Irrigation System - Environmental Designs Irrigation

Why Irrigation Audits Are Important For Your Wallet And The Environment?

March 31, 2020 by Guy Virone Leave a Comment

Irrigation audits refer to a full investigation of the irrigation system on your property. With this audit, you can find out which elements of your irrigation system aren’t correctly serving your greenery. You can identify and fix over watering, under watering, and faulty equipment. This gives you the best shot at a healthy and green lawn as well as saving water and money.

Why Do I Need a Functional Irrigation System?

The irrigation system on your residential or commercial property does a lot more than take up space. It keeps all of the vegetation on the lot healthy and growing. This includes:

Grass
Trees
Shrubbery
Flowers

Without proper irrigation, you could be using too much or not enough water. Using not enough water means risking the death of your plants. It means having to undergo costly replanting of an entire bed of grass. It can make the property look unsightly. No one wants to live in a home with brown grass or shrubs and wilted flowers. It wastes time having to replant the entire lot. Too much water costs money on your utility bill. This money could be better spent on other things. Do you want to be paying extra money to kill off all your plants? No thanks!

What Does an Irrigation Audit Do?

Contrary to what the term “audit” implies, this irrigation audit SAVES you money. Property owners should do a standard irrigation audit once every 3-5 years. You can also have one in the event of any issue that may arise.

The process of a property irrigation system audit is simple. It involves an inspection of the irrigation on the property with attention to a few key factors. These factors are:

Inventory
Faulty Equipment
Water Precipitation

By observing these factors and rectifying any issues present, your irrigation auditors can save you money. They can keep your lawn from becoming unsightly brown turf. Turn an irrigation system from an inefficient money drain into a productive, profitable resource. Contact us for your first irrigation audit today and start saving!

Inventory

This part of the process refers to putting together a detailed inventory of your entire property. This inventory includes all of the irrigation equipment and the plants that they water. After your irrigation expert makes this inventory, they can use it to maximize efficiency. This ensures that plants get the water they need while reducing inventory costs.

Equipment Check

In the second part of the process, the irrigation experts examine equipment. They check to see if any of it is faulty or broken so that anything malfunctioning can be fixed. Defective equipment can lead to overwatering or under watering of the plants.

Leaks

The first step is to check for leaks. To do this, they follow this simple set of steps:

Turn the system on and fill the mainline
Use a Pressure Gauge
Try to hold the supply of water

If the system holds the supply of water, you can know for sure there are no leaks in the system or weeping valves.

Sprinkler Heads

The next element of the equipment check is to ensure no sprinkler heads are missing or broken.

Rain Sensors

Rain sensors ensure that your sprinklers won’t go off when it’s already raining. These should be checked yearly to prevent waste of water. How they would go about testing this depends on which brand and type of rain sensor you have installed. The experienced pros at Environmental Designers Irrigation are well versed in all the latest tech available, which is why they know the ins and outs of just about every irrigation system.

Precipitation Test

Without a precipitation test, knowing how the system performance affects your property is all just guesswork. A real test can tell you exactly which areas are getting the most water, and which are getting the least. Here’s how it works:

Collection cups are spaced throughout each zone
The irrigation system is turned on and run for a determined amount of time
The cups are checked to see how much rainfall entered each cup and in turn for each area.

A perfectly functional system can still be missing spots if it is improperly designed. If you see patches of brown in your yard, even though your sprinklers seem to be working fine, you may not have proper placement of your sprinkler heads.

Plan for the Future

With this audit, our experts can help to create functional irrigation schedules that help to optimize productivity and resources to save time and money. You can also have your experts recommend all the best new technologies to try out to save you money and improve the health of the lawn.

Irrigation audits aren’t just about fixing broken things. They are also about optimizing your system so that you save money, cut down on resources, and properly distribute your current system for maximum lawn health and minimal cost to you.

Golf courses, personal lawns, and plant life surrounding commercial offices or properties can all benefit from an irrigation audit every few years. This is especially true for money-making features that should look good and cost less to maximize profits.

Schedule Your Audit With Environmental Designers Irrigation Today!

Our full-service irrigation water management company delivers the best deals on irrigation sprinkler audits. For the past 25 years, we have served the local community with high-caliber services that end up saving our clients money and improving the look and health of their turf, shrubbery, trees, flowers, and other plant life.

We deal with all the latest technology in the field of irrigation, including smart systems, the Hunter and Rainbird sprinkler systems, and more! Contact us now at Environmental Designers Irrigation to get a free estimate and register for an audit today.

How Does An Irrigation System Add Value To Your Home?

November 29, 2019 by Guy Virone Leave a Comment

Are you looking to up the value of your current home? You’re probably wondering…where can I add the most value?

Yet, you want to do it without breaking the bank. Something that costs a lot upfront and contributes little to your resale value won’t cut it. Instead, you’re searching for a home improvement project that noticeably boosts your appraisal value.

Enter → an irrigation system.

A sprinkler system is a way to guarantee maximum curb appeal. When you choose a system that’s easy to use and high-quality, you make a green lawn possible for any potential buyer.

No one wants to worry about yellowing grass, and a sad-looking lawn can tarnish a beautiful home. A large area of browning grass? Yikes.

A sprinkler system tells potential buyers you’ve taken the work out of lawn maintenance. When you reduce their work AND ensure the kind of curb appeal people crave – how could they say no? If that doesn’t sell them, how about the water conservation or quality aspects?

Choosing a professional irrigation system ups your home’s value in more ways than one. Here’s how lawn sprinklers can help:

Quality

It’s critical to note that not every irrigation system is built the same way. There’s a big difference between installing your irrigation supplies and installing a professional system. An expert system boosts property value, but a poorly-designed one can take away value.

Avoid losing money and creating a headache of a landscape. Take it from us, leave the installation to the experts. It needs to be not only well designed but also installed efficiently for the greenery you have. For example, certain plants need more water than others. The watering system should also avoid spraying unnecessary spaces with concrete or mulch.

Most realtors advise their clients to work with a company that has experience installing top-of-the-line systems. That way, their client knows that their new system will saturate the grass and landscaping while sparing the areas that don’t need it. Further, this allows them to confidently sell your property with the irrigation system being a bonus (not a drawback) because they know it’s been done right.

Convenience

Arguably the most significant selling factor for potential buyers is that the system is already set up. When you move into a home that already has sprinklers taken care of, you know your lawn maintenance will be a breeze.

Sure, you might need to pay for a sprinkler repair company now and then. But most of the work is done for you. And in the grand scheme of things, sprinkler repairs are nothing.

The alternative isn’t so great: standing out in the lawn with a garden hose every week to keep a healthy lawn is no fun. If you decide to do even less, you’re stuck with a sad, yellowed lawn that won’t compare to the neighbors’.

By biting the bullet and installing a sprinkler system on your own before selling, you make the buying decision that much easier for everyone else.

Curb Appeal

Curb appeal refers directly to how attractive property is from its street view.

Several components go into a curb appeal consideration:

A Gorgeous Yard
A Vibrant and a Fresh Paint Job
Intact Roof
A Pleasing Aesthetic

Curb appeal is a great marketing tactic when trying to sell your home; buyers are more likely to want to peek in when they already love what they see on the outside. This “wow” factor will entice buyers to get inside and continue the tour.

Grass and landscaping is a significant factor in curb appeal. Without an attractive yard, your property can look old and neglected.

The best fix for this is an irrigation system, of course. A regular dose of a watering system will refresh the greenery on your property. And a refreshed, green lawn can completely transform the exterior view of your home.

Of course, you could increase your curb appeal by hand-watering your grass or replacing everything dead with fresh sod. Without an automatic sprinkler system to maintain it, however, you can’t ensure your investment. Smart irrigation systems will do the work for you to keep your plants growing healthier and living longer.

Conservation

It’s a common myth that installing an automatic sprinkler system will make your water bill skyrocket. An installed network of sprinklers will help with saving water and money.

How is that so? Irrigation technology has come a long way. These systems have become smarter. Now, they can use unique controls to apply just the exact amount of water that your landscape needs. Individual sensors can even tell when it’s raining, and they’re not required.

If you have been watering your lawn with a hose, there were likely times you did a sub-par job. Setting up a manual sprinkler hose attachment and forgetting to turn it off in time is not efficient. Spraying your lawn by hand and missing spots results in brown or yellowing areas.

With an underground system that’s set up by the experts, you won’t have to worry about wasting water or getting uneven results.

Potential home buyers want to know they won’t be stuck with a high water bill. They also want to know they’re not wasting water, as environmental factors are a significant factor in the buying process.

Knowing that if they move into your home, they will have an efficient system already in play that will ease anxieties about water conservation.

The Sweet Spot for Value

Are you looking for that sweet spot to increase the value of your home? Installing an irrigation system might be your best bet. A system like this promotes a high quality to your home. It can also boost your curb appeal and encourages water conservation.

When potential home buyers shop around for the house of their dreams, an installed irrigation system is something they’re always looking for. Make the sale easier by giving them what they want and what your lawn needs: a professionally installed sprinkler system.

How To Choose The Best Irrigation System Repair Company?

October 10, 2019 by Guy Virone Leave a Comment

All plants need water and sunlight to grow. But finding the right balance between these two crucial elements isn’t always easy. The right irrigation system can help you enjoy lush and verdant lawns, healthy and beautiful plants and a garden that’s bursting with vibrant colors. The wrong one, however, can result in uneven patches of under-developed and undernourished plants, lead to frequent breakdowns and the need for expensive repairs, and generally provide a poor return on your investment. Whether you’re looking for a simple sprinkler system for your turf, a robust irrigation controller for commercial or municipal property or irrigation design for your most recent landscaping project, it’s vital to know which names you can trust and which will create more problems than they solve.

Likewise, when something goes awry with your sprinklers or drip irrigation system, you need to know who you can trust to carry out speedy and reliable repairs before lasting damage is done to your turf and flowers. In the digital age, there is a multitude of options at your fingertips. So many, in fact, that it can be challenging to know who to choose.

We hope you’ll find this guide useful as we explain how to choose the best irrigation system repair company.

Have They Demonstrated That They Can Handle a Project of Your Size/Scope?

If your repair job has complex needs, not all irrigation companies will necessarily be equipped to handle a situation of its scale. While most repair companies will tell you that they can handle it, we appreciate that as a customer, you can never have too much peace of mind.

As such, it’s a good idea to search through the Customer Testimonials / Reviews section of their website if they have one and look for jobs similar in size and scope to your own. If you don’t see one (or if the irrigation company in question doesn’t have a review page) take to third party sites like Yelp or check out their Google My Business profile. Take a look at social media platforms. The more similar jobs they’ve carried out, the better you’ll feel about choosing them.

Are They Willing to Provide You with Contact Details for Previous Clients?

Reputable irrigation companies will be only too happy to provide you with contact details for previous happy clients they’ve left in their wake. They understand that you’ll take whatever they say about themselves with a pinch of salt and let their previous work speak for itself.

If, on the other hand, they are reticent to provide you with a phone number (or at least an email address) this may be a red flag.

Do They Provide You with a Quote Straight Away, or Arrange to Inspect the Property First?

Be wary of irrigation companies that provide a quote based solely on the description of your irrigation system requirements by email or over the phone. While they may give a ballpark figure when asked, a repair company worth their salt will want to thoroughly inspect the system and get to know the requirements before providing a quote.

They’ll know that sometimes a repair is more involved than meets the eye and won’t arrive at a final quote until they’re sure of the underlying problem and the most effective solution.

Is the Repair Quote Comprehensive?

Whether you need a household repair job or a repair on a commercial/industrial/ municipal property, you have a carefully calculated budget for renovations. As such, you need to know that the quote you’re getting is the price you’ll pay with no hidden extras or add-ons. Thus, it’s worth double-checking with an irrigation company that the price they quote includes;

All parts
All labor
Tax
Any other ancillary costs

Can They Improve Your System as They Repair?

A good irrigation company will not just be able to identify the cause of the problem, but also identify inadequacies in your system which could result in a repeat of the same problem or further issues later on down the line. They may be able to identify ways in which the system could be made more efficient /more comfortable to manage, like changing to a more efficient sprinkler control system or replacing parts of your infrastructure. Carrying these out while the repairs are underway could well save on labor costs rather than getting the repair done and making improvements at a later date.

While they shouldn’t pressure you or use aggressive upselling techniques to get you to pay more than you’re comfortable with, being able to identify areas for improvement will demonstrate proficiency and a proactive attitude.

Do They Use Trusted Names When It Comes to Their Parts and Supplies?

Irrigation systems are just like everything else. A repair job is only as good as the parts it uses. Even a skilled technician can only be so reliable when using low-quality parts. As such, you should ensure that they fork out for the good stuff and use trusted brands that are well regarded in the field of irrigation. These include;

These are widely recognized and trusted brands, so if an irrigation company is using them, you can be assured of a decent job.

Do They Offer a Warranty on Works Carried Out?

Finally, for your peace of mind, the repair job should also include a warranty that covers both parts and labor for the repair. Most companies will offer a warranty of 12 months while some will even provide a warranty period of two years. A guarantee demonstrates that the irrigation company has faith in their abilities and reflects their commitment to earning your trust.

Need to talk about irrigation repairs or the construction of new systems? Get in touch today!

We understand the importance of irrigation in a healthy and beautiful lawn. If you have repair work that needs to be carried out on your irrigation system, or you’re thinking of having a new system or irrigation controller installed, get in touch with Environmental Designers Irrigation today. A member of our team will be more than happy to help.