aspenhill's blog: Irrigation System

Thursday
Another big check off on the to do list - the irrigation system is completely repaired!

The initial system was installed in 2005 and then expanded in 2007. In the years that followed, it never could be utilized for a full season for one reason or another. We use the pond for the water source vs using the well, and there were issues with the pump more often than not. Looking back, I think the company that did the installation and service really didn't know much about pumps at all. They primarily did jobs that tied in to the house's water source, be it city water or well, and didn't need to do anything with separate pumps. They tried numerous pump configurations over the years. The last straw for me was when a truly inexperienced worker came out to dewinterize the system and blew the motor when he wired the pump incorrectly. It made me angry that the company would not cover the cost of the pump that their worker destroyed. That was about ten years ago.

I half heartedly attempted to find other companies, but I wasn't having much luck. The available budget was being used on other projects anyway. My gardening efforts have pretty much been minimal for the past few years too. Well, this year I have been working on, and actually finishing up, projects that have been lingering for years. Repairing the irrigation system was a big one.

I looked for a new company and finally found one who specifically advertised that they manage pumps for alternate water sources. I was impressed that when I called there was an actual person answering the phone. I was more impressed when they scheduled a site survey and someone showed up. You wouldn't think that this should be a big deal, but in this day and age, it is. I got a warm and fuzzy feeling that the local franchise owner's right hand man was knowledgeable about what I needed, and I really liked his friendly and easy demeanor. Plus, he liked River

The work was accomplished in four sessions that were scheduled 2 - 3 weeks apart throughout the summer, starting in July and finishing up about a week ago. The first session was to install a new pump. The second and third sessions were to evaluate and repair all broken water lines, sprinkler heads, control valves, ... The fourth session was to install additional zones to water garden areas that weren't in existence in the 2005 and 2007 timeframe. I am so happy with the work this company did for me. They always kept to the dates and times we scheduled, sending an email to confirm the day before and status texts when they were on their way. The owner of the local franchise did the pump installation himself, and was on hand with his right hand man and crew for all the repairs and additional installation. I can't say enough about how good this whole experience has been.

The owner showed me all the working zones at the end of the project, but I finally made time today to watch the irrigation system run through its cycle. I wanted to see which gardens each zone watered and make an updated program guide that lists them. Mike also cut one sprinkler line already when he was messing with the water tie in to the greenhouse I needed to figure out if that was one of the old abandoned lines or if it was still being used now that everything has been updated. Yep, still being used so that has to be fixed. Very simple fix though. Anyway, I got soaking wet checking everything out And I got chilled to the bone too.

As I was watching the garden areas getting watered, I could feel the excitement building. Our summers get so hot and when there isn't any rain for days or weeks at a time, the perennials suffer. It isn't exactly practical to water all of them by hand, and unfortunately I've lost many a plant in drought conditions. The irrigation is completely up and running, just in time to winterize it But it will be ready to use come spring!

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