What Can Irrigation Contractors Expect
in the Coming Year?
The COVID pandemic has adversely affected nearly every aspect of the U.S. economy. Looking forward, what can we expect in 2021, specifically for the landscape irrigation industry?
Many experts are anticipating a quiet year for the entire green industry. But while some segments of the industry are predicted to struggle in 2021, others are actually expected to grow.
A COVID Survivor
Compared to most other industries across the country, landscaping and irrigation services fared well throughout the first few hard months of the pandemic. As Americans started working remotely and generally staying home due to travel restrictions, they tended to spend their vacation funds on home-related projects, such as renovations or improving their outdoor space.
Abheek Dhawan is the vice president of Jobber, a home services automation platform. He recently stated that the green industry was hardest hit in mid-April of last year. But by June, Dhawan said, the demand for landscaping and irrigation services had returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Industry Segments Likely to Suffer
According to landscaper and podcast host Stanley Genadek, the 2021 outlook for two segments of the industry remains rather bleak: snow removal and commercial landscaping/irrigation.
The IA’S Take
on COVID-19
In its Framework for Economic Recovery, the national Irrigation Association has recognized that the COVID pandemic has seriously impacted commercial contracts for landscape irrigation:
“As many of our customers are not able to open their doors for their customers (hotels, resorts, etc.), future business, including the construction of new irrigation systems and retrofitting old irrigation technologies, are expected to significantly decrease.”
Many people don’t realize that snow removal is usually one of the most profitable and consistent segments of the green industry. But most landscapers who offer snow removal services will likely not find much work this winter. COVID has shut down many of their big customers, such as malls and movie theaters. Snow removal contractors may have to rely on residential accounts in order to survive the winter of 2021.
Likewise, commercial landscaping and irrigation contracts have also been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. Maintenance for hotels, airports and resorts has been drastically reduced because of the virtual shutdown in travel and tourism. This trend is expected to continue well into next year.
Another significant factor is the migration from offices to working remotely. Mark Bradley, CEO of landscaping software company LMN, speculates that office spaces “may not repopulate…for at least another five to ten years.” Until then, Bradley said, landscapers and irrigation contractors may not find the commercial segment to be financially sustainable for them.
Industry Segments Likely to Thrive
And now for the good news. The green industry segment with the brightest 2021 outlook is the one that remained strong in 2020 — the residential market.
With more American staying home, the residential landscaping segment has been booming. In fact, some contractors had more residential work than they can handle. The only problem for them has been receiving supplies in a timely manner.
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As work-from-home is expected to continue amid social distancing protocols, personal outdoor spaces will become increasingly important. Industry experts anticipate that homeowners will choose to increase their investments in landscaping and irrigation projects in the coming year.
Weathering the Storm
If 2020 has shown us anything, it’s that some economic recessions cannot be predicted (or prevented). So the best business advice for the coming year is simply: be flexible. Some irrigation contractors may have to shift segments in 2021. If your business has relied almost exclusively on commercial contracts, you may need to focus on the residential market.
This decision could require a significant investment in training and retooling. But that’s where the demand is expected to be in the coming year, so the expenditure would be well worth it.
This concept teaches us that survivors are those who maintain a healthy optimism while also embracing harsh reality. In other words, hope for the best while preparing for the worst.
Also, if snow removal typically represents a hefty portion of your income stream, you’ll want to consider pivoting to other market segments.
On the other hand, if your company is currently focused on individual residential contracts, 2021 may be a good year to branch out into homeowner associations. The pandemic has had little impact on the budgets of most HOAs— and landscaping still represents the largest portion of those budgets.
Overall, the green industry has proven to be quite resilient in the face of numerous COVID-related challenges. By remaining flexible, irrigation and landscaping contractors can continue to weather the storm throughout the coming year.
First, the bad news: The national Irrigation Association’s 2020 Irrigation Show, originally scheduled for Nov. 30-Dec. 4 in San Antonio, has been cancelled due to social distancing requirements.
Now, the good news: The educational component of the traditional Irrigation Show will be offered virtually as part of the IA’s Education Week, Nov. 30-Dec. 4. These webinars will include IA University classes normally offered in person.
Education Week Webinars
Below is a listing of the landscape irrigation webinars sponsored by Site One, which are scheduled for Education Week. Click the course link for additional information.
The IA will be offering a FREE Math Tutorial during Education Week, Nov. 30-Dec.4. The one-hour tutorial will provide an intensive review of the most common calculations and formulas used in irrigation system design, installation, audits and maintenance.
In addition, from Dec.7-18, the IA and Site One will be offering a network of in-person written certification exams after completion of the following Education Week courses:
A primary component of any trade show is the social networking. To this end, the IA is continuing to work with exhibitors in an effort to offer networking opportunities, as well as to deliver information on cutting-edge irrigation technologies, products and services.
Looking for a particular vendor or product? Then check out the IA Preferred Vendor Directory, where you’ll find a list of all virtual show exhibitors and contact information. You can also peruse the various entries in the 2020 New Product Contest and cast your vote by Nov. 18 by for the most innovative products or services.
With temperatures dropping across the state, it’s time for irrigation contractors to start making their “winter money” – the cold, hard cash that comes from kicking their winterization programs into high gear.
We’ve compiled a list of best practices to streamline the process and help avoid potential problems.
When to Winterize: Start Early
Ohio First-Freeze
Dates
When does the first freeze of the fall season normally occur in Ohio? Here are the earliest, latest, and average freeze dates:
Plan for winterizations well in advance. Otherwise, you may not have ready access to the equipment you need, such as a commercial-grade air compressor. Remember: Every landscaper in town will be striving to winterize irrigation systems at the same time.
So don’t be left out in the cold. Start scheduling shutdowns with customers and your irrigation technicians as soon as possible. Highest priority should be given to those systems with exposed pumps, piping or backflow devices.
You don’t want to risk potential damage to your customers’ systems by waiting too long. Once December hits, you can expect frozen backflow preventers and exposed pipes. By then, it’s often too cold to do a good job.
The Right Tools to Winterize
Make sure your crews are equipped with the right tools to winterize. Of course, you’ll want to have plenty of standard parts available to make any necessary repairs to the systems. But technicians will also need a commercial air compressor, an air hose, and fittings that properly affix to the backflow device.
The air compressor should provide a minimum of 100 cubic feet per minute, but preferably more, depending on the size of the irrigation system. Smaller compressors, even at 100 psi, cannot deliver the air volume needed to winterize an irrigation system. In fact, 80% of the portable air compressors in use today provide 185 cfm.
If the main shut-off valve is outdoors, you’ll want to use foam insulation tape to protect it (as well as any other above-ground piping) from freezing.
Proper Winterization Techniques
Create a winterization checklist for your technicians to use at each job site. This will prevent them from missing steps and ensure uniformity of service.
The checklist should include the following:
Locate the shut-off valve and turn off the property’s water supply. Check the property’s data sheet for the valve’s location and other specific information, such as faucet zones and pumps.
Turn off any pumps to prevent damage.
Set the compressor for 50-80 psi, to avoid damaging the system. (For drip irrigation systems, set the pressure for 20 or 30 psi.)
Connect to a blowout port, open a zone and then open the air compressor valve. Move most of the water out of the main lines by blowing out the farthest zone first.
Move through the entire system, one zone at a time. Continue blowing air through the lines until only fog is emitted from the sprinkler heads. Do not allow the rotating nozzles to spin too quickly – this can damage the gears. (When they start to spurt, turn them off.)
CAUTION!
The expanding air coming from the air compressor into the irrigation system will get hot and may melt the plastic pipe. Carefully check the temperature of the air hose connection at the blow-out point. Slow down or stop momentarily if it feels too hot! Cycling through each zone two or three times for short intervals will prevent too much heat buildup.
Partially close the ball valves on the backflow preventer, and complete blowing out the last zone.
Turn off the air compressor and allow all the air to exit the system.
Drain the backflow preventer.
Remove submersible pumps from the water. For centrifugal pumps, remove the drain valve and check valve, and disconnect the power supply.
Turn off the irrigation system controller, but leave it plugged in to retain schedules and memory.
Good for Your Business, Good for Your Customers
Proper winterization is not only a lucrative proposition for contractors, it can be a terrific cost savings to customers. Failure to professionally winterize irrigation systems can result in costly issues, such as cracked plumbing, sprinkler heads and backflow devices. Even flexible polyethylene pipe can begin to have random splits if a system is neglected, creating the need for multiple in-ground repairs.
Proper shutdown techniques not only prevent freezing issues in the winter, they also forestall potential water damage once the system is activated in the spring. It’s a win-win for your business and your customers!
Predicted Water Shortages Driving Demand for Greywater Irrigation
Water scarcity is an issue we normally associate with the western United States. But a recent U.S. Forest Service study predicts that Ohio and the rest of the Midwest also will be threatened by significant water shortages in the next few decades.
And the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) expects that all but 10 states will experience shortages as early as 2024.
In such an environment, greywater irrigation systems will become increasingly popular, and perhaps even mandatory for commercial properties.
What Exactly Is Greywater?
Greywater (also spelled “gray water” or “graywater”) is gently used water from washing machines, bathroom sinks, tubs and showers.
The city of San Antonio, Texas, has the nation’s largest direct recycled water system, with a capacity to deliver about 29 million gallons per day of treated recycled water, using more than 130 miles of pipeline.
The name comes from its rather murky appearance, caused by traces of dirt, hair, grease, food and some household cleaning products.
Unlike “blackwater,” greywater has had no contact with any human waste from the toilet, sewer system, or from washing diapers. So while it may look dirty, greywater is a safe – and even beneficial – irrigation source. The same greywater that currently pollutes our lakes and rivers with its trace biomaterials becomes valuable fertilizer to plants.
(Greywater is not potable, however, and should never be consumed by humans or animals.)
Greywater vs. Recycled Water
Greywater is often confused with reclaimed (or recycled) water. And the terms are often used interchangeably. But they are not the same.
Recycled water is sewer water that has been cleaned with chemicals at a sewage treatment plant. It is then delivered to an entire community via purple-colored pipes, and is used primarily to irrigate parks, golf courses and other public areas.
Components of a Greywater System
Greywater irrigation is comprised of three primary stages: collection, storage and use. This can be as simple as a single diverting valve on a home’s washing machine, or a complex system of pumps, filters, storage tanks and pipes. The result is filtered greywater delivered directly to lawns, gardens and other landscaped areas via the property’s irrigation system.
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The most basic greywater system uses a three-way valve to connect a clothes washer with a home’s irrigation system. Another excellent source of greywater is condensate from an air conditioning system, which can produce as much as 20 gallons of water per day. Integrating with a smart irrigation controller ensures water efficiency.
The water may be delivered via driplines or spray heads, but all pipes and fixtures must be purple and designated as greywater conveyors of non-potable water. The water may be used to irrigate ornamental plants, fruit trees and vegetable plants other than root vegetables, but it must not touch any edible portion of the plant.
Benefits of a Greywater System
Greywater
in Ohio
Greywater can be reused and recycled in Ohio with a permit from the local health department (Ohio Code 3701-29-17).
All pipes and fixtures conveying greywater must be purple or marked with a purple stripe and be labeled “Non-potable water, do not drink.”
There are four types of greywater systems permitted in Ohio:
TYPE 1 recycles less than 60 gallons per day. Used for subsurface irrigation of gardens, lawns and landscape plants during the growing season.
TYPE 2 recycles more than 60 gallons per day but less than 1,000 gallons per day. Also used for subsurface irrigation of gardens, lawns and landscape plants during the growing season
TYPE 3 recycles hand-carried gray water that is poured through a screen into a disposal sump tank before discharging into leach field trenches. Commonly used in campgrounds, Amish homes and remote vacation homes.
TYPE 4 recycles treated greywater to be reused year-round outside or inside buildings. Water is stored for no longer than 24 hours before reuse. Outdoors, used for green roofs, living walls, surface and subsurface irrigation of lawns, gardens, and landscape plants. Indoors, used to irrigate houseplants or living walls.
Greywater systems save water and money. Manufacturers of greywater systems state that greywater irrigation can save as homeowners much as 40,000 gallons of water per year. The result is a dramatic decrease in water bills, especially during the summer months. According to Saniflo spokesman Chris Peterson, “Homeowners who begin recycling greywater now could be well ahead of the curve if and when their states begin requiring water conservation measures.”
Greywater systems prolong the lives of septic tanksbecause the amount of water being deposited into the system is greatly reduced.
Most ornamental plants find greywater to be more beneficial than tap water.Greywater contains residues, such as nitrogen, which many plants can use for food. Roses, bougainvilleas and honeysuckle particularly benefit from greywater irrigation. In addition, slightly soapy water will percolate more deeply into the soil, preventing runoff.
What It Means for Irrigation Contractors
The experts at Rain Bird believe that many (if not most) of new commercial building projects will soon require greywater or some other water-harvesting system be integrated into their landscape irrigation designs. (Hunter Industries currently uses greywater irrigation at all of its operational sites.)
In other words, irrigation professionals who haven’t yet designed and installed these systems will do so in the near future.
Are Your Customers Still Using Standard Irrigation Timers?
Smart technology may be everywhere, but irrigation contractors know that standard, old-school irrigation timers are still very much out there.
These basic clock timers are still being manufactured, installed and maintained—so they’re not going anywhere soon. According to Rick Arena, a training manager at SiteOne in North Carolina, “Probably 75% or more of all controllers sold right now are still the old style.”
And while they’re not capable of making any complicated decisions, for certain applications, these “old timers” are actually better suited.
How to Get Smarter
Just about every “dumb” irrigation controller made in the last decade or two includes sensor terminals for connecting to a rain or soil-moisture sensor.
Numerous add-on devices are available, such as:
Hunter’s Rain-Clik, Mini-Clik, Freeze-Clik, Soil-Clik and Mini-Weather Station devices, which will work with virtually any controller.
Rain Bird offers a LNK Wi-Fi module for weather-based water management, which can be plugged into any of their ESP-TM2 and ESP-Me Series controllers that were manufactured after Nov. 2, 2016. For Rain Bird controllers made before that date, a Wi-Fi-compatible replacement panel can be installed.
ETwater from Jain offers a retrofit smart controller which can be attached in less than 10 minutes and is compatible with all irrigation controller brands.
Keep It Coming
A perfect example is a new lawn, whether sod or seed. With standard irrigation timers, the water is applied at regular intervals with no exceptions. Which is what you want with new turf: frequent, short bursts of water for at least 30 days, until the grass takes root.
In fact, standard timers are often installed (at least temporarily) to maintain curb appeal for newly built homes.
Paradign Shift
Another reason standard timers are still in demand is their simplicity. As it turns out, not every homeowner wants an irrigation controller that uses ET data, local weather forecasts or various sensors for its watering schedule.
Rain Bird product manager James Harris explains it this way: “New technology like smart controllers always has an adoption curve, and not everyone is ready to adopt it at the same time.”
Particularly for some older homeowners, a smart controller may as well be speaking a foreign language. They can be baffled by all the settings. And they’re not interested in investing their time learning to set up and use the latest technology. Millennials, on the other hand, naturally gravitate toward and embrace technological advances. As this younger demographic continue to purchase homes, the demand for smart controllers will likely increase.
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This required paradigm shift applies to contractors, as well. Ramzi White is a SiteOne key account manager in Texas. He says the standard Hunter or Rain Bird clock timers are still his best sellers. In fact, many contractors in his area don’t really even know what a smart controller is.
Know Your Customer
As an irrigation contractor, the decision to offer smart technology to your clientele often comes down to knowing the customer. A 70-year-old who’s just learning how to email and text is probably not a good prospect for a smart controller. Some younger people may also prefer to have fewer bells and whistles.
But generally speaking, homeowners in their mid-40s or younger, who’ve essentially grown up with technology, enjoy integrating new gadgets into their homes. For them, smart controllers can be a very easy sell.
