Irrigation systems play a huge role in keeping your landscape healthy and happy. It is important to maintain your irrigation system so that you’re not surprised by dying plants or costly leaks. Unfortunately, the irrigation industry does not have a nationally recognized standard so you never quite know what you’re dealing with. If you have just bought a home with an irrigation system or yours is starting to act up it is wise to get a better understanding of what is buried under your lawn.
Why does Brookside recommend an assessment?
An irrigation system plays an important role in understanding your irrigation system. An assessment gives the customer and technician a comprehensive image of the current state of the irrigation system. We keep assessments on hand to provide quicker response times to your future questions and proposals for repairs, upgrades, and renovations. Brookside’s experienced technicians use your assessment to help you understand your system and predict upcoming maintenance.
What does an Irrigation Assessment entail?
Our irrigation service process starts with an Irrigation Assessment in which we run through your irrigation systems components and zones to how your system functions and what you can expect to update. We make sure that the controller is sending the right signal, your valves are letting the water through and shutting off properly, and the zones and sprinklers function right. We also assess the watering needs of your landscape to determine whether the watering patterns make sense. As landscapes mature and plants grow the layout of your irrigation may need to be updated to keep up with precipitation rates and landscape obstructions. All of this data is recorded on an assessment sheet kept on file in our office, physically and digitally, so that an estimator or in field technician has access to the data.
Common life cycle failures of an irrigation system include:
- Annual damage from lawn maintenance equipment.
- Irrigation valves have electronic and rubber components that typically last 8 to 15 years, but that can be shortened by minerals in your water supply, power discrepancies from your controller, shorted wires, or improper installation.
- Controllers can last for a long time but are susceptible to humidity and direct sun exposure. A good controller can last 10+ years, but advances in irrigation technology may prompt a sooner replacement.
What’s Next?
Following the assessment, a proposal will be written to repair any existing damage and modernize your system. Once any damage or deficiencies have been taken care of, we can start to talk about which maintenance plan best suits your needs. We offer a wide range of care from basic Spring Start Ups and Winterization to seasonal care that takes the worry out of your hands. See <irrigation maintenance page> for our current irrigation offerings, or reach out through at (360) 434-6102 to chat with our team about what the best plan for you is.