irrigation

[parkside]

The season has pretty much come to an end for me and I am already starting to think about next season. I was just wondering what your thoughts are on getting in to the irrigation side of the business. I mainly do lawn maintenance (cutting, trimming, fertilizing, aeration ect.) and a little light landscaping (just planting no stone work) I do pretty well with the above mentioned but there is always room for more income. Any thoughts or suggestions would be most helpful.

[MortNuke]

Learn to perform "irrigation repairs". (Not "installations")

Most homeowners have no clue about their irrigation systems. Simple timer and head adjustments, leak repairs and valve/head replacements can be very profitable, but...you usually need to be able to respond pretty quickly when a problem such as a leak arises.

There is a lot to know, but a bit of study and mentoring from an expert can head you in the right direction. Don't start until you know what you are doing, you can ruin your reputation quick if you attempt services that you are not proficient in.

I'm hoping GrassMaster will start an Irrigation Section...unfortunately, I have to peek in at the other site to see Irrigation threads.

Mort

[Mike J]

Mort I believe the more questions that arise about it here the better chances of getting its own space.

Park I have done what Mort has suggested by just repairs. There is alot more to installing a system than just trenching and fitting pipe together. Different types of heads for different types of beds or lawns.

I would do like Mort said and possibly learn from someone. You also might need a low voltage license to intall it. I believe its just a test here in Okla. not sure about up north.

[MASTERMOWER]

Mike and Mort are both are right on. It seems that many consider irrigation install/design to be a piece of cake, but in reality it is not if done correctly. There are countless number of bozos (Bubba & Sons Sprinkler Service) that design horrible horrible irrigation systems and worse yet, install it poorly. You'll need to know how many heads (& which type head, & possible nozzle size) the sites water pressure and volume will support and how much cover you will get from the heads to enable the system to run efficiently...sounds complicated huh?

I am not saying that you'd fail to design and install a system the right way, I am just saying there is more to irrigation systems than assumed. Start learing now, and in the meantime offer system repairs, winterization, spring start-ups on existing systems. The more experience you have with irrigation systems the better off you'll be when you decide to jump into the installation market. Not to mention you also will view first hand the consequences of a poorly installed/designed system when a customer calls up with a problem and later you won't make the same mistake yourself!