Been a little slow in here

[Dirty Water]

Everyone off christmas shopping? :confused:

I'm working for a few more days and then I'll take until the new year off. With temperatures around 38 during the day in 25 at night, I'm ready for a mini break.

Just to keep this irrigation related, we do a lot of work before the landscapers have the final grade, or topsoil done. Most of the time, we just poke our swing pipe up out of the ground where heads should go until they are done, and then install the heads.

Does anyone else do this? Its saved us considerable time trying to locate buried or broken heads.

[BSME]

I think a lot of the guys that are done winterizing check out until March...

bicmud... this is from a different post but I usually have pretty good success from the new homeowners calling just from the sticker I leave on the timer. I find most homeowners take a stab at it themselves and then if there's a problem they call the company on the timer figuring they know the system.

sometimes the new homeowner will call right away and ask "how often or when the last time the system was serviced"

[hoskm01]

I'll do the same when doing a yard. Trench and place all the pipe/swing fittings for each head. Mark with flag, grade the yard after backfilling, amend accordingly, then go back and place heads.

Sucks that it is so cold everywhere. We are hovering around 70, may reach record high of 80 on X-mas day. Beautiful season for some new sprinklers and grass planting. And yes, the grass is wonderfully green here, the rye that is.

[Broker]

Going back and putting the heads on later???? God bless you, we would do that for an additional price. But otherwise we are a one day install (avg. 0.5hr per zone) the only landscapers that ask us to go back and put the heads on are ones without experience.

[PurpHaze]

Been a little slow in here. Everyone off christmas shopping? :confused:

Was accused of not having a life so I for one cut back on posts except in the off topic forum. :p

Just to keep this irrigation related, we do a lot of work before the landscapers have the final grade, or topsoil done. Most of the time, we just poke our swing pipe up out of the ground where heads should go until they are done, and then install the heads.

Does anyone else do this? Its saved us considerable time trying to locate buried or broken heads.

On rare occasions we'll do this. Most of the time we set the heads to the rough grade. Then we may have to go back in and reset some of them. If we've moved on to other critical projects or repairs then the boss will have groundsworkers raise/lower the heads because they're all on swing joints. This was done last week where a complete renovation of a varsity baseball infield was being completed with the sod laying and we were tied up on main line leaks at other sites. Of course, we're in a different situation here.

[PurpHaze]

On a little different note... We run into many instances where portable buildings need to be set for say a six month period while another school site is being completed. Then the portables will be removed. They are often put down on a thin layer of asphalt. We'll remove the sprinkler heads and lower the swing joints so they won't get broken during this process. However, we'll leave the swing joints uncapped and turn off affected zones. When the portable is removed and the asphalt scraped off then we can fire the zone and find the swings by the leaks. Makes life easier.

[sprinklerhead]

Going back and putting the heads on later???? God bless you, we would do that for an additional price. But otherwise we are a one day install (avg. 0.5hr per zone) the only landscapers that ask us to go back and put the heads on are ones without experience.


Yeah were about the same. If the landscaper burrys them we charge them each head to raise. if we know how much higher the top soil is going to be we leave the head up 2"-3" .

[Dirty Water]

Yeah were about the same. If the landscaper burrys them we charge them each head to raise. if we know how much higher the top soil is going to be we leave the head up 2"-3" .

The issue out here isn't usually a buried head, its the guys with skid steers and soil conditioners taking them out. You can run over a swing pipe tail with a harley rake and it wont destroy it, try that with a PGP.

[jcom]

I have probably posted this before but what the hell.

We install probably 90% on new properties. We want the finish grade to be done except for grass seeding. This is usually either hydroseed or is drilled in. Either way, they will rake with tractor before seeding, to level what we leave. We try to leave the topsoil on the surface of course. We have had good luck with this procedure and most irrigation contractors in the area do it the same way.

John:waving:

[hoskm01]

Yeah were about the same. If the landscaper burrys them we charge them each head to raise. if we know how much higher the top soil is going to be we leave the head up 2"-3" .


I guess I forgot to mention I am the irrigation installer and the landscaper. No one to blame or answer to but myself. Easier for me to put them on last right before seed.

[PurpHaze]

I guess I forgot to mention I am the irrigation installer and the landscaper. No one to blame or answer to but myself. Easier for me to put them on last right before seed.

You have the best of both worlds then. A lot of times I'm in the same boat. On most projects it will be our grounds guys that come in at the tail end of our installation. They're pretty good guys and avoid most of the heads. We mark them with flags and paint and they work around them by hand. If they do catch one then it's easy for us to quickly replace a head. If we're tied up somewhere else they'll usually meet us, get the head(s) they need with appropriate nozzle and then make the replacement themselves.

[Flatbed]

The landscape company that grades my yards put a final grade before I get there. We have seen to many yards that are not to the final grade, and somebody gets crazy with combo plane and takes a foot of dirt out, which leaves you pipe exposed, or very shallow. He has his hand guys rake around the foundation and edge the walks and driveways. Makes it nice for me, because there is no question on what grade is going to be. After I get done he comes back and touches everything up before they lay the sod.

[PurpHaze]

The key to the whole thing is communication, quality and confidence. Whether it's another division of your own company or a different company altogether those factors have to be in place so work doesn't have to be repeated.

[Squizzy246B]

The issue out here isn't usually a buried head, its the guys with skid steers and soil conditioners taking them out.

Yeah, it takes ages to run around and knock them all out, hard to find little suckers...LOL:) :)

The key to the whole thing is communication, quality and confidence. Whether it's another division of your own company or a different company altogether those factors have to be in place so work doesn't have to be repeated.

Sure is, If I can get a drawing off the irrigation guy I can make sure I get them all!!!:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[PurpHaze]

Squizzy... damn good thing you're so far away from us. :p

[Squizzy246B]

Squizzy... damn good thing you're so far away from us. :p

I specialise in taking out the mains connections at the meter:)

We were gunna call the business "Geisers-R-Us" at one stage:)

[PurpHaze]

Remind me if I ever make it down there to leave an uncapped line directly under one of your limestone walls. :)