Irrigation

Begin with the landscape and the observed problem

An irrigation system should be discussed in relation to the areas and plants it serves. Identify the turf, beds, containers or other included zones and describe the concern: an area stays dry, water pools, the system runs unexpectedly or equipment is damaged. Do not select a new controller before establishing what the system is doing.

Gather the controller identity, available zone list, water-source information, recent service and any known operating changes. Keep a missing fact unknown. A property with several controllers or a shared irrigation arrangement needs a clear description of who controls which part before a contractor can quote a complete scope.

Use this guide for assessment, repairs, upgrades and a service handoff. It does not supply electrical wiring, pump repair, digging or potable-water connection instructions. Qualified work and the actual equipment manuals govern those operations.

Request a system assessment rather than an appearance guess

EPA's Sprinkler Spruce-Up guidance identifies breaks, leaks, misdirected spray and coverage as separate maintenance concerns. Ask the provider what it will check and which parts of the system are included. A quick look at a dry patch is not the same as a documented zone assessment.

Request findings by zone or area. The report should distinguish the observation, diagnosed condition, recommended work and any uncertainty. If a defect cannot be confirmed without further investigation, ask what the next test will establish and whether it requires separate authorization. Keep a diagnosis separate from a sales recommendation.

Ask whether landscape conditions also need review. EPA identifies sprinkler direction, damage and coverage as assessment concerns. Ask the provider to explain its actual distribution findings and whether different components or landscape areas need further review. That does not establish the cause of a particular dry or wet area or justify one runtime for every zone.

Know the current rule for the actual property

SFWMD publishes current landscape-watering restrictions and local lookup information. Confirm the address, water source and applicable current requirements when planning a schedule. A new controller does not create permission to water whenever its default program runs.

Keep the source and date of the rule used in the operating record. Ask the provider to explain how the accepted program relates to it and how a later temporary restriction will be handled. Avoid copying an old calendar from a different city or treating a social-media summary as the current authority.

This guide does not prescribe a universal watering day, runtime or amount for South Florida. Those details depend on current rules, the actual landscape and equipment. If the business proposes a fixed schedule, ask for the basis and the person responsible for reviewing it.

Compare repair, adjustment and replacement

Proposed work	Question it should answer	Record to request
Local repair	Which confirmed defect is being corrected?	Location, part or material and verification of the result
Coverage correction	Why is water not reaching the intended area appropriately?	Zone findings and the accepted changes
Controller work	Which scheduling or control need is being addressed?	Product, compatibility, configuration and handoff
Larger redesign	Why is the existing arrangement insufficient?	Defined layout/design responsibility and complete scope

A controller replacement may improve a defined control requirement, but it is not evidence that leaking lines or poor coverage have been corrected. Conversely, a repaired head does not establish that the rest of the program matches the landscape or current rule. Keep each problem and remedy visible.

Ask whether a limited repair leaves another condition unresolved. If a broader project is proposed, request the reasoning and alternatives. A system's age alone is not a complete replacement decision. Use the actual condition, intended outcome and written proposal.

Specify the controller and connectivity requirements

Identify the installed controller, zones, sensors and any other connected equipment. Ask the provider which proposed product functions matter to the owner and what depends on an app, internet connection or subscription. Do not treat the word “smart” as a complete specification.

For a connected product, ask how ownership and administrative access will be handed to the homeowner. The installer should not remain the only person with control unless that is an explicit ongoing arrangement. Keep credentials private and use product-supported access sharing rather than placing passwords in a general service report.

Ask what remains functional during internet or power interruption and where the actual manual explains recovery. A claim about one model should not be applied to all controllers. Request a demonstration of the agreed functions and a record of the final configuration rather than relying on an assumed default.

Verify the business and any specialist work

Florida DBPR identifies certain irrigation-related connections among work requiring an appropriate license. Confirm the actual proposed tasks and relevant qualification. A landscape-maintenance contract does not establish scope for every plumbing, electrical, pump or backflow-related task.

Ask who performs each part and who coordinates other required trades. For a project involving approvals, identify the responsible authority and ask about the actual scope at that address. Preserve the application, inspection and final-record responsibilities rather than assuming a general “irrigation” line covers them.

Do not authorize digging, wiring or a connection based on a provider category alone. The business should explain its actual scope, how it identifies existing utilities or constraints where relevant, and which records or qualified participants the proposal requires.

Compare complete proposals

Provide the same zone information and concerns to each bidder. Compare the assessment, locations, quantities, equipment specifications, access, protection, restoration, setup, reporting and exclusions. If a proposal uses an allowance, ask what remains to be confirmed and how a change is approved.

There is no verified regional installed-price dataset behind this draft. Request current written amounts for the actual work. Keep diagnosis, local repairs, a controller purchase and a larger project as separate scopes. An unpriced restoration or specialist item remains unknown rather than zero.

Ask how the contractor verifies the result. The proposal should identify the operating or coverage check and the information supplied to the owner. A new product in a box, a replaced part or an invoice alone is not a complete operating handoff.

Questions before approval

• What has been assessed in each affected area, and what remains uncertain?
• Which repair or change addresses each finding?
• Which exact equipment and connected functions are included?
• Who verifies current watering rules and records the final program?
• What qualifications, approvals and additional trades apply to this scope?
• Who handles access, surrounding-area protection and restoration?
• What instructions, demonstration, warranty and follow-up are provided?

Use those answers to compare the practical fit as well as price. Confirm actual coverage and appointment availability directly with the business. The provider directory is a research resource, not proof that a company has accepted a particular home.

Give one person ownership of program changes

A system can become difficult to understand if a lawn crew, irrigation contractor, caretaker and owner each change settings independently. Name the person who approves a change and the person who records it. Keep the reason, date and applicable source with the updated program.

For seasonal ownership, identify who reports unexpected watering or persistent wet/dry areas between visits. The observer does not need to diagnose a buried defect. A dated description and safe photograph can support the appropriate assessment without asking an unqualified person to open equipment.

Review the record after new planting, a landscape redesign or a repaired zone. A program copied from the previous landscape may no longer describe the areas being maintained. Obtain the provider's updated instructions and keep the former version for context.

Ask for an assessment that connects the plan to the ground

A controller screen describes programmed intent; it does not show whether the intended areas receive appropriate coverage. Ask the provider to identify the actual zones, landscape areas and equipment it can assess, then explain how the observed performance relates to the proposal. A replacement controller may be part of a solution, but its purchase alone does not establish the condition of pipes, heads, valves or site coverage.

Use a location sheet that the owner and crew can both understand. Identify a dry area beside a driveway, a wet strip beside a wall or an area changed by recent planting. Include observations from safe normal access and known service dates. Do not open valve boxes, investigate buried services or operate damaged equipment to complete the sheet.

Require separate answers to three questions

Question	Appropriate assessment output
What is programmed?	Current configuration reported for the actual controller and relevant connected services
What is happening?	Provider's observed operation, coverage and identified concerns
What should change?	Proposed adjustment, repair or redesign tied to those findings

These outputs should not be collapsed into a generic system check. Ask what the provider could not verify and whether additional access or investigation is needed. EPA identifies broken components, leaks, direction and coverage as relevant system concerns. That supports an on-site performance question rather than a universal instruction to add runtime. EPA sprinkler guidance.

Compare two unpriced project examples

In one case, the owner reports a dry patch and wants a new controller. The appropriate proposal should first explain the coverage findings and whether the controller change addresses them. In another, the system distributes water as intended but several people make undocumented schedule changes. The scope may need an ownership and configuration process as well as any assessed equipment work. Neither example establishes the technical cause at another property.

Ask bidders to distinguish a service adjustment, a compatible component repair, a controller project and a landscape or distribution redesign. An inexpensive component may require a different scope than an expensive-looking controller. Compare the complete result the professional proposes, not the retail price of the visible part.

Define a connected-controller handover

If the proposed controller uses an app or remote account, record who owns administration, whether local operation is supported and which features require internet, a subscription or external data. Ask what happens when connectivity or an account changes. Do not assume a water-saving label establishes that the existing distribution system performs well.

Keep passwords outside the general service record. The owner should receive a documented way to retain control and arrange support if the installer is unavailable. Where a separate landscape company needs limited information, decide what it receives and who alone can approve program changes. An invitation to view a screen does not authorize changing the whole system.

Put restrictions and site decisions in the correct order

Determine current watering restrictions for the actual address through SFWMD and applicable local resources, including any current shortage condition. Then ask the qualified provider how the site-specific program fits those constraints. A rule permitting irrigation on a day does not mean every landscape requires it, and a suggested runtime from a different home is not a site assessment. SFWMD restriction resources.

Where the proposal involves a supply connection, electrical work or other regulated task, identify the responsible qualified business and authority questions before signing. Ask whether the service quote includes that work or requires a separate contract. Shared-building and utility arrangements also need actual permission; a controller replacement quote does not automatically grant access to common systems.

Close the project with a useful exception list

Request the installed product record if work occurred, a current zone/location record, reported configuration, findings on operation and any unresolved issue. For a repaired leak concern, ask how the provider evaluated the original symptom and what further observation is reasonable. For a redesigned area, identify who accepts follow-up and related landscape responsibilities.

Keep the exception list short and specific: item, location, evidence, next step and responsible person. It should be possible to distinguish work complete from work deferred, even if a routine invoice is already paid. This service/hiring guide remains separate from WRLW's seasonal irrigation-management article, which reserves broader rainy/dry-season advice.

Keep the zone record understandable to the next provider

A useful zone record connects the provider's labels to recognizable landscape areas. Ask for that connection without drawing assumed buried routes or treating the owner's sketch as a verified system plan. If a label no longer matches the area after landscaping changes, record who updates it and which concern remains to be assessed. The next company should be able to understand that a reported dry bed belongs to an identified area, while still performing its own appropriate assessment. This reduces a specific handoff ambiguity without asking the owner to redesign the system.

Common questions

Will a new controller fix dry patches?

Only an assessment can establish the relevant cause. A control change does not automatically repair coverage, leaks or a site condition. Ask the provider to connect the proposed product to a specific finding.

Can the same runtime be used everywhere?

Do not assume so. Ask for a program based on the actual landscape, system and current rules. This guide supplies no universal schedule or watering prescription.

Does a water-saving label prove the whole system is efficient?

A product characteristic does not establish the condition or setup of the entire installation. Ask about compatibility, configuration, coverage and the final verification for your system.

What should I receive at closeout?

The zone/area record, diagnosed findings, approved work, product identification, final program, operating instructions, warranty and applicable approval references. Retain unresolved items with a named follow-up contact in My Home or another private home record.