Mid-Season Service
Like the Spring Turn-On Service, the Mid-Season Service
gives your entire system a fresh start. We check the entire system,
including the control box settings and the condition of the lawn. If
your irrigation system needs some fine tuning now that the weather is hot,
please give us a heads-up. If not, we will call you to set up an
appointment time that is convenient. The best way to schedule
this service is via email to
sprinklers@steveslandscaping.net. The next best way is to call
973-627-2797 Ext. 5.
Back-Flow Test
Steve's is one of the few irrigation service providers in
the area that is able to provide NJ State Backflow Test results.
The New Jersey Safe
Drinking Water Act, N.J.A.C. 7:10, requires that every irrigation system
with a cross connection to the Public Water Supply be protected with an
approved backflow device. Additionally, N.J.A.C. 10.5.6 requires that
each backflow device in residential service must be tested at least once
annually to ensure that it is functioning properly. Steve's Landscaping &
Irrigation is Certified to test these devices,holding Backflow Prevention
Device Inspector Certificate #7245, issued by the New England Water Works
Association, a certifying agency approved by the New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:10-10.8.
We would be more
than happy to provide this service to you. Furthermore, if you have an
irrigation system that was installed without an approved backflow device,
you are in violation of the law; unknowingly, most probably, but more
importantly, you are endangering yourself, your family, and the public water
supply. Steve's Landscaping and Irrigation would be happy to give you an
estimate to install one for you.
Sprinkler Winterization
We generally winterize our sprinkler systems beginning late September through
Thanksgiving. However, the weather crucially
impacts this service!! If there is water in your sprinkler system, it MUST
be winterized or the system will freeze and break! The best way to reach us is
via email at sprinklers@steveslandscaping.net. The next best way is to call
973-627-2797 Ext. 5.
Most Important ~ The water to the sprinkler system has to be
turned off inside the house before you call us! Once you turn the water
off, please email us (or call and leave a message on Ext. 5, our winterization
hotline). We will schedule your blowout as soon as possible. Most of
our systems do not require an appointment, so we will just schedule the blowout
without a confirmation call. We leave a notice that the work was
completed. If you do not see a note within 2 weeks of your contact, please
contact us again. (It is rare that we miss a message, but it does happen
occasionally; however, the volume can be overwhelming and we appreciate you
giving us a chance before calling repeatedly.)
During the winterization visit, we blow out the lines with a
high-pressure compressor. Virtually no
water
will remain in the lines or in the backflow device (the contraption on the
outside of the house with the bell-like fitting on top).
Please try not to wait until the last minute! We may not be able
to get to you in time! Usually, if you turn off the water before Halloween,
you'll be okay - but in 2008, it snowed before Halloween and we had a few
systems freeze. Mother nature doesn't always cooperate!
Part of our routine is to leave the valve on the outside of the
house open in case the ball valve inside your home leaks. This occasionally
happens. In the event that the
ball valve does leak, as long as the outside valve remains open, the water will
drain out of the backflow. Unfortunately, sometimes the water in the
backflow device does freeze and the bonnet & poppet part breaks: 99% of the time
this occurs because someone notices water dripping out of the hose bib and
closes the valve, thinking - like most of us would - that dripping water is bad.
Once the valve is closed, the backflow fills up with water and freezes. As
soon as the weather warms up, the ice melts and the water shoots up out of
the backflow like a geyser.
If you have purchased a Sprinkler Service Plan, you have already
paid for the winterization. If not, the charge is $11.00 per zone, or
$95.00 per hour for system with 10 or more zones. Certain housing
developments have special pricing. If you have any questions, you may call
or email us. Email is the best way to reach us, since we can respond any
time of the day or night.
