Irrigation Contractor License

[RandalatA1Sprinklers]

What is everyones opinion on being licensed as an irrigation contractor? Has anyone been in the irrigation business then new laws required licensing and if so, how were you affected?

If you are pro licensing, what all should be included for licensing?

I was reading one of Dana's old posts and I agree that just because you are licensed does not mean you are not a bottom feeder and/or do crappy work. I have seen many systems installed by bottom feeders and fly by nighters that don't even have a backflow, or the wrong type of backflow.


ooh-rah semper fi!

[holmesgts]

Semper Fi just stopped by the recruiter yesterday to pick up some bumper stickers for my truck. I'm not against licensing. My only concern is that the fees, continuing education requirements, ridiculous specifications and over zealous inspectors can really bog down productivity and make it really hard to compete with people who go under the radar. For example I worked in Cary NC, a rich suburb of Raleigh. I was speaking with the irrigation inspector one day and I asked him some of the requirements. I was baffled when he told me that you had to have 100% overlapping coverage. But then he said he gave some lee way on that? First 100% overlapping coverage isn't at all necessary. I have been doing this a long time and I won't even entertain any arguments on that point. All that requirement does is make the system more expensive to install and maintain for the client and it makes people who go under the radar even more competitive. How do you bid the job for the homeowners best interest or the inspectors? What kind of day will he be having and how much will that cost you?

[1idejim]

Originally Posted by holmesgts

Semper Fi just stopped by the recruiter yesterday to pick up some bumper stickers for my truck. I'm not against licensing. My only concern is that the fees, continuing education requirements, ridiculous specifications and over zealous inspectors can really bog down productivity and make it really hard to compete with people who go under the radar. For example I worked in Cary NC, a rich suburb of Raleigh. I was speaking with the irrigation inspector one day and I asked him some of the requirements. I was baffled when he told me that you had to have 100% overlapping coverage. But then he said he gave some lee way on that? First 100% overlapping coverage isn't at all necessary. I have been doing this a long time and I won't even entertain any arguments on that point. All that requirement does is make the system more expensive to install and maintain for the client and it makes people who go under the radar even more competitive. How do you bid the job for the homeowners best interest or the inspectors? What kind of day will he be having and how much will that cost you?

First of all, thanks for your service to the country.

Now let me get this straight, you have no problems with licensing except for the cost of obtaining the license and the time and costs of continuing education. You also have issue with overzealous inspectors and competing on an uneven playing field while having the customer's best interest at heart.

Now explain to me how head to head coverage (which we won't discuss but you brought up) and an inspector's mood actually affect your bottom line if you are doing your job properly?
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[irritation]

He said "overlapping coverage" there is a difference.
I would have a problem with inexperienced inspectors, what looks good on paper is not always the way to go and someone that's never installed a system should not be an inspector.

[1idejim]

Originally Posted by irritation

He said "overlapping coverage" there is a difference.
I would have a problem with inexperienced inspectors, what looks good on paper is not always the way to go and someone that's never installed a system should not be an inspector.

Educate me.
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[irritation]

Originally Posted by 1idejim

Educate me.
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Too many variables, sometimes 20-30 years experience is a good thing.
Every area of a city is different same goes for every subdivision, every yard.
Sometimes you need overlapping coverage sometimes head to head is too much.
Depends on the soil, slope and maybe even the neighbors way of watering.

[holmesgts]

Originally Posted by 1idejim

Now let me get this straight, you have no problems with licensing except for the cost of obtaining the license and the time and costs of continuing education. You also have issue with overzealous inspectors and competing on an uneven playing field while having the customer's best interest at heart.

Now explain to me how head to head coverage (which we won't discuss but you brought up) and an inspector's mood actually affect your bottom line if you are doing your job properly?
Posted via Mobile Device

I don't have a problem with licensing or a reasonable fee. My problem with continuing education is... why? Anything you need know about any new regulations or innovations your friends at the irrigation shop will let you know or you can ask. It's not brain surgery. (no offense) Yes an over zealous inspector can be un predictable... For example your working in a municipality that states if the distance between the sidewalk and the curb is less than 4 ft you have to water it from across the side walk, anything more than 4 ft you have to punch under the sidewalk and water from between the sidewalk and curb. Your on a job where one end of the sidewalk 3'11' and the far end 4'1''
What do you do... put half the heads between and the other half outside and create an ugly inconsistency with you lay out for no functional reason undoubtedly creating unnecessary hassles with the rest of the layout and likely more labor. Or do you do the reasonable thing and do it one way or the other hoping the inspector (who may very well be some city managers half wit brother-in-law that just lost his job at Lowe's) isn't on his high horse. Damned if you do damned if you don't.
I always keep the costumers interest at heart and often times that is the cost, not everyone wants or needs a Cadillac irrigation system. If the municipality dictates a Cadillac the client wants a prious ethically your bound cast that revenue aside to the bottom feeders. You should know as well as I do there are different ways to irrigate a property sufficiently with cost being the main variable. What I mean by 100% overlapping coverage is head to head coverage, one head overlapping the impact of the adjacent head 100%.
75 or 80 percent I think is ideal. Just don't stretch your water volume to the limit with the amount of heads you use to help compensate for volume decline and you can always put in smaller apertures down the road. An over zealous inspector can nit pic on a lot of things that make no difference like imetioned earlier. More gigs, more changes to make, more re inspections, more time, more money, less profits!

[Kiril]

Originally Posted by holmesgts

I don't have a problem with licensing or a reasonable fee. My problem with continuing education is... why? Anything you need know about any new regulations or innovations your friends at the irrigation shop will let you know or you can ask. It's not brain surgery. (no offense) Yes an over zealous inspector can be un predictable... For example your working in a municipality that states if the distance between the sidewalk and the curb is less than 4 ft you have to water it from across the side walk, anything more than 4 ft you have to punch under the sidewalk and water from between the sidewalk and curb. Your on a job where one end of the sidewalk 3'11' and the far end 4'1''
What do you do... put half the heads between and the other half outside and create an ugly inconsistency with you lay out for no functional reason undoubtedly creating unnecessary hassles with the rest of the layout and likely more labor. Or do you do the reasonable thing and do it one way or the other hoping the inspector (who may very well be some city managers half wit brother-in-law that just lost his job at Lowe's) isn't on his high horse. Damned if you do damned if you don't.
I always keep the costumers interest at heart and often times that is the cost, not everyone wants or needs a Cadillac irrigation system. If the municipality dictates a Cadillac the client wants a prious ethically your bound cast that revenue aside to the bottom feeders. You should know as well as I do there are different ways to irrigate a property sufficiently with cost being the main variable. What I mean by 100% overlapping coverage is head to head coverage, one head overlapping the impact of the adjacent head 100%.
75 or 80 percent I think is ideal. Just don't stretch your water volume to the limit with the amount of heads you use to help compensate for volume decline and you can always put in smaller apertures down the road. An over zealous inspector can nit pic on a lot of things that make no difference like imetioned earlier. More gigs, more changes to make, more re inspections, more time, more money, less profits!

Forget about inspectors

[bcg]

One example of looks good on paper but bad idea in practice is the strip between houses on a property line. On paper, 2 rows of heads should be used on these to give head to head coverage but if you do that, the area will be a swamp, even if shorten run times, because of the neighbor also watering and the grade there for drainage. The real world best thing to do is to only put a single row of heads along the house and nothing on the property line, even though it's technically wrong.

[Kiril]

Originally Posted by bcg

One example of looks good on paper but bad idea in practice is the strip between houses on a property line. On paper, 2 rows of heads should be used on these to give head to head coverage but if you do that, the area will be a swamp, even if shorten run times, because of the neighbor also watering and the grade there for drainage. The real world best thing to do is to only put a single row of heads along the house and nothing on the property line, even though it's technically wrong.

And what if the neighbor stops irrigating? Never depend on the neighbor to complete the coverage.