It’s Spring Start-Up Time
for Your Irrigation System
Ah, Spring! Birds are singing…the weather is warming…lawns and gardens are starting to thaw.
Time to prepare your irrigation system for another year of efficient water management. To help you with that, we’ve compiled the best spring start-up tips from the pros at Rain Bird and Hunter Industries. Take a look:
Tips from Rain Bird
Just a few simple steps will go a long way towards saving water, money and preventing a mid-summer landscape catastrophe at home.
Make Sure Spring Has Sprung…
Although all signs might be pointing to the arrival of spring, the soil beneath the landscape is always the last to thaw. Starting your sprinkler system while the ground is still frozen can result in damage to the pipes. Use a shovel to make sure that the soil is frost-free 12 inches deep. If it is still solid as a rock, then wait another week and test it again before starting the sprinkler system.
Regain Control…
Run a check of the irrigation controls and programs. This includes dusting away the cobwebs on the timer, making sure the date and time is correct, and that the settings are appropriate for your landscape’s watering needs. Replace the back-up battery in the timer/controller every 6 months, and keep a copy of the watering schedule nearby.
Additional tip: Placing moth balls in an outdoor mounted controller will keep ants and other insects out of the controller cabinet.
Unobstructed Flow…
Check for rocks, dirt, sand and other types of debris that may block the even flow of water from sprinkler heads. Uneven distribution can lead to too much water in some areas and not enough in others, both resulting in an unhealthy landscape and wasted water. Inspect spray heads and make sure they haven’t become buried and debris has not accumulated around them during the winter.
Out with the Old…
Nozzles and sprinkler heads are designed to withstand normal wear and tear of irrigation, but are no match for errant lawn mowers, the neighbor’s dog or snowplows. Replace cracked, chipped or worn components, such as sprinkler heads, nozzles, valves or pipes. A broken sprinkler can wreak havoc on lawns, gardens, and water bills, so it is important to check and replace them periodically.
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The Heart of the System…
Valves are the heart of any irrigation system. They regulate the distribution of water throughout the entire system. A leaky valve will waste water, and increase your water bill. Visually inspect each valve to make sure they are operating properly. Before turning on any water to the system, make sure all manual drain valves are returned to the closed position. Overly wet areas in the lawn, resulting in muddy and/or barren patches, may be a result of a leaky valve.
Keep the Hammer in the Tool Chest…
Water hammer is a high-pressure surge that occurs when a valve is first opened. An initial pressure surge can result in pipe bursts and damaged valves. When restoring water to your sprinkler system, open the main water valve slowly to allow pipes to fill with water in a gradual and controlled manner, thus preventing a water hammer and costly damage.
Pressure Check…
When you first turn the main water valve back on, it is important to make sure the water pressure is at a safe operating range for sprinkler systems. A system with too much pressure will result in cracked pipes, busted valves, sprinkler head leaks and inefficient watering. Invest in a water pressure gauge that can be used to measure water pressure in your home and yard. These devices typically connect to a hose faucet and give you a good idea of the pressure in your irrigation system.
If the pressure is above the suggested operating range (typically 40 -65 PSI), a pressure regulator may be required to prevent damage to the sprinkler system or undesirable results. For example, if water is “misting” out of your sprinkler heads, your pressure is too high and should be reduced.
Tips from Hunter Industries
Spring cleaning your irrigation system prolongs life and improves watering efficiency, saving time, water and money
When spring arrives and freezing temperatures cease, it’s time to turn on irrigation systems and start watering again. However, when you do so, you should take a few very important steps to make sure you do not damage pipes or irrigation components. It is always best to hire a professional contractor. We have provided a spring start-up guide below to help ensure your Hunter system is up and running with ease and efficiency.
STEP 1
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Open the system main water valve slowly to allow pipes to fill with water gradually. If these valves are opened too quickly, sprinkler main lines are subjected to high surge pressures, uncontrolled flow and water hammer, which may cause them to crack or burst.
STEP 2
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Verify the proper operation of each station valve by manually activating all zones from the controller.
STEP 3
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Walk through each station on the controller, checking for proper operation of the zone. Check for proper operating pressure (low pressure indicates a line break or missing sprinkler), proper rotation and adjustment of sprinkler heads, and adequate coverage. Check and clean filters on poorly performing sprinklers. Adjust heads to grade as necessary.
STEP 4
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Reprogram the controller for automatic watering. Replace the controller back-up battery if necessary.
STEP 5
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Uncover and clean the system weather sensor, if applicable.
Remember, it is always best to hire a qualified professional contractor when performing tasks like Spring Start-Up. Irrigation contractors are experts in hydraulics, proper sprinkler system layout, plant watering requirements and soil types. Their skills will ensure a water-efficient system and years of trouble-free operation.
Every year the EPA sponsors “Fix a Leak Week” as a national effort to combat water waste.
That’s because, every year, household leaks can waste more than 1 trillion gallons of water nationwide! How much water is that? It’s…
Enough to fill 40 million swimming pools and 24 billion bathtubs
Almost equal to the capacity of Florida’s vast Lake Okeechobee
Equal to the annual household water usage of more than 11 million homes
Plug Those Leaks!
This year’s Fix a Leak Week runs from March 19 through March 25. It’s the perfect time to check for leaky kitchen and bathroom faucets, malfunctioning toilets and errant irrigation systems. Fixing some of these easily corrected household leaks can save homeowners about 10 percent on their water bills, according to the EPA.
Karen Wirth is in charge of marketing and outreach for the EPA’s WaterSense program. In her view, most folks are clueless about the total amount of water wasted because they “see a couple of drips coming out of their shower head, or sprinkler outside, or faucet, it doesn’t seem like that much.”
Did You Know…
… Homeowners can save about 10 percent on their water bills just by plugging leaks?
So each year, the EPA hones in on the drips during Fix a Leak Week. Special events are planned from coast to coast to teach homeowners how to find and fix household leaks.
Easy Fixes
There’s a simple way to check for leaks in the toilet, Wirth said. “Just put a few drops of food coloring in the tank. If that shows up in the bowl, you have a leak.” This problem can often be fixed by simply replacing the flapper.
Replacing old and worn faucet washers and gaskets fixes most faucet leaks. For leaky shower heads, use pipe tape to secure the connection between the showerhead and the pipe stem.
For the EPA’s complete list of leak fixes, click here.
Call an Irrigation Professional
A residential irrigation system should be checked each spring before use to make sure it wasn’t damaged by frost or freezing. Even a leak as small as 1/32nd of an inch in diameter (about the thickness of a dime) can waste about 6,300 gallons of water per month!
Hire an irrigation professional certified by a WaterSense labeled program to inspect it for you. These professionals have passed a certification program focused on water efficiency. They’ll not only help detect and correct leaks in the system, but also maximize its efficiency.
Cost: $25.00 per person (includes all educational courses, lunch and trade show entry.)
Paid attendees will receive a voucher for $50.00 off their next purchase of $250.00 or more. You will receive your voucher from SiteOne at the door when you check in for the University. (Limit one per transaction. Cannot be combined with any other offers, discounts or special promotions.) You must register online in order to attend this event! TO REGISTER…
Class Offerings
The 2019 SiteOne University-Cleveland will offer classes in the following areas:
Beginning as John Deere Landscapes in 2001, SiteOne Landscape Supply is now the nation’s largest supplier of wholesale goods for green industry professionals in the United States and Canada. It also offers irrigation design services for its designated partners. The company went public in 2016.
On February 28, 2019, Wolf Creek Company is sponsoring a full-day CIT training session.
You’ll learn about gluing and repairing PVC pipe, installing nozzles and adjusting heads, setting and repairing electric valves, and field and controller wiring techniques.
This is a recommended review for the CIT exam. The session will begin at 8:00 a.m. at Wolf Creek Company, 6700 Huntley Road in Columbus, Ohio.
Cost is $100 per attendee, and seats are limited!
Contact your Wolf Creek Representative
for more information.
Why Certification?
Certification gives you a competitive edge. By becoming a Certified Irrigation Technician you can: Add instant credibility with customers and employers. Increase job opportunities. Demonstrate your commitment to efficient water management. Qualify for the EPA WaterSense program.
CIT Overview
CITs are field technicians who install, maintain and repair irrigation systems. Typical duties include:
Cutting and joining pipe, as well as knowing the limitations of different piping systems and understanding basic hydraulics.
Laying out and installing piping and water delivery components; backflow prevention components; mechanical, hydraulic and electrical irrigation controls; and other irrigation system components.
Troubleshooting and repairing irrigation components and systems.
Becoming a Certified Irrigation Technician
To become a CIT, you must:
Register for the exam. Recommended: six months or 1,000 hours of irrigation-related field experience.
Pass the irrigation technician exam. The three-hour exam includes 100 equally weighted, multiple-choice questions on basic irrigation principles, basic electrical principles and basic hydraulics.
Ohio Green Industry Advocacy Day is hosted every other year by the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association (ONLA) and the Ohio Irrigation Association.
You won’t want to miss this unique opportunity to network with colleagues, meet with state legislators, and make your voice heard on issues critical to irrigation professionals.
Benefit of Membership
As one of the sponsors of this year’s Green Industry Advocacy Day, your Ohio Irrigation Association is counting on you. Legislative and regulatory advocacy is one of the key benefits of OIA membership. By becoming an active participant in legislative events, you strengthen this critical membership benefit.
Advocacy Day is your chance to build relationships with two important groups: Green industry business partners, and members of the Ohio legislature and their staff. And who can tell our story better than you?
REGISTRATION
Registration is free to the first 20 Ohio IA members and $89 for non-members (includes lunch). Registration deadline is January 30, 2019.
What to Expect
Here’s what you can expect at this year’s Ohio Green Industry Advocacy Day:
The morning session will feature key legislative speakers (such as ONLA’s Legislator of the Year). You’ll also be briefed on discussion issues for the legislative meetings scheduled in the afternoon.
These meetings with elected officials offer you the opportunity to be a resource to policymakers on key irrigation issues like water quality, water quantity, and environmental reforms. Legislators want to make informed decisions, but in order to do that, the need to hear from us.
YOU possess the knowledge that can help advance decisions favorable to the irrigation industry. Let your voice be heard!
Here’s a tentative schedule for the day:
9:00 – 9:30 a.m.
Registration & Continental Breakfast
9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Guest Speaker or Panel Discussion
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Briefing Session
Learn about bills and issues.
Understand how to communicate with
your legislator
This year’s Fix a Leak Week runs from March 19 through March 25. It’s the perfect time to check for l
Add instant credibility with customers and employers.
As one of the sponsors of this year’s Green Industry Advocacy Day, your Ohio Irrigation Association is counting on you. Legislative and regulatory advocacy is one of the key benefits of OIA membership. By becoming an active participant in legislative events, you strengthen this critical membership benefit.
