By: Andy Smith, CIC, CID, CLIA
So the recovery hasn’t landed on your doorstep with a big bag of cash? You are still looking for ways to drive business? Well look no further than Smart Irrigation Month. July is here. The heat wave is in full force and there is no better time to reexamine the opportunities that are right under your nose with your current customers as landscape water use peaks.
The irrigation industry is continuing to create innovative tools that save water, limit runoff and prevent overspray. But smart irrigation isn’t just about smart controllers. Certainly, the smart controller is an integral component of a landscape water efficiency regime, but don’t forget about all the other tools that prevent water waste.
Check Valves
Lateral piping (pipe downstream of the control valve) contains a significant amount of water. Properties with even modest slopes can create conditions where this water will partially or completely drain out through the lowest sprinkler on a zone after every cycle. This means every time the system operates, the pipe must be refilled before any water is delivered to the target. Every sprinkler class on the market can be replaced or retrofitted with a check valve option that can prevent this type of loss in situations where slopes change by 15’ or more.
Nozzles
Start with the basics in this area. Take steps to ensure matched precipitation by retrofitting nozzles with appropriate flow rates for the sprinkler pattern and the array of the sprinkler zone. If water is spraying onto non-target areas, such as driveways or sidewalks, make necessary changes. Manufacturers continue to develop products that create significant opportunities to improve distribution uniformity, conform to odd patterns and match precipitation rates with adjacent sprinklers.
Sensors
Be it rain, soil moisture, weather, wind, freeze or flow, cost-effective solutions exist for retrofit or replacement that can avoid unnecessary irrigation cycles. Every application is unique and there is no one-size-fits-all in this area, but every irrigation system should be equipped with technology to prevent operation in periods where growing conditions are favorable without supplemental irrigation.
Pressure Regulation
Every sprinkler is designed to operate most effectively within a specific range of pressure. If operating pressure is too high, several options exist to regulate the pressure downward at the sprinkler, at the valve or on the entire system. Conversely, if pressure is too low, a booster pump may create an effective solution. However, many irrigation systems contain piping that is too small for the application or have an undersized source and may require some re-engineering to cure a low-pressure problem.
Drip Irrigation
Delivering water directly to the target, drip can be a real problem solver. Everything from preventing overspray to changes in the landscape, drip irrigation offers flexibility in output and a variety of components to satisfy the challenges of many irrigation needs.
Smart Controllers
The industry continues to buzz surrounding the topic of smart control. True, smart irrigation control makes sure plants have enough water and prevents the excess application of water. This keeps the landscape within an optimum range of growth in the overall plant-soil-water relationship. Many viable replacement and/or add-on solutions exist that are suitable and cost-effective.
In the overall conversation about landscape water use efficiency, smart irrigation presents an opportunity to shine the light on products and services that pay for themselves in the environmental and/or economic equation. Consumers are constantly badgered with messages about being green. In my mind, the “original green” is chlorophyll. Smart irrigation can help your customers deliver more of this “original green” with less water. This is Smart Irrigation Month. Recognize it as a great opportunity for keeping your customers’ properties environmentally green.
