer rotors are made to withstand abuse that can cause costly damage, he says. If someone turns a head, this action would normally strip the head’s gears. But the newer sprinkler heads won’t strip, he says. In fact, some rotors include a memory feature so that if they are tampered with, they will return themselves to their original arc setting, River says, adding that this can be an easy sell to a municipality. “Municipal workers then don’t have to fuss with the heads to get them back to their original positions,” he explains.

Rotors also are being made to reach farther distances. This benefits those who want fewer rotors to maintain. For example, it is common for commercial sites to have sprinkler heads 20 to 80 feet apart, Rivers says.
 
SERVE THEM RIGHT. After a commercial irrigation system is installed, maintenance is typically an annual requirement. In many cases, irrigation system maintenance is contracted out to a contractor, Carowitz says, adding that maintenance usually includes a spring start-up and a winter shutdown.

There will always be a demand for maintenance, Dutton agrees. “The reality is that an irrigation system is a simple mechanical device, and like any mechanical device with more than two moving parts, maintenance is necessary.”

Dutton offers maintenance contracts where service specialists visit a site on a regular basis. “Problems can be identified sooner, thereby catching problems before they become either more expensive or more obvious,” he says. For some of his larger clients, he can monitor systems and change settings via computer modems and phone lines, saving the maintenance person a trip.

Dutton keeps separate records for the service and installation departments and is able to track each department’s profits. “We find the profit margins in service to be 2½ to three times greater than those for installations,” he says.

Some companies may not have the personnel to offer this service. “If you don’t have a maintenance person on staff, contract jobs out to another company who does,” Ca