Sprinkler Maintenance Tips for Fall from Irrigation Experts

It’s no secret that the sprinkler system on your property plays a big role when it comes to keeping your lawns lush and green. For your lawn to be the envy of the neighborhood, regular watering is a must. Most summers encounter at least a couple of prolonged periods with little to no rain, but with a dependable sprinkler system in place, your lawns don’t need to suffer.

Of course, frequent use of your sprinklers during the hot summer months means sprinkler maintenance should be on the agenda once fall arrives. At Neave Group, we offer a complete sprinkler service that includes maintenance in the fall to get your sprinkler system ready for winter. Here are some sprinkler maintenance tips for fall from your irrigation experts.

Inspect the System

 

Before any maintenance can be performed and actions are taken, it’s important to get a true sense of the overall condition of your sprinkler system. As we move through each component of your irrigation system, we will log its condition, so it is easy to determine which areas, if any, need attention in the spring. We will look for any damage or wear and tear, and then shut down the system properly, so it is safe and makes it through the cold winter months unscathed.

Inspect the Property for Potential Issues

 

The fall is a great time to take stock of any changes in the landscape that could impact the effectiveness of the sprinkler system and address them, so any problems are fixed by the time you need to use them again. An essential part of the overall inspection is examining your property for issues that may affect the sprinkler system next season. Things like severe weather over the summer, animal visitors and insects that can create depressions, holes or bumps that may have an adverse effect on the efficiency of your sprinkler system all need to be taken care of as part of the fall maintenance.

Purge the System of Water

 

Even if you haven’t used your sprinkler in weeks, there will still be water in the system that needs to be removed as part of your fall sprinkler maintenance. We will blow out the system using air pressure, so it is dry, and there is no more water left in there to freeze when the temperatures drop. When water is left in the system in fall and into the winter, it will expand as it freezes, which can end up causing cracks or splits that will inhibit the performance of your sprinklers the following spring and require repairs. Damage to underground lines caused by expanding water could result in your lawn flooding, which would necessitate extensive landscaping work.

Assess Positioning and Location

 

As part of our fall review, we will evaluate the location of the sprinklers on your property and how they performed, then make notes for the following season. The key is to ensure that the grass and plant life that need regular watering are getting it and that there is very little waste when it comes to your water usage. The idea is to maximize your water usage and create the best possible scenario for keeping your lawns and plants in pristine condition.

Make Plans for Next Year

 

During our fall sprinkler maintenance visit, we will also determine if it makes more sense for your sprinkler system to be manually operated, semi-automated, or fully automated for the following season. Sometimes, the customer’s preference isn’t always what is best for the condition of the property, so we will give our recommendation and explain why we think that’s the case. We may recommend a rain sensor to help you conserve water next year, if that was an issue, and go over the results of this year’s plan, then make any adjustments that will help make next year even better.

 

If there are plans to add any trees, plants, or shrubbery to your property next spring, these will also affect the plan for your sprinkler system. We may need to reposition sprinkler heads and move the system around to ensure the new additions get their fair share of water during the summer. There comes a time for most properties when the current sprinkler system no longer matches its needs, and we will be sure to let you know when that time comes and what to do about it.

 

In order to have a lawn that is lush, healthy, and full for the spring, summer, and fall, there is a lot more to it than simply turning on a sprinkler now and then and hoping it rains. The same is true for shrubs and plant life that will add vibrant details to your property and complete the overall look. From the first melt in spring until the first frost in late fall, your sprinkler system plays a huge role in the overall aesthetic of your property. And these sprinkler maintenance tips for fall will go a long way toward keeping your system in great shape all year long.

 

Learn more about our irrigation maintenance services. If you’re in the Hudson Valley, call us at (845) 463-0592. If you’re in Westchester County, call (914) 271-7996; from Connecticut, dial (203) 212-4800. Or, fill out our simple web form, and we’ll contact you about setting up your free consultation.