A day in the life · Irrigation
We followed an irrigation contractor for one full day. Every zone mapped. Every head that wasn't where the as-built said it was. Here's what we're building, in the order it happens.
07:30
ACT 01
Six residential startups scheduled back-to-back in one neighborhood. Tech runs each system zone by zone, adjusting Hunter MP Rotator heads that shifted over winter, and swaps one cracked Rain Bird 5000 before the homeowner is out of the driveway.
11:00
ACT 02
Sports field install, second week. Today's scope is the infield drip network: Netafim 0.6 GPH emitters, 18-inch spacing, tied into the Baseline BL-3200 controller. Hydraulic calcs are in the job file so the foreman doesn't have to call the office when the inspector shows up.
14:15
ACT 03
HOA common area running a 1998 Rain Bird ESP. Owner approved the upgrade to a Rachio 3 with weather intelligence after last summer's $900 water bill. Tech walks the property manager through the app while the controller calibrates, then closes the permit on the way out.
16:45
ACT 04
Owner sees the day: six startups complete, commercial zone sign-off received, one smart controller live. Tomorrow's board has three winterizations and the seasonal maintenance subscription renewals that went out this morning waiting on signatures.
State backflow certification, contractor license, sometimes a pesticide applicator card for the accounts that want fertilizer too. Miss a renewal and you can't legally pull a permit. We track them per tech, not per drawer.
The customer's zone map from 2009 has three heads that no longer exist and one zone the previous contractor split without updating the drawing. Every startup is also a site survey.
A spring startup and a fall winterization on a recurring agreement is predictable revenue in a trade that's otherwise feast or famine. The shops that close those agreements in April collect in October without a phone call.
ET-based watering restrictions, tiered rate structures, rebate programs for smart controllers — the municipality that allowed 3-days-a-week watering last year may not this year. Your techs need current rules at the job, not a call to the office.
After the day ends
Browse the products that show up across this day, or talk to someone who's watched an irrigation shop run 60 winterizations in two weeks without losing a customer.
