Focus — Fall Projects and Plants
Irrigation Shutdowns by Meta Levin
Due to COVID19
, irrigation shut-downs, just like everything else this year, will be normal and not-sonormal. Crews are wearing protective equipment both for their own and customers’ safety; they are taking pains to clean everything and some customers are doing certain tasks on their own. “Whenever we shut down, we need to turn off the water and the shut off valves are inside the house,” says Brett Gold of American National Sprinkler & Lighting. That means that either irrigation technicians must enter customer’s homes or they do it themselves. Most irrigation contractors are offering residential customers the option of shutting off their own water. Allowing the contractors to do it, as has happened in the past, the clients would need to allow technicians access to the home, be it the basement, the garage or wherever the water shut-off valves are located. Last spring, Alex Mayfield of JM Irrigation LLC, estimates that 5 to 10 percent of his residential customers opted to do it themselves and he expects about the same number will want to turn off their own water. “They prefer that we don’t come into the house,” he says. Gold estimates that 10 to 15 percent of his customers chose the do-it-yourself method. To make things easy, American National Sprinkler & Lighting posted a how-to video on its website to tell customers how to properly turn on/off the water. The video showed customers what to look for and 26
where to find it. “Most took it in stride,” says Gold. When turning the water off, they must also drain the pipes. Irrigation contractors can explain that process and answer any questions. Mayfield notes that his commercial customers usually know what they’re doing and can shut off the water themselves. Once the water is off, the next steps are just as straightforward. Crews disconnect the RPG (backflow prevention device) and either bring it inside the house or let the homeowner do it. In the latter case, the irrigation team can leave it in a designated spot and the homeowner can take care of stowing it indoors for the winter, says Mayfield. These RPGs must be protected from the cold weather that can cause damage. If, however, homeowners choose to allow the crews to take care of the shut-off, irrigation contractors are taking extra precautions to ensure the safety and health of their customers and crews alike. As a matter of course, “our techs wear masks and gloves,” says Gold. So do Mayfield’s. The contractors are careful to clean all equipment between jobs and some wear booties over their shoes if they must enter the home. “We spray everything with an anti-viral spray before and after each site visit, and wipe equipment with paper towels after spraying,” says Gold. “We do a thorough cleaning (continued on page 28)
The Landscape Contractor September 2020
