Can Your Irrigation System Handle Summer?

May 3, 2016 | By webadmin

While the weather seems mild and pleasant now, we all know that harsh summer temperatures are just around the corner. As summer daytime temperatures soar, and the nights don’t cool off much, your landscape plants can quickly begin to suffer. Once our heavy clay soil gets too dry, it can be tough to rehydrate it. If your irrigation system isn’t running at it’s best, or isn’t really customized for the types of plants you have in your landscape, you could lose key plants or damage your lawn. Now, before it gets hot, is a good time run it through the paces.

Want to vacation worry free? Have your irrigation system tuned-up before you leave, so your lawn and landscape will look its best when you return.

What to look for

If you can’t remember the last time you had your automatic irrigation system checked, then it’s probably time. Improperly set zones, water pressure that is too low or too high, broken sprinkler heads, pipe leaks; these issues can all waste a lot of water, money and plants. We have a certified irrigation specialist who can assess what needs to be done to your system to keep it running efficiently so it doesn’t overwater or underwater your valuable lawn and landscape plants.

How do you know if your irrigation is in need of repair? Look for these signs.

• Has your water bill been steadily increasing even though your water usage has not? It could be a leak in your irrigation system. An audit will rule this out or let you know you need a fix.
• If areas of your landscape are bone dry and others are too wet, you could have a leak, or zones could be set improperly.
• If water is just trickling from sprinkler heads, you might not have enough pressure to the area or there could be a leak.
• Too much water is coming from sprinkler heads. This too could be an issue of too much pressure, which results in a lot of wasted water.

Ongoing leaks or pressure problems can cause big problems, and get expensive, if they aren’t addressed quickly.

We love the Weathermatic SmartLine controller.

Smart-watering tech

Studies have shown that switching to a smart controller can help save up to 70% of water you were previously losing from improper watering or runoff. A smart controller can be added to your existing system to help you save water and time. Or, we can install a smart controller with a new or renovated drip irrigation system.

Depending on your types of plants in your landscape or the soil you have, smart controllers adjust watering schedules automatically. To make it even easier, you can control all of your watering right from your smartphone or computer, with a wireless subscription. While on vacation, at work, or running errands, you can control and monitor your system from wherever you are.

Having your irrigation system audited by a certified irrigation specialist annually can not only save you money, water and time, but also help keep your valuable trees and plants healthy. Don’t wait until your lawn and landscape is already taking a summer beating; get a jump on irrigation repairs and updates now so you can keep your property healthy through the heat.