Hold the line

Irrigation is never a set it and forget it situation, making regular checks and maintenance an important part of the general upkeep. While many irrigation consultants include the maintenance plan in their operations and maintenance manuals, it’s up to the owner to make sure proper maintenance is happening.

“The last inspection I normally do is the warrant inspection,” says Ken Merboth, president of Water Scape in Lincoln, Neb., and ASIC member. “That’s usually a few years out when the warranty from the irrigation contractor is going to end.”

Often, the installer will get the maintenance contract, but if not, the owner has the instructions on everything from how to look for leaks and check pressures to valve maintenance. “Almost any contractor, and I’m talking about 99 percent of them, will just jump at the opportunity to provide maintenance on their own irrigation system because they know exactly what’s in place. They know how it works and they’ll usually enter into an agreement,” he says.

Merboth will facilitate the maintenance agreement between the contractor and the client, and provides that to the irrigation contractor and the owner. He notes that contractors often have their own plan, but it depends on what the property owner prefers. “It varies so much. It depends on the size of the project itself but somebody needs to on a weekly basis, or at least on a monthly basis, make sure that everything is working visually – you know, do a visual inspection of the site,” he says. "During the inspection, they can check the adjustment of the irrigation heads and check for leaks and if all zones are working."

In areas where water reclamation is popular or necessary, the maintenance can vary drastically depending on the water source. While a clean water source might mean the drip line filters need to be cleaned once a year, a reclaimed source might require a weekly cleaning. “That’s why I can’t say, ‘OK, here’s a maintenance agreement,’” Merboth says. Instead, he gives an outline of what a maintenance agreement should include so that the owner can decide what he would like to take of himself, and what he’d like to contract out. That includes everything from regular sprinkler head checks to winterization.