Sprinkler Company Shortcuts in Residential Development Systems

Sprinkler Company Shortcuts in Residential Development Systems

Posted on January 12, 2012

Sprinkler watering lawn grassHave you ever said to yourself, “I have a brand new house with a brand new sprinkler system, why is it leaking?”

Unfortunately, the age of your house has relatively little to do with the quality of your sprinkler system.  The main factor that influences the quality of a sprinkler system is the quality of work performed by the sprinkler company and their team of employees.  Typically, when a residential subdivision is in the development phase, the developer or general contractor will accept bids from various sprinkler companies for the time and cost to install sprinkler systems in the residential lots.

Picture a typical residential subdivision – this could be hundreds of properties.  Now put yourself in the shoes of the developer or general contractor.  Which sprinkler company would you most likely choose?  That’s easy, the sprinkler company that can do the work in the shortest amount of time for the least amount of money.  Time is money, and the less money spent on building the house, the more profit to be made.  Good for the developer but not good for the home owner.

When a sprinkler system is hastily installed, especially when there is pressure to meet a deadline and come in under budget, the idea of using short cuts become more tempting.  Here at Pearson Sprinkler Company, we have observed our fair share of short cuts employed by other sprinkler companies when we have been conducting repairs and alterations to sprinkler systems.

Quite often, sprinkler heads are spaced too far apart, causing dry spots, or spray over the sidewalks, wasting water.  Sometimes, the incorrect adhesive and/or turning technique has been used when bonding the pipes together, causing the joints to become lose over time.  Other times, the pipes themselves have been put in backwards, causing pressure points that rupture the joints.  Frequently, the systems are installed prior to the installation of landscaping, thus numerous sprinkler heads and even some full zones of the sprinkler system do not adequately irrigate the property.

Our most unbelievable find was one that involved two next-door neighbors.  A trench along the property line was used for both systems, rather than a separate trench for each system!  How would you like part of your system to be located on your neighbor’s property?  Better yet, how would you like part of your neighbor’s system to be located on your property?

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