broken sprinkler heads

[General Grounds]

:blob2: Who is responsible for the head being run over by your mower?????

I have in our contract we are not responsible for sprinklers getting damaged by our mowers. Sorry sprinkler guys i tell our cutomers that if were shearing of head that are not closing correctly that they should call their sprinkler techs.

Replacing a spinkler head can get costly, esp if yo clip 10 or so, Heads that you can't see until it passes under your deck and then its to late. Thanks T

[General Grounds]

:blob2: Who is responsible for the broken sprinkler head?

we have in our contracts that we are not responsible for breaking sprinkler heads. Sorry sprinkler guys we tell our customers that ifwe are shearing off their heads, that they should call their sprinkler guy.

why should we be responsible for a head not closing properly, and that we can not see until it passes under our deck and out the side. Just curious to how you guys handle this proplem? Thanks T.

[Keith]

You really get away with this? Interesting. If we have a customer with a sticky sprinkler, we offer to replace it before it gets broken.

[General Grounds]

get away with what, we dont sprinkler repairs, and correct me if im wrong but is't it the responsiblity of the sprinkler comp. to check all heas during their spring turn on, and possibly cut donut around the heads.

[LoneStarLawn]

We would replace anything that we break on a property.

[dhicks]

I don't have a dog in this but if we break it, we will replace it. I'd prefer to replace a sprinkler head than loose an account. The economics in this unfortunate situation is a no brainer, at least to me.

[Fantasy Lawns]

we'll this might be a touchy one ...... we break it ..... we fix it ….. but we don't just cut grass ......we are a Grounds Maintenance Company …it’s our job to bring to the customer’s attention areas of concern within their property ……this includes preventive maintenance …or faulty heads …on our full service we replace them n bill it

as a system becomes older n the heads fail to close .....this is a great opportunity to create some extra income .....or just remember "hey that head is faulty" .... to hit a head is usually 50-50 at who’s fault .....but if you don’t bring it to their attention than I’d have to say it 100% to fault …but if you told then of it ….we’ll them maybe replace at cost (they buy it ….you install it)

[crazygator]

Originally posted by General Grounds
:blob2: Who is responsible for the broken sprinkler head?

we tell our customers that ifwe are shearing off their heads, that they should call their sprinkler guy.

If we break it, we fix it. Thats our rule! What do you do if you throw a rock through a window? Does your customer fix the window because "YOU" didnt put the rock there? Same principle.

[Mike Paulsen]

If we break it we fix it too unless the home owner is told of a high head that was installed wrong . Heads not going down is just part of the game in mowing grass. After awhile you know which ones don't go down.

[Chuck Sinclair]

Simple we break it we fix it. parts are cheap! ;)

[JimLewis]

We brake it, we fix it - no matter what it is.

Even if the sprinkler was in the wrong place, too high, whatever. I'd much rather lose $5 and 20 minutes labor (which is what it costs to replace a head in most cases) than I would lose a year-round account that will bring me thousands of dollars over time.

It's easier now because we do all phases of landscaping, irrigation, etc. So I just send my irrigaiton tech over and it's usually fixed before they even knew anything was broken. But even when we used to be just a lawn care company, I would always fix it or pay an irrigation contractor to fix it for me.

And now that I know irrigation so well, I kick myself in the head for not learning it sooner. It really isn't all that hard to do irrigation repairs. But replacing heads, most of all, is typically very simple.

This "it's not our problem" attitude is very cavalier. Be careful where you use that. Even if it's not our problem I tend to take responsibility if it's not going to set me back to much. I'd rather be faulted for going the extra mile than for do just the minimum.

[lawnboy11]

If the head is stuck in the up position, they pay.
If it's broken by me in any other way (aerating, thatching, etc.) I'll gladly fix it or have it fixed at my expense. I will not be responsible for mowing over a head that is faulty in the first place and that I can't see. At the same time I usually know where the stuck heads are and do a quick walk to tap them back down before mowing.

[HBFOXJr]

I used the same policy too and I do irrigation. If a system or head is installed properly and functioning properly there is no reason a head should be broken.

However broken heads can and do happen and I tell my irrigation customers not to take it out on the company cutting the lawn because it can be unavoidable. I ask them to remember how many cuttings have been done over all those sprinkler heads without incident.

Unless your mower deck inadvertantly dropped and scalped a spot with a head you shouldn't pay for the repair or do it for free.

[JimLewis]

I can understand where the last two guys are coming from. If a pop-up spray head is stuck in an up position then it's obviously time for a new one. And it's a tough call whether or not to replace it for free if we brake it. But like I said, I'd rather err on the side of going the extra mile than be accused of damaging something and piss off a customer who is bringing me a lot of money.

The best thing to do is keep an eye out for this stuff. When I was doing the mowing myself I don't remember ever damaging a sprinkler head. I did see them sticking up from time to time but I never ran over one. I would just step on them to make them go down or go around them and be careful. And even though we mow 150 lawns a week, I think we've only damaged 3 or 4 heads in the last year. That's a very small cost when put in perspective.

The good side to all of this is if you will learn how to do sprinkler repair, this can be a good opportunity for you. When my guys notice a few heads not working or sticking up or something they call me and I call the client and recommend we do an irrigation system checkup and repair.

Irrigation repair is very profitable and worth learning. It pays a flat $35 [or more] per man hour plus parts (which you'll mark up a little) and nobody ever questions that rate.

[Guido]

how the irrigation contractor and/or customer bring the problem to your attention. I would definetly not argue with either over a few bucks, but make a point if it was broken and needed replaced anyway, let them know that your going out of your way, and really don't need to.

Sometimes its better to just do it, especially on big money clients that don't have the time or need to argue about B.S. such as this.

Good Luck!

[Cleve]

Good post and some good answers regarding who should "fix" the broken heads.
BUT.....a question: Where and when do you get the repair parts for these systems? Do you already have these parts on your truck? Does the customer have to wait until next trip for you to get and repair the head?
I also agree that I will replace a broken head if I shear it off. The only time I had to do this I was able to get a head from the local Home Depot and the customer had already agreed to pay for the part if I would install it. At least they carried the right one.
By the time you go and get the part and maybe have to go to different supply houses to find it you have spent some valuable time. How do you handle this? Seems that all our customers with irrigation systems seem to have different brand heads on them.
Cleve.

[Fantasy Lawns]

Go to HD and get $50 worth of basic heads ( 570 toro's or similar small heads, 180 & 90, 3" Heads), short funny pipe with 1/2" males to lower a head, risers, small trowel ...Keep it all in a small toll box, to have it all handy, (like a first aid kit .... you only really need it when you don't have it)

I like to always have a 1/2 & 3/4" closed end to just block a riser .... if a special need comes up

[Keith]

We keep several gear drive rotors in the truck for repairs. Some times you end up with a screw ball system that has unique requirements, such as the male adapter glued into the sprinkler :eek: Just try to keep the stuff you think you will need. But eventually you will not have something and end up having to come back to do the repair.

It also isn't a bad idea to keep caps of various sizes to block off anything that can't be fixed then.

[mowerman90]

To all of you that say "if I see a head that's stuck in the up position I tap it down" I wonder how many lawns you do per day? When I'm mowing at 8 mph (much slower than a DC) I can't see if they're up or down. I explain to all my customers at the beginning of the season that if I shear off a pop-up that's in the up position it's not my responsability. If I otherwise damage any heads I'll be glad to replace it for free. If I "do" notice any stuck up heads I mentioin it to the homeowner and will offer to replace them for a nominal cost.

[powerreel]

I carry a kit which has EVERYTHING I need to repair what VANDALS do........Rainbird, Toro, all sorts of irrigation stuff in a duffle bag stuffed in my box- even have drip stuff and nozzles- you name it. Depends on where it is located as to if I bill. If some landscape needs to be "ENHANCED"- ie. delivery trucks run over the irrigation head and break the lateral on a regular basis. I bill because I want to drop a rock there- and a BIG one and rip out turf or whatever to allow for better rights of way. If i see a head in need of a nozzle out in a no-where zone I won't bill....


BTW I try NOT to use irrigation and support : SITE SPECIFIC DROUGHT RESISTANT PLANTINGS- if you can keep the PAR and NOT need to irrigate Commercial Turf you can save your customer $$$$$$$. THAT'S WHAT THEY REALLY WANT!!!!!!


Irrigation is a funny thing.... with residential- they can DESTROY A SITE WITH OVER WATERING AND BLAME YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If a site has a clock in the contract I control the irrigation, and try to trim it down AMAP.



Find a good supplier and don't go to home depot they suck.




:)

[casey]

We have sheared many sprinkler heads, broken basement windows, cut hoses, electrical wires, plastic pools, saplings, etc. etc.. First thing I do when I find out something was broken is phone the customer, tell them we broke their whatever & offer to pay for it. I have yet to have a customer actually take me up on that offer. I think they appreciate the willingness to admit a mistake & offer retribution so much that they pay for it themselves.

[JimLewis]

I agree with Powerreel. Home Depot isn't really the place to go for sprinkler heads. They don't carry a full line of sprinkler heads (e.g. you'll never find a Hunter, Toro Multi-stream, etc. head there) plus they are more expensive than an irrigation distributor is.

Find a good irrigation distributor in your area. Trust me, there are some. In my area the most popular are United Pipe, Horizon, and Familian.

And although we do carry most sprinkler heads (because we're in that business too) I don't think it's necessary to stock them. Before I did irrigation we'd just go buy the same broken head ASAP and replace it. Again, we don't brake them all THAT often. So it's not like it's really worth keeping a large stock just for the occasional repair. I guess if you're breaking a lot of them on a regular basis, go ahead. But as I said before, we brake very few each year.

As for mowerman90's question; we are able to tap them down because all we use around here are 21" honda mowers. They don't go all that fast and we're walking. We can see in front of us pretty well. I know in other parts of the country a lot of you use big mowers so maybe it's harder to see. I think maybe that's where the discreptancy is.

[GrassChopper]

I also have a statement in my contract about sprinkler heads. Exceptmine states that I am not responsible for "unprotected or incorrectly installed sprinkler heads". This also allows me to pick up some extra cash for correcting the mistakes of the installers. A correctly installed and protected sprinkler head can be run over by my mowers with no damage.

[awm]

one other consideration is if the ground is firm or under heavy steady rain and soft. in that case one thats ordinarily safe can get clipped.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

In the spring I don't even know if I ran them over. I will not pay for them, but I have been know to go get one at the store and replace it. I agree with the if you hit one and broke it, it is defective.

LGF:blob1:

[dfor]

It's not our fault if the head doesn't retract. Sometimes the grass can be long enough that you can't see it anyway.

[BRL]

Good thread. Here in NJ one has to be licensed to do irrigation work, even replacing a broken head. I wish we could get Jim Lewis here to do the repairs because the going rate is a minimum one hour charge & the ones I've checked with are charging $60.00 - $75.00 hour. One shredded head could cost me an awful lot for a few minutes of work with small material cost. So I might be sympathetic to General's situation if he's not licensed. If he's licensed, then I agree with everyone that said to bite the bullet & replace\fix it. If I notice a problem with a sprinkler system I bring it to the customer's attention so they can get their company there to fix it. But I don't think I should be responsible for the malfunctioning sprinkler head that I don't (can't) install & maintain.