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Spring Start-Up for
Irrigation Systems By Tom Shannon, CLIA, CIC, CID, ARCSA, Ewing Irrigation, Golf & Industrial Products
Al ab ama Tu rf Tim e s > >> Wint er 2012
W
hen safely returning irrigation systems to operation after winterization, I try to think in a systematic approach called FLOW, which stands for Follow Logical Operational Wave. I also base it on the concept of “beginning with the end in mind,” as Steven Covey mentions in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The first step is to find your water source (whether it’s a pump or backflow preventer from a city water source) and partially open it to slowly fill the mainline to prevent water hammer and subsequent damage to pipes. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for start-up or priming of pumps. Even if it has a well, try to throttle back the flow with a gate or ball valve to restrict the flow. While you are doing this, open up a quick coupler that’s the furthest from the source, to let the air out of the mainline. If you are fortunate to have a flush valve installed on the main line, open it until you see clean, clear water. Sometimes, algae can build up over the winter, resulting in an unpleasant surprise. Also, systems without check
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valves can collect debris through the heads in low spots, or if the system was gravity-drained during winterization, it will siphon debris in. On smaller systems, partially close the flow control on the furthest valve from the source, and manually open it to let the air out slowly. Then, adjust it back to operational flow. If the system was winterized by blowing it out with air, chances are the main will be clean. Once the main is charged up, make sure any possible manual drain valves are closed on the main and on any exposed device like backflows, pressure tanks, pumps and filters. The second step is to check out the controller to make sure it is powered up. On an indoor plug-in, check the circuit. On clocks with battery backup, make sure the battery is good, or replace it for the season. Many new clocks have non-volatile memory, so this may not be necessary. Be sure the date and time are correct for Daylight Savings, and reprogram it if it lost the program. Now the fun begins. Most manufacturers offer service remotes that make start-up simple and
efficient. Some make universal remotes that adapt to most brands of controllers and are for temporary connections. Other systems have receivers built in permanently and can be shared with one or more transmitters. Finally, some of the new controllers are accessible through smartphones, iPads, Droids, Blackberry phones or laptops. Some give zone descriptions, read amperage and live flows, and give alerts for shorts or open wires. One contractor calls it his “employee in a box” because it can be done with one person instead of two with radios or phones. Generally, you can justify the cost in one start-up and any preventive-maintenance program. The labor and water savings are well worth it, not to mention saving shoes. With a remote, start with the furthest valve, and turn it on until all air gets out, and repeat on and off to be sure the solenoid is functioning properly. Then, work your way through the system until all are fired up. Make notes on broken pipes, heads, clogged nozzles, tilted heads, etc., to finish the process. It is also a good idea to flush out the drip lines and clean out any filters for