SPRINKLER SYSTEM AUDIT
Ensure Efficient Sprinkler System With Our Turn On Services
**Due to labor shortages we are only performing sprinkler audits and sprinkler startups for full season program customers.**
Organo-Lawn understands that starting up your sprinkler system at your Boulder or Fort Collins area home is easy, but adjusting and programming each individual sprinkler zone can be confusing and difficult. Our professionally trained sprinkler system technicians will be able to adjust the sprinkler heads to work to the best of their capabilities and also program the clock to water each zone deeply and infrequently. This will ensure your sprinkler system is running efficiently. We will program the clock to water according to the 1-2-3-2-1 lawn watering technique guidelines.
A professional sprinkler turn-on service or sprinkler audit from Organo-Lawn includes:
- Our technician will go through your sprinkler system one zone at a time and make sure that everything is running to the best of its capability.
- We will make sure all the sprinkler heads are adjusted and pointing in the correct directions and only watering the grass and not the street.
- We will program the clock to water properly for each “micro-climate” in your lawn.
- Please understand that each zone will most likely be programmed for vastly different times. For instance, a north-facing pop-up zone in full shade might be programmed for as little as 5 minutes of lawn watering and a south-facing rotary zone in full sun might be set to run for 50 or more minutes.
- We will make sure each zone in your sprinkler system is working to the best of the current configuration and capabilities.
What is Included in the Sprinkler Audit Service:
- We inspect the vacuum breaker of your sprinkler system looking for damage or leaks.
- We will turn on the water to the system – if it is not already turned on.
- We will make sure all the sprinkler system zones are working properly.
- We will check each sprinkler zone and adjust any sprinkler heads that need to be adjusted and can be adjusted.
- Note: We can only adjust sprinkler heads so they work their best given their current state. If heads are malfunctioning, if they are leaning, if they need to be raised, replaced, or need to be moved we will notify the homeowner about the problem and/or provide a sprinkler repair estimate.
- Replacing heads, straightening heads, raising heads, and moving heads are not included in a sprinkler system audit.
- We program the sprinkler clock so each zone is watering properly according to four main factors.
- The predominant grass type in the lawn (Bluegrass / Fescue / Other).
- The location of the zone (north-facing, south-facing, full sun, full shade, etc.),
- The type of sprinkler head and nozzle output (pop-up, rotary, pinwheel, etc.),
- The amount of coverage (light, medium, heavy, double, etc.)
- We will advise you about any areas that have poor coverage, broken, sunken, malfunctioning, leaning heads, etc.
- We will record in our database how long we programmed each sprinkler zone.
- If your clock ever loses power or needs to be reprogrammed we can email you those times. Just contact our Boulder or Fort Collins office and we will send you an email with your specific sprinkler system zone times.
Additional Repairs That Can Be Completed During the Sprinkler Audit:
- We can replace most broken pop-up sprinkler head tips (for an additional charge).
- We can replace micro-mist sprinkler system tips (for an additional charge).
- We can replace the bonnet or the pop-it in the vacuum breaker if it is broken (for an additional charge).
What is NOT included at the time of the Sprinkler System Audit*:
Repairs That Cannot Be Completed During the Sprinkler Audit:
- We do not repair or replace broken sprinkler heads at the time of the sprinkler audit. We can write up a sprinkler repair ticket for replacing any heads that are damaged and can come back at a later date for the repairs.
- We do not replace or fix broken sprinkler system pipes.
- We do not replace or fix broken sprinkler lines. Sometimes we can repair ruptured lines if we know where the rupture has taken place and the line is free and clear of tree roots, etc.
- We do not move heads or adjust heads that are improperly installed.
- We do not repair broken sprinkler system valves.
- We do not straighten leaning sprinkler heads or sunken sprinkler system heads. We can write up a sprinkler system repair ticket for raising sunken sprinkler heads or straightening leaning sprinkler heads.
*If you have major sprinkler system repairs that need fixing we can schedule a sprinkler repair at a later date or possibly refer you to a company that can fix the problem.
Sprinkler System Startup / Audit Pricing
**Due to labor shortages we are only performing sprinkler audits and sprinkler startups for full season program customers.**
Number of Zones – Price
1 Zone – $77.75
2 Zones – $83.00
3 Zones – $88.00
4 Zones – $93.25
5 Zones – $98.50
6 Zones – $103.50
7 Zones – $108.75
8 Zones – $114.00
9 Zones – $119.00
10 Zones – $124.00
11 Zones – $129.25
12 Zones – $134.50
13 Zones – $139.50
Additional zones – please call for pricing
How Long Should Each Sprinkler Zone Water?
Every lawn is different! When we are performing a sprinkler startup in Fort Collins or Boulder we take into consideration all of the following criteria when programming the clock:
- What type of grass is in the lawn (bluegrass, fescue, buffalograss, etc.)
- Is there a slope in the lawn or is the ground flat
- Is the lawn/section of the lawn north, south, east, or west-facing
- Is the lawn/section of the lawn in full sun, shade, or normal lighting conditions
- How good or poor is the sprinkler coverage
- Is there an overlap of coverage between sprinkler zones (i.e. does zone 1 get watered by some heads in zone 2)
- What type of sprinkler heads are in the lawn
How to Properly Water a Colorado Lawn
The chart below is a general starting point for programming your sprinkler clock.
Full Sun
(South Facing Aspects)
Pop ups (Stationary Fan Type)
18 Min
Impact Heads, Hunter, or Rotary (Spray a Long Stream and Move Back and Forth)
55 Min
Pinwheel Nozzles / MP Rotary (On Pop Up Style Heads but Spray Little Streams that Move Around)
50 Min
Drip (Read Below)*
60 Min*
Normal Sun
(or Partial Shade)
Pop ups (Stationary Fan Type)
15 Min
Impact Heads, Hunter, or Rotary (Spray a Long Stream and Move Back and Forth)
45 Min
Pinwheel Nozzles / MP Rotary (On Pop Up Style Heads but Spray Little Streams that Move Around)
40 Min
Drip (Read Below)*
60 Min*
Full Shade
(North Facing or Full Shade)
Pop ups (Stationary Fan Type)
10 Min
Impact Heads, Hunter, or Rotary (Spray a Long Stream and Move Back and Forth)
35 Min
Pinwheel Nozzles / MP Rotary (On Pop Up Style Heads but Spray Little Streams that Move Around)
30 Min
Drip (Read Below)*
60 Min*
Important Note: Every sprinkler system is different and the sprinkler zone time chart is a general area to start when programming your clock. If you want the best accuracy the best way to evaluate the system is to measure the output of the sprinkler system as described here.
Drip System Note: The drip systems are designed to be run for 1 hour. The amount of water that comes out of the drip lines is not controlled via the clock but it should be controlled via the emitters. If installed properly each emitter is installed based upon how many gallons of water the plant it is watering will need. Each emitter is rated on a gallons per hour (GPH). This means if you have a small plant a 1/4 GPH or 1/2 GPH emitter should have been installed. Bushes tend to have a 1 GPH to 7 GPH emitter installed. If you have a large tree that needs more water it could have up to a 25 or 35 GPH Emitter installed. Therefore the gallons per hour are typically not controlled via the clock; they are controlled via the emitters and the GPH.
That being said many sprinkler installers do not understand this concept so if you have a better time based on the emitters that were installed we recommend that you use that time instead.
How Many Days Per Week To Water a Lawn
The 1-2-3-2-1 Lawn Watering Technique
Program your clock according to the sprinkler zone times above and as the season’s temperatures change you will add days as it gets hotter and take days away as it gets cooler. This technique is invented by Organo-Lawn and it is called the 1-2-3-2-1 lawn watering technique.Do Not Change the Watering Times!
As the temperatures change during the seasons, it is better to add watering days to the clock rather than adding more run time to the clock. As the temperatures cool off in the fall, it is better to reduce the watering days rather than reducing the watering time on the clock. Never change the times of the sprinkler system zones, unless there is a drastic change in the amount of sun exposure a zone is receiving. It is very bad practice to add time or take time away during the summer. We want to water the lawn deeply and we want the soil to dry out between lawn watering. Deep and infrequent lawn water will penetrate the soil 10-15 inches deep and the grass roots will dig after that water as the soil at the surface dries out.
1 Day Per Week Watering – Early Spring
Sprinkler Startup through Middle of May
When daytime high temperatures average below 70°F: Water the lawn one day per week if it is cool and it is raining occasionally. One day per week lawn watering is typically between April to early May but every year is slightly different. (I.e. Water Mondays)
2 Day Per Week Watering – Late Spring
Middle of May – Early June
When Colorado’s daytime high temperatures average between 70°F and 85°F water the lawn two days a week This is typically between the middle of May through early June. (I.e. water Monday and Fridays)
3 Day Per Week Watering – Summer
Middle of June – Middle of August
When Colorado’s daytime high temperatures average above 85°F: Water the lawn no more than 3 days per week. This is typically is between mid or late June through mid or late August. (I.e. Water Monday, Wednesday, and Friday)
2 Day Per Week Watering – Early Fall
Middle of August – Late September
When Colorado’s daytime high temperatures average between 70°F and 85°F water the lawn two days a week This is typically between the middle of August through the middle of September. (I.e. water Monday and Fridays)
1 Day Per Week Watering – Fall
Late September – Sprinkler Blowout
When Colorado’s daytime high temperatures average below 70°F: Water the lawn one day per week if it is cool and it is raining occasionally. One day per week watering is typically between the middle of September until the system is winterized for the season. (I.e. Water Mondays)If possible try not to water the day of nor the day after the lawn being mowed. I.E. if you mow the lawn on Fridays, then don’t water the lawn on Friday morning nor Saturday morning. Organo-Lawn’s 1-2-3-2-1 proper lawn watering technique (PDF).
Never Water A Lawn More Than 3 Days Per Week
No More Than 3 Days Per Week
Watering a lawn more than three days per week trains the grass roots to stay shallow. Even if the lawn is slightly brown it is better to only water 3 days a week and wait for cooler temperatures than train the lawn to have shallow digging grass roots.
Lawn Mowing
If possible try not to water your lawn the day of nor the day after the lawn is being mowed. I.E. if you mow the lawn on Fridays then don’t water the lawn on Friday or Saturday morning.
What Time of Day Should You Water Your Lawn?
Sprinklers should typically start around 3:00 AM, but this can be a variable schedule and the system can start earlier because there are a lot of sprinkler zones. Try to start the sprinkler system so the last zone finishes by 6:00 AM
Sprinkler System Audit Season
April 15th – September 30th
Lawns tend to show the most damage from heat and drought stress and where sprinkler system coverage problems are during the hottest months of the year. Organo-Lawn tends to perform the most sprinkler system audits in Boulder and Fort Collins from June through August.