Timeline Blog

With over 45 years of experience leading the irrigation industry both nationally and here in Fairfield County, Aqua-Lawn has a wealth of knowledge regarding proper design, installation and service of your lawn sprinkler system. We’ve outlined a couple important factors to look for when choosing the right sprinkler company for you.

Look for Experience

One of the best ways to know if the company is experienced is by speaking with them. Mention any concerns you maybe encountering with your sprinkler system and ask what they would recommend. Any experienced irrigation company should be able to provide a detailed explanation and solution.

Check Their Credentials

The Irrigation Association offers a number of certification programs for professionals specializing in landscape irrigation. With these Select Certifications, irrigation contractors qualify for the EPA Water Sense Program. Companies that are certified ensures you are receiving the most up to date water conservation practices in accordance with national and regional standards. Look for these symbols on the company’s web-site.

Ask About Water Efficiency

Fairfield County is moving into an era of watering restrictions, water companies have implemented mandatory drought restrictions for the towns of Darien, Greenwich, New Cannan, Newtown, Stamford and Westport. Water-efficient sprinkler systems can save you up to 30% on water use, which reduce your water costs dramatically. Companies that practice the recommended best management practices promote efficient use of water in the managed landscape. The Landscape Irrigation Best Management Practices improve water use efficiency and protect water quality while providing a sustainable way to maintain a healthy, functional landscape.

If you are in the vicinity of Fairfield, CT and are considering choosing the best sprinkler system company in your area. Please don’t hesitate to contact us, our friendly staff will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

Irrigation systems are a great investment, gone are the days of dragging a garden hose across your property. Sprinkler systems are the most convenient and efficient way to keep your landscape looking beautiful, especially in the Fairfield County climate. We’ve outline a couple important facts to know about your system.

What are the benefits of an automatic sprinkler system?

Irrigation systems are the easiest and most cost-effective way to beautify your landscape. Increasing your home’s value and saving yourself time and money. It’s all automatic! Never worry about remembering to water the lawn or your flowers again. Aqua-Lawn has the solution for you!

Does a sprinkler system waste water?

All of the irrigation manufactures such as, Rain Bird, Hunter and Toro have been working tirelessly on increasing the efficiency of their products. We take these products and apply efficiency in all aspects of your system. From our design and installation down to our service techniques, Aqua-Lawn has built a long standing reputation around water conservation. Our top priority is beautifying your landscape, while maximizing water savings. Our highly skilled, and knowledgeable team will design, install and service your irrigation system while implementing the latest water-efficient practices.

What kind of maintenance does a sprinkler systems require?

Maintaining your sprinkler system is important to the growth and longevity of your landscape. In Fairfield County, sprinkler systems need to be winterized each fall. Proper winterization includes flushing the sprinkler lines so they don’t freeze in the winter. In the following spring, your sprinkler system will need to be reactivated. Our experienced service technicians will examine your irrigation system each spring ensuring it is in tip top shape.

How often should I have my sprinkler system checked?

The more frequent you check, the better off you’ll be. While we’d love to stop by and see you every week, we recommend the seasonal maintenance and having it serviced on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. Changes in weather affect how frequently you should water and reviewing your watering schedule on a monthly basis helps reduce your water bill and prevent over-watering. One of our customers in Westport, CT told me once, “I make sure to check my sprinkler system once a month. With today’s climate change, adjusting how much I water is the key to keeping my lawn green.”

What are the different components of sprinkler systems?

There are many different components that go into a sprinkler system. The different components control where the water should be applied and for how long. Our irrigation experts are fully trained and among the best in the industry. When designing and evaluating your sprinkler system we consider a number of different factors to determine the appropriate type of components for each area. Some of the components are:

• Rotary Sprinkler Heads
• Pop Up Spray Sprinkler Heads
• Automatic Sprinkler Controllers
• Rain Sensors
• Sprinkler Valves
• Sprinkler Pipe
• Low Voltage Wire
• Drip Irrigation

Aqua-Lawn Inc. has been serving Fairfield County for over 45 years. Our staff is completely licensed and trained to handle all your sprinkler system needs. We are known as one of the top irrigation companies in Fairfield County and would love to assist you with any of your irrigation needs.

Please contact us with any questions you may have, we’d love to hear from you!

After a long winter, it’s time to wake up your sprinkler system and get it ready for a season of keeping your landscape looking its best. Our sprinkler start-up service gets your system ready for optimum performance during the season by performing regular maintenance and identifying any specific issues that may cause problems during the season. It is possible for a novice to cause significant damage to a system by refilling the pipes incorrectly. Surge pressures, air compression and water hammer can result and can damage or destroy sprinkler heads, valves and other components. Trust our technicians to follow the correct procedures to do the task correctly.

Our spring start-up service includes:

• Refilling the system with water
•  Testing available water pressure
• Operating each zone from the irrigation controller
• Checking each sprinkler head for operation and coverage
• Adjusting and cleaning components as needed
• Visually checking for broken risers and underground leaks
•  Setting controller for the upcoming watering season
• Verifying sensor operation (where applicable)

Contact our office to schedule your spring start-up today.

You can reduce water waste by managing when you water and how much you apply. Check out these easy tips:

• Avoid watering during the hottest, windiest time of day. Early morning is usually best.
• Use “cycling” to avoid run off when watering turf areas with sprinklers. Pause during waterings to allow time for water to soak-in. It may take 2-3 cycles to water turf without run-off rather than applying the entire amount all at once.

• Understand ET. Evapotranspiration is the amount of water that is evaporated from the soil and transpired through the plant’s leaves. This amount of water needs to be replaced through watering. If you know your area’s Et rate, you can plan the amount of water to be replaced through irrigation. Check with your local water district, weather bureau or cooperative extension service and ask about your Et rate. However, your particular microclimate will also affect evapotranspiration in different areas of your yard. Ask us about Smart Controllers that use an on-site sensor to determine ET automatically.

•  Avoid applying water to hardscapes and areas where plants aren’t growing. Significant run-off can occur when water is sprayed on sidewalks and driveways. This can wash fertilizers and pesticide residues into storm drains and thereby into streams, lakes or oceans.

• Revise your watering schedule as the seasons change. Over-watering is most common during fall months when summer timer settings have not been adjusted to the cooler temperatures.

• Check plant moisture levels regularly. Make sure root zones are moist to a depth of 6-12” for turf, flowers and vegetables, 12-24” for shrubs and groundcovers, 2-3’ for trees. Water applied below the root zone is not accessible for plant growth and therefore is not effective.

Brown Spots and Poor Sprinkler Coverage: How To Improve Sprinkler System Uniformity

Poor sprinkler coverage keeps your landscape from looking its best. Problems with sprinkler coverage show up as stressed or brown turf, uneven growth or bare spots.

Poor coverage can be caused by:

• Aging or improper sprinkler heads
• Poor head layout
• Changes in available water pressure
• Growth in plantings or changes in landscape

Often in systems with poor coverage, you have to overwater some areas just to get other areas to stay alive. By resolving the coverage problem, you reduce the need for overwatering.

We can often quickly and easily remedy coverage problems by adding sprinklers, the type of head or altering the layout. Ask your Aqua-Lawn Sprinkler Expert for a no obligation quote on correcting coverage problems with your sprinkler system or call our office at (203) 367-7444 for more information.

With the area’s largest fleet of service vehicles and a veteran staff of factory-trained technicians, Aqua-Lawn excels at providing timely service to clients throughout Connecticut.

For many years, our business has been driven by referrals. The continued satisfaction of our maintenance customers assures our company will continue to prosper. We provide reliable seasonal service to winterize systems in the fall and reactivate them in the spring, as well as water-saving check-ups in season to fine-tune operation.
Our veteran service technicians are knowledgeable in repairing systems of any brand or vintage. “Orphan systems” We have maintained systems for many clients for over 30 years. We can help make your investment last.

Each technician is supplied with the latest equipment including:

•  A fully-stocked service truck to handle the full range of maintenance and repair tasks.

• Advanced diagnostic equipment for valve location, broken wire detection, valve actuation and leak detection.

• Radio telephones for rapid communication.
• Computerized record-keeping of system history

Our office staff is always available to listen and to tailor our service visit to your desired schedule. We respond to emergencies on a same day basis, including evenings and weekends.