Service

Irrigation Audits, Repair and Scheduling

Irrigation set to the property, the season and the rules: zones that water what they should, rain shutoff that works, and controllers on the right days.

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Pop-up sprinkler heads spraying water across a green lawn in low evening light

An irrigation system on an estate is often the least-watched piece of the landscape. It runs at night or before dawn, nobody sees it, and a fault shows up weeks later as a dead strip of turf, a hedge in decline or a wet bed that grows fungus. A regular audit catches broken heads, misaligned spray, leaks, clogged drip and zones that run too long for what they serve.

Scheduling is the other half. The South Florida Water Management District assigns watering days by street address and forbids midday irrigation, and local ordinances can be stricter. Florida law also requires a working device that stops the system when there has been enough rain. A good program sets the controller to the property's rules, adjusts run times between the wet and dry seasons, and confirms the shutoff device works.

In South Florida

Two or three days, by address

The South Florida Water Management District's year-round irrigation rule limits landscape watering to two days a week, with a three-day option available in Palm Beach County and some other counties. On the two-day schedule, odd addresses water Wednesday and/or Saturday and even addresses Thursday and/or Sunday. No watering is allowed between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Local ordinances can be stricter but not looser.

Rain shutoff is the law

Florida Statute 373.62 requires anyone who installs an automatic landscape irrigation system to properly install, maintain and operate technology that interrupts it during periods of sufficient moisture. A licensed contractor working on the system must test each such device and repair or install one if it is missing or not working. Testing the sensor is part of every audit.

What the rule does not limit

The District's rule excludes low-volume methods such as micro-irrigation, container watering and hand watering with an automatic shut-off nozzle, which are allowed at any time. Reclaimed water and harvested rainwater are excluded too. Converting shrub beds to drip can let them be watered when they need it rather than on turf days.

What's included

Zone-by-zone audit with heads run and inspected
Repair or replacement of broken heads, nozzles and fittings
Spray pattern adjustment off walls, drives and windows
Controller programming to the property's assigned watering days
Seasonal run-time adjustment between wet and dry months
Rain or soil moisture shutoff device testing and replacement
Drip and micro-irrigation checks for clogs and leaks
Written audit report with findings and recommended repairs

How often

An audit at the start of the dry season, when rain stops doing the work, and again before the wet season, when run times should come down. Controller schedules change at both points. Estates on a maintenance program usually have zones checked during regular visits as well, with repairs made between audits as needed.

Who does the work

Irrigation work is delivered by an independent partner company that handles irrigation. Partners are vetted for licensing and insurance before they receive requests, and work requiring a specific licence is done by a contractor who holds it. Audits and repairs follow a written scope, and findings are reported in writing.

Irrigation in Palm Beach County's estate towns

Irrigation: common questions

Which days can we water?

It depends on the address and the local government. Under the South Florida Water Management District's two-day schedule, odd-numbered addresses water Wednesday and/or Saturday and even-numbered addresses Thursday and/or Sunday, never between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Palm Beach County has a three-day option, and some cities set their own stricter days. The District publishes county-by-county watering days on its website.

Our sprinklers ran during a rainstorm. Is that a problem?

It wastes water and suggests the rain shutoff device is missing, broken or badly placed. Florida Statute 373.62 requires automatic systems to have working technology that interrupts irrigation when there is enough moisture, and requires contractors working on the system to test it. An audit checks the device and its placement and replaces it if needed.

Can new sod be watered more often?

Yes, for a limited time. The District rule allows extra watering for up to 90 days after new lawns and landscaping are installed, on a stepped schedule, and only on the areas with new material unless it covers at least half of the zone. The installer should leave a written establishment schedule.

Why are some beds dry while the lawn is soggy?

Usually because turf and beds share a zone, or because heads have shifted, clogged or been blocked by plants that have grown. Shrubs and turf need different amounts of water. An audit maps what each zone serves and recommends separating or converting zones, for example moving beds to drip.

Other services

Property assessment

Begin with a walk-through of the grounds

01Tell us about the propertyTown, property type and what you'd like looked after. Two minutes.
02A partner walks the groundsTurf, beds, palms, irrigation and drainage, with you, your manager or staff.
03You receive a written programScope, visit schedule and price in writing, before any work begins.

Prefer to talk it through? (561) 319-1104