For Irrigation Installation, Maintenance, & Repair, Contact Us Today. 

A properly designed irrigation system makes caring for your landscape easier and protects your plants from the dry spells and heat waves of northwest summers. In this blog we will go over all the services GRO provides to install and maintain irrigation systems. 

Irrigation Design

Critical to any irrigation system is a proper design plan. Firstly, your property will be measured and appropriately zoned. Available water pressure (PSI) and water volume (GPM) will also be measured to determine the most appropriate system. Residential irrigation systems typically use three different sprinkler types: large area rotors, rotating stream spray sprinklers, and small area fixed spray sprinklers. The layout of your property will inform where and which sprinkler types will be used. Sprinklers are best used for lawns or any flat area needing even distribution of water. Drip lines are best for areas where the ground is covered by mulch and does not efficiently allow water to enter the soil. 

Irrigation installation 

Irrigation installation will begin with above ground marking and flagging of sprinkler head locations and utility boxes. Next up is trenching for piping, wires, sprinklers, and valves. These will be installed roughly 10”-12” below the surface (deep enough to avoid conflict with lawn aerators and other lawn maintenance processes). Once piping is installed, the water will need to be connected and tested before the trenching is filled. Lastly, the controller box will be installed and our irrigation specialist will run a series of final adjustments and tests to ensure that the water spray is even, there is no overspray, and the backflow preventer is working properly. 

Irrigation Maintenance

Irrigation Maintenance is typically very straightforward. The main events throughout the year are start up, adjustments, and winterization. For irrigation startup, usually in late April, we recommend checking to make sure your water pressure is the correct PSI for your system (typically 40-65 PSI). Start up is also the best time to check every sprinkler head is functioning correctly, adjusted properly, and that the backflow preventer is working correctly.

Maintenance during the summer includes adjusting your timer to accommodate the hotter and drier weather. Once the season has wrapped up and freezing temperatures are around the corner, it is time for irrigation winterization. This process entails draining all the water from your system to protect it from the expansion of freezing water. For more details on this, check out our blog on Irrigation Winterization.

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