Irrigation Notebook: Feb. 1998, Avoid Trouble With Springtime Startups

With springtime on the not-too-distant horizon, it’s time for contractors to start thinking about preparing for another season.

Included among those preparations will be bringing irrigation systems back out of their hibernation and making sure they are operating efficiently when it’s time to put them to work. This is particularly important for those systems that where properly winterized and had all remaining water cleaned out of them.

SPRING SHOWERS. Contractors and manufacturers agree that starting systems back up in the spring isn’t as complicated as shutting them down for winter in the fall season. However, that perceived simplicity can actually make startups much more dangerous than they need to be.

A lot of contractors don’t pay enough attention when they’re turning irrigation systems back on in the spring, related Larry Keesen, president, Keesen Water Management Inc., Denver, Colo. This is a busy time of year, so contractors are in a hurry just to get all of the systems on in time so they have water when they need it.

Bryce Kinney, irrigation supervisor, H&R Lawn and Landscape, Stillwell, Kan., recognized that irrigation system startup is a deadline driven process, which forces him to schedule these jobs effectively, starting well ahead of time.

We start with our commercial properties because we have more freedom in terms of when we start getting these systems ready, Kinney related, adding that some large commercial systems take two crewmembers an entire day to start up. Residential systems, meanwhile, can be prepared at the rate of approximately eight to 10 systems per day for each crew member.

The most difficult part of the whole process is when we take on a new system and we have to identify any problems with it and figure out the layout, Kinney added.

SELLING THE SERVICE. For some contractors, the winter weather isn’t severe enough to warrant shutting the systems down entirely. This is the case for Cupertino, Calif.-based Jensen Landscape Services.

Just because the systems aren’t shut down doesn’t mean this can’t be a profitable time. We use the winter as an opportunity to perform system run-throughs and basic preventive maintenance that is difficult to schedule during the season, noted John Ossa, irrigation superintendent.

Contractors who install irrigation systems but don’t include at least one year’s winter shutdown and spring startup along with the service are asking for trouble, warned Ron Tatton, Erickson Landscaping, Salt Lake City, Utah. What scares us is having someone else start up a system that we just installed and is still under our warranty, he admitted. Some people turn those systems on too fast, and all of that air pressure on the sprinkler heads can just blow things apart.

Kinney said H&R Lawn and Landscape includes one system shutdown and one start up because of the warranty it offers covering the installation. In addition, we put a disclaimer in the contract saying that our warranty is nullified if someone other than us services the system within the warranty period.