Irrigation Startup Success Tips for Your Commercial Landscaping
Is your commercial landscaping provider ensuring your irrigation system is properly maintained? Irrigation maintenance is an essential part of any commercial landscaping program. Make sure both you and your landscaper understand the key tasks so you’re ready for the growing season.
Why do spring irrigation startup services matter?
Maintaining the irrigation system for your commercial landscaping is akin to your car’s upkeep. Proper care and maintenance over time can help avoid larger expenses down the road. And because irrigation is typically one of the larger expenses for a commercial property—particularly during the growing seasons—spring startup maintenance is critical. Startup should begin with your landscaping partner performing an irrigation audit to ensure that the system is in top condition.
When should you conduct an irrigation audit?
Irrigation audits can help detect leaks and other issues that can turn into bigger problems and greater expenses if they aren’t caught early—and the emphasis should be on early. While some may choose to wait until the grass starts growing before startup, you need to be sure your landscaper is taking action earlier. Why? If an audit shows work that needs to be completed and/or parts need to be ordered, that can take time. In the meantime, grass and plants will start growing without any irrigation ready to help sustain them. The sooner your audit can be completed, the better.
What’s involved in an irrigation audit?
An irrigation audit generally begins with your landscape partner performing an assessment of the diagnostic module that runs the irrigation system. From here, each valve is checked to ensure they’re opening properly and are not stuck or weren’t cracked during the winter season.
Then, backflows are typically checked (or restarted if they were shut down) and then recharged, ensuring there are no leaks. And finally, head checks are performed on the irrigation heads. This will ensure they’re spraying properly and covering the entire landscape zone and not sidewalks or other areas. It will also determine if a replacement is necessary.
For well-based irrigation systems (not regulated through municipalities), water pressure checks may also be needed.
Why does having an irrigation maintenance expert for your startup matter?
There’s much more to a commercial irrigation startup than flipping a switch. That’s why having licensed and knowledgeable irrigation experts (like those at Chain Store Maintenance) take the lead in your startup process isn’t just preferable—it’s mandatory for certain services. For example, some types of plumbing backflows require a certified plumber on site to complete the work, per state or county regulations.
An irrigation expert should also understand how to ensure that root systems get the right amount of moisture and aren’t overwatered, which can lead to root rot. They should also be well-versed in today’s complex computer-based irrigation systems. This entails confirming settings are appropriate for the season and the times of day and/or the amount of time the system is running is appropriate and permissible. They’ll also want to consider your region’s climate and any local watering restrictions.
How frequently should your irrigation be serviced after startup?
A successful spring startup is critical for your commercial landscaping, but maintenance doesn’t end there. Your service partner should be performing monthly checks during the growing season. This ensures all the components are functioning properly, from checking heads and water pressure to confirming that pipes aren’t leaking. These tend to be quick check-ins that can be performed by the regular maintenance crew, but if they don’t happen, you could have irrigation issues happening potentially for months, leading to costly issues or repairs later, as well as wasted water resources.
Why should reporting be a critical component of your irrigation program?
While an audit lets you know where your system stands at the start of the season and what it needs to get up and running, regular reporting is just as critical. Reporting keeps you updated on how the system is functioning and can predict future issues with components based on their history. It also provides you with specific data on your system to help you stay proactive throughout the watering season. Ultimately, audits are a core component of responsibly managing your irrigation system. Spring start-up and audit checks are just as important as the winterization and shut down process, so be sure you're doing both to keep your system in top top shape before, during and after the season.
Start your spring irrigation season with Chain Store Maintenance - an MCS Company
Chain Store Maintenance has the knowledge and expertise to ensure a successful startup for your commercial irrigation this spring, from irrigation audits and wet checks to monitoring and service needs that arise throughout the season. Contact Chain Store Maintenance today to make sure your landscaping is spring-ready and stays in top-performing condition all season.
