This winter, as you sit inside in your toasty living room in front of the fire, your mind may be far from the irrigation systems you’re responsible for. But while the fire inside is delightful, the weather outside is frightful and is probably taking its toll on the systems you installed and serviced last year. When spring startup season arrives, remember those harsh January days and give those systems some tender loving care as they wake up from their long winter nap.

Of course, if the systems were correctly winterized in the fall, you greatly reduced the chances of cracks and breaks due to freezing. But even properly winterized systems are subject to damage from extreme conditions (not to mention renegade snowplows). Couple this with the normal shifting and heaving that takes place as the ground wakes up along with the changes that result from plant growth and you quickly realize why spring maintenance can be just as important as winterization.

Low-volume and drip systems require spring tuneups as well.

“An irrigation system is an evolving system,” says John Lee of Landscape Solutions of New Jersey (see side article). “Things are constantly growing and changing.” Successful irrigation contractors know that they need to address these changes to keep the system efficient and keep clients happy.

In climates where conditions can vary dramatically from year to year, successful spring startup involves careful scheduling and anticipation of clients’ needs. Dave Matthews, owner of Simmons Landscape and Irrigation in Holland, Ohio, begins spring startup around April 1, depending on the conditions in that year. “Spring startup really depends on the weather we’re experiencing,” says Matthews, a fourth generation owner of the company which was started by his great grandfather in 1910. “If it’s a dry season, of course we’ll get started earlier and things will go faster, but if it’s a wet year we may start systems anywhere from the 1st of April to the 1st of July.” It also depends on the location of the client. “Here in Toledo, we go from beach to bog and cover the entire gamut of soil conditions over a few miles. In sandy areas, if people have one week of warm weather they’re crying for sprinklers.”

Matthews does several things to make the spring schedule flow smoothly. To help keep customers on the ball with planning, the company sends out cards in the fall to remind clients to schedule their winterization. This often prompts them to schedule spring startup as well. However, many customers are not conscientious about scheduling until the last minute. Matthews’ company works around this by carefully tracking each client. “Customers will usually follow a pattern,” says Matthews. “If they asked for it later in the season last year, they’ll probably do the same again this year.” By tracking patterns, and planning around what the customer will likely do, the company can keep their operations running smoothly and productively while still making sure they are there when the customers call.

Finally, Matthews takes care of larger commercial clients first. Because they take longer and eat up bigger chunks of time, crossing them off the list early means the company has more flexibility to respond quickly when residential clients are ready.

Matthews stresses the importance of investing in well trained employees who perform a job correctly the first time. “Make sure you get things done thoroughly and correctly the first time you’re there so you don’t need to go back,” says Matthews. “The customer doesn’t want to see you return. They know it costs money. It also cuts way down on your productivity if you have to return for something small.”

Christopher Hennig, owner of Vision Landscaping and Irrigation, Inc. in Bellingham, Washington, agrees. “It’s super important to do a thorough job of spring service the first time. Contractors usually charge a flat rate for spring startup. An employee who isn’t well-trained may have a tendency to overlook little problems simply because it takes extra time and they may not think it’s worth the flat fee the company is charging. But if you have to go back it will cost a lot more. Not only is it hurting your image with that customer, but it also reduces your productivity.”

“Educating clients is important too,” says Matthews. “We want our clients to get used to seeing what a good job looks like so they can identify good service and recognize when they aren’t getting it from someone else.”

Giving your system a wakeup call
Spring startup procedures basically consist of four phases:
• safely reintroducing water to each zone
• checking winter damage, making repairs as needed, cleaning or replacing nozzles
• examining the entire system to see that it’s still operating the way it’s supposed to and providing even coverage
• resetting the controls

Although there are various methods of turning the water on safely, the important thing is to prevent water hammer, the damaging surge of air pressure that results from a rush of water flowing into an empty pipe. Remove the nozzles from at least one head on each pipe to allow air to be pushed out during refilling. Open the valve to the main line very slowly. When the main line is filled, slowly open each zone valve manually.

Flush the system and walk through each zone checking for leaks, breaks, and clogged emitters or nozzles. Pay special attention to those areas that may have had a close encounter with the snowplow.

Now it’s time to think about what the system is designed to do in the first place – evenly distribute water to turf and bring enough water to planting beds. “One thing that’s often overlooked is checking to make sure the water is throwing where it’s supposed to,” says Matthews, “not at windows, onto cars, or streets.” Re-aligning heads to ensure proper coverage is just as important as getting the water running.

“If you have a drip system, you should also look at every emitter to make sure it’s still directing water to the root zone and delivering the correct amount of water for each plant,” says Hennig. Plant growth and winter shifting may require some repositioning of emitters.

Check the controls. Run each zone for two minutes to make sure timing is accurate and valves are operating correctly. Set the time and date and make sure watering times are appropriate for the time of year.

Point out any irregularities or inefficiencies to the homeowner. Just because it isn’t broken, doesn’t mean that you can’t make some suggestions to help the homeowner save money and grow healthier plants and turf.