Landscape and Irrigation is read by decision makers throughout the landscape and irrigation markets — including contractors, landscape architects, professional grounds managers, and irrigation and water mgmt companies and reaches the entire spetrum.
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Palumbo. “When this is the case, the spring start-up is a great time to become familiar with someone else’s work. Always look for signs of poor installation practices. These are usually good indicators for the type and severity of problems you could encounter with a sys- tem as it ages.” During a site inspection, contractors may want to consider using an itemized list of system checkpoints to evaluate their customer’s system as thoroughly as possible. Tom Kundrat, Rain Bird’s product manager for rotary nozzles, said that his company provides contrac- tors with a pre-printed “Walk-Through Observation Worksheet” that can help tremendously with the site inspection process. This worksheet prompts contractors to look at virtually every aspect of the site, from its physical characteristics to its current watering schedule to the types of sprays and rotors present. After noting site conditions such as static pressure, dynamic pressure, water source, water rate and soil type, the next stop during the inspection should be at the controller to determine how long and how often the sys- tem is running. “If the contractor performing the inspections is the same one who originally installed the system, run-time information may already be available in the client’s file or in the zone table inside the controller door,” said Kundrat. “If not, the contractor must ex- amine the irrigation schedule zone by zone to make a proper assess- ment. In many cases, they will find zones with excessive run times.” The next step is to walk each zone to identify what sprinklers are being used and look for any problems — including brown spots, uneven coverage, missing heads, leaky heads and heads that are out of adjustment. During this portion of the inspection, contractors can also determine if the rotors and sprays being used are the best for that customer’s site and situation. “For example, if you’re dealing with a sloped area that’s causing water to run off onto the sidewalk or street below, you may want to consider rotors or sprays with inte- grated check valves,” said Kundrat. “In areas irrigated by sprays, this situation can be alleviated by replacing existing sprays with rotary nozzles. The lower precipitation rate of rotary nozzles works well on slopes and compacted soil. Contractors should also look at the valves to make sure everything is working correctly.” Other issues to look for include unmatched precipitation rates, high or low pressure situations and areas being over-watered or under-watered. It’s also a good idea to consider the efficiency and features built into the customer’s current controller. It’s possible they might benefit from a Smart controller that automatically updates watering schedules based on current weather conditions and ET (evapotranspiration) rates. Some Smart controllers also allow the contractor to input specific zone information. This makes it possible to really customize watering schedules based not only on weather and ET, but also on degree of slope, plant type, soil type and sun exposure. It’s also important to note other physical characteristics of the site during the walk-through, such as plant types, variations in sun expo- sure throughout the landscapes, soil compaction levels and any new flower beds, ornamental grasses, shrubs or trees that may have been added since the original irrigation system was installed. Many clients don’t realize that new additions to the landscape — such as flower beds, tall ornamental grasses, shrubs or trees — can disrupt the spray patterns established when the original irrigation system was de- signed. Planting beds that are not being irrigated or that are ineffi- ciently irrigated with overhead sprays are also prime opportunities to install efficient drip irrigation that will save both time and water. www.landscapeirrigation.com “Contractors will typically find upgrade opportunities due to common problems in their region,” said Kundrat. “Slopes, hills, clay soils, wind and large trees are examples of issues contractors come across. High water pressure is also a common problem that can eas- ily be solved with a pressure-regulating spray head or rotor that saves a ton of water. Smart controllers and rain sensors have also been growing in popularity with customers over the last few years as easy upgrades.” Rain Bird also offers a “Right Choice Solution” sheet that de- scribes common irrigation system problems and the various prod- ucts that can be implemented as solutions. Both Palumbo and Kundrat suggest that contractors provide a “good, better, best” series of upgrade options to demonstrate professionalism and differentiate themselves from their competition. By offering a range of options at different price points, contractors can help their customers find so- lutions that fit their unique needs and budgets. Convincing the customer Throughout the United States, many water authorities are in- creasing their rates by five to 15 percent annually — a fact that sup- ports the case for making water-efficient upgrades to a customer’s irrigation system. The fact that far more attention is being paid to water conservation can certainly help contractors get customers over the hurdle of spending money to improve their systems. Not every customer is going to be environmentally conscious by nature, but locally enforced watering restrictions can make a solid case for the installation of water-saving irrigation system components. “Identify areas in your region that have high water rates, water rebates or water restrictions and use that information to convince the customer to upgrade,” said Kundrat. “For instance, if you know your customer is paying a lot for water, show them how the product can help them save money by decreasing that expense. Give them an idea of what they can expect as a return on investment.” How customers recognize the returns on their investments will differ from person to person. Some customers may insist on seeing a return through reduced water consumption and a lower water bill. For these customers, it may be a good idea to have them call their water provider for a summary of consumption volume over the last 12 months for comparison in the new year. Other customers will be less concerned with dollars and cents and will insist on improving the appearance of their landscape. With these customers, the spring start-up can lead to other opportunities for adding spring color, new plant material or hardscapes. By spending time talking with their clients, contractors are more likely to present themselves as trusted experts and long-term part- ners who share a common goal — creating and maintaining irriga- tion systems that fit needs and budgets. This atmosphere of trust can open a customer’s mind to making positive updates to their irriga- tion systems that will benefit them for years to come. “Each client is different,” said Palumbo. “The best advice is to get to know your customer and develop a relationship. Get to know what is important to them and customize proposals to address their concerns. This will help build trust, increase retention, and generate positive and cost-free word-of-mouth advertising.” Lynette Von Minden is public relations counsel with Swanson Russell. Article provided by Rain Bird. For more information, visit www.rain bird.com Landscape and Irrigation 21 LI