How To Water In This Central Texas Drought

The Waco area has a lot of clay soil.  But, oddly enough, if you don’t have clay, you probably have sand.  Two completely different soil types.

But you water them the same.

Really. 

This is the story of a root.  That’s right, the root of a blade of grass in your yard right now.  Your roots live in the “root zone”––about 4 inches below the surface of the soil.  That 4-inch depth is the target for all water if your precious root is going to get a drink. 

Let’s look at what happens when you water.  If you have Sandy soil, the water soaks in readily. So readily, in fact, that the water passes your root as it is traveling merrily to the center of the earth. The end result is your root misses the water.

On the other hand, if you have clay soil, the water can’t penetrate down to the root zone, so it stays on top in the form of runoff. Again, your root doesn’t get the benefit of the moisture.

There’s a simple solution to both scenarios.

If your normal watering routine was 20 min. three times a week for spray zones and one hour, three times a week for rotor zones, consider dividing that watering schedule into smaller doses and do them more often.

Your spray zones were getting 60 min. of water per week, so try dividing that time into multiple waterings every day. If you watered 4 min. on each spray zone, but you did it twice a day, everyday, you would be using the same amount of water and you would be cooperating with soil type.  The water would have time to penetrate your clay soil down to the desired 4 inches in clay soil, and you would put so much water on that it ran down the curb.  The same goes for sandy soil.  The smaller dose easily travels to the root zone, but that’s all.  There’s not the flood of water that forces it past your roots.

This advice is counter from the wisdom you’ll get on TV, but that’s because we are not blessed with loamy soil with 85 degree maximum temperatures.  Don't worry, though.  I heard we're supposed to get a cold front . . . sometime in October!

If you're struggling with your sprinkler system, maybe we can help.  The call is free.  Call Drew at 829-3800. 

No Need for Sprinkler Repair in Kemp, Texas

There are about 1,100 people in Kemp, Texas and none of them need sprinkler repair today.  Why? Because they have NO water.

When you know that Waco owns the lake, it's pretty easy to be smug--even during this drought.  But you are vulnerable even if you live right next to the lake.

When you turn on your sprinkler system or take a drink from your tap, you're the beneficiary of at least two components that most of us take for granted, pipes and electricity.

Electricity runs the pumps that bring the water to you.  If the electrical grid fails, it won't take long before you are out of water.

And, the more pipe there is between you and the water treatment plant, the more possible a pipe break can interrupt you flow.

That's what happened in Kemp, a suburb of Dallas.  Because of dryness, the ground shifted and broke a city main.  Over 2 million gallons later, both water towers were completely empty. 

The troubling thing about all of this is it's not that hard to design and install a rainwater harvesting system.  That would at least bridge a gap until the water supply could get back on line.

We'd love to talk to you about installing an efficient rainwater harvesting system.

Call Drew now at 254.829.3800 for a free estimate.

Want Yard of the Month? Hire Rainstat!

Not really.  We had very little to do with these nice folks getting yard of the month, but it does point out that beautiful landscapes like this don't happen without water.  The right amount at the right place at the right time. 

If your sprinkler system could use some fine tuning, we'd love to help.

Call Drew at 254.829.3800 to schedule a free system check.

Business is Good––But It’s Not All Our Fault

We try to do the best we can.  But, as far as I know, no one else in the area does what we do. We don’t install sprinkler systems.  We don’t mow grass.  We don’t do landscaping.  We don’t spray weeds. 

All we do is repair and upgrade sprinkler systems.

And we think we know why that’s important. 

Installing a sprinkler system is pretty simple after you do it a couple hundred times.  Everything is under the installer’s control.  S/he plans the system, digs the trenches, connects the pipes, plumbs the heads, runs the wires and connects them to the controller mounted in the garage.  Before s/he covers everything up, the workers compare what they sees on the ground to the plan.  

Put another way, if you have workers that understand how to put all the pieces together and how to run a trencher, then the most important piece in the puzzle is the sprinkler Plan.  If the Plan is engineered correctly and the workers did what they were supposed to do, voilà!, it’s done.

––––

Please, now, consider repair.  Everything’s been running fine for years until . . .

Zone three quit working.  (If you are picturing what I have in my mind, the skill difference between someone who installs a sprinkler system and someone who repairs one, is evident and huge.)  There is nothing visual to indicate 1. that zone three has quit working or 2. that this yard even has a sprinkler system! 

Who are you going to call?  Here’s your choices: 1. The landscaper/irrigator/mower/jack-of-all-trades person who charges by the hour, or, 2. the one who does sprinkler repair only and guarantees his price and gets your okay before he ever starts the job?

If you chose the sprinkler repair specialist with the guaranteed up-front price, may I respectfully submit Rainstat Irrigation as your provider? 

Please call Drew at 254.829.3800 to schedule a free, no-obligation an up-front quote that we call a Promise.

The Customer’s Experience Part 2

For years I have looked for something we could “do” to set us apart from other companies that repair and upgrade sprinkler systems. As far as I know, Rainstat Irrigation is the only company that does exactly what we do. I’ve looked for anything that would make us something other than a commodity--which is just fixing your sprinkler system in trade for money.

What would make you way more than satisfied? What would make you say, or at least think, “Wow! They did something so terrific, so unexpected, I’m going to pick up the phone and tell all my friends about Rainstat Irrigation.”

Here are some attempts:

• We price everything up front, so you stay in control.
• We carry state-of-the-art tools, so we can actually solve your problem.
• We answer the phone so you can talk to a real person.
• We don’t hire druggies and alcoholics, so you can feel safe.
• We show up when we say we will, so your time is respected.
• We guarantee our work, so you don’t have to do this again.
• This work take a license, insurance and training. We have all of that.

I know. Yawn!

Here are some things we haven’t done:

• Give a free pen with every job, so you can write something.
  
• Do this for free, so we can get out of this business and do something else.
• Over-promise so we can get all the business.
• Under-deliver, so our margins are higher.
  

So, here's the way we decided to attack this:
We realize that you have a problem and you want that problem to go away as quickly and as painlessly as possible. No theatrics. No phony razzle-dazzle. And, if while we are working on your problem we can see some way to make your day, we want to do that, too.

If that creates a really great experience, well, we’re glad. But, if all we did was take care of the problem with as little overhead for you as possible, we will be happy with that too.

Thanks for reading.

P.S. What do we do? We do commercial and residential sprinkler system repair; upgrade existing systems with weather-based, smart controllers; install, repair and certify backflow devices; and solve drainage problems. You can call us at 254.829.3800 or find us on web here.

P.P.S. We just added an easy way for you to follow us. Just click on the "Follow" button at the top of the sidebar. It would be a real honor if you did.

Frozen Backflow Devices

Your backflow device may be frozen and you not know it.

And you may not know it until you start running your sprinkler system in the Spring. Other places discover it immediately because water started going everywhere!

Here are a couple of pictures of backflow devices we have been repairing for Texas WalMarts. If you weren't caught off guard with the very cold weather we had recently, you're in the minority.

If you're a Waco resident (under Waco water jurisdiction) you may be in for a surprise. Waco's code has changed. If your sprinkler's or commercial building's backflow device is the old kind--and it froze so it no longer functions, you'll have to bring it "up to code."

What does "up to code" mean? It just means your existing system will have to meet the same requirements that a new system would have to meet. Here's the short story:

Your yard is now classified as a "high hazard" from a risk to the potable water standpoint. That means you need a special kind of backflow device called a Reduced Pressure Zone (RPZ or RP). Two important aspects are that it is another expense and it can't be buried.

And THAT brings me back to why we've been so busy lately. We have been repairing and replacing unprotected, uninsulated backflow devices that froze. Part of the new code for Waco is that your fancy new backflow device has to be protected from the cold--so you won't have to do this again.

If we can help, please call us at 254.829.3800. We're licensed to repair and replace backflow devices.

Drainage

You know you need drainage help when water is where it’s not supposed to be.

Needs:
The most obvious need is when heavy rains bring water into the house or garage. Drainage needs also show up when rain washes dirty water into your pool or rain forms a stagnant pond.
Although we are not foundation experts, we have seen our heavy clay soils reek havoc to foundations that have a fluctuating moisture content. Keeping puddles of water away from your foundation may help.

Solutions:
We will use gravity instead of pumps because gravity never quits. Pumps have their place, but often our heaviest rains are accompanied by electricity-interrupting conditions--which, of course, makes the solution no solution at all. Proper drainage is accomplished by placing one or several catch-basins where water accumulates. These catch-basins are connected to an underground piping system that carries the water down to a lower discharge point.

Result:
What we’re trying to accomplish is a landscape that accepts all the water it can, and then discharges any excess to the city’s waste-water treatment system. In rural areas, we are simply trying to find an on-purpose place for the water to go.

Methods:
We cut our teeth in this business as landscapers, so maintaining an excellent, scar-free landscape is our primary goal. A normal installation will involve cutting the turf off the top of the trench, opening the trench, leveling it to an acceptable grade, installing the pipe and basins, backfilling the trench and re-installing the original sod. We try to make it look like we were never there.

Pricing:
Every drain job we have ever done has been very different. That’s okay because we will come out to your property with a transit and other measuring devices and give you an up-front price. Free. We call it a Promise because we don’t want people to confuse what we do with an estimate. Our Promise price will be your invoice price.

Waco Changes Code–Lemons or Lemonade?

Most people don't know about it yet, but the City of Waco made a change that affects just about everyone who owns a sprinkler system. Any way you look at it, it's going to add additional cost to the citizens. Bummer. This cloud, however, may have a silver lining. (The good news is at the bottom of this post.)

First, what changed?

Your yard is now classified as a "high hazard" from the folks that sell you your water. You have always had to have a backflow device as a part of your sprinkler system (to protect other folks that use water from the city), but now you must have a Reduced Pressure Zone (RPZ) backflow device. Because it is engineered so that it cannot fail without obvious signs, it is considered the most full-proof device--except for air-gap, and we won't get into that here.

But, I'm "grandfathered in," aren't I?

Well, sort of. You don't have to go out right now and update your system to code, but you will eventually have to. By "eventually," I mean, we cannot bring your system back into service without bringing it up to code if we do a "major repair." A "major repair" is defined by the state as any repair that opens your system's main line to the atmosphere. Obviously, that means we can't repair your existing backflow device without bringing it up to code. But, it also means we can't even repair a valve without this update.

How much, you might ask, does this cost?

I'm not quoting prices here because we need information specific to your system. We need to know what you have now and what size RPZ you need. Brace yourself, though, 'cause it's not cheap. The RPZ itself is a fairly large bronze apparatus. And, the upgrade of the backflow device isn't the only thing that is required. Your system now requires a valve that isolates the sprinkler system from the rest of your domestic water supply. You may already have this, and, if you don't, you should. A filter must be installed, too.

So, this new rule means you will eventually upgrade your sprinkler system to include a Reduced Pressure Zone (RPZ) backflow device, a filter and an isolation valve.

Does this sound like it's all Lemons and no Lemonade?

Now for the good part:

By upgrading to an RPZ, you can do some fun stuff with your sprinkler system you have probably wondered why it's not done all the time. Like fertilizing or getting rid of mosquitos. Injecting stuff into your sprinkler system is the perfect way to distribute anything that goes on your lawn. It couldn't be done before because your old backflow device would not adequately protect the water supply. Well, now it does!

Fertilize

Now, fertilizing is as easy as adding a water soluble fertilizer (a lot of choices--including organic) to a tank. It dispenses a very small amount of fertilizer to your system every time you water. Is that too much fertilizer? No. Our most popular system, when set at its highest output is 400 parts water to 1 part fertilizer. At it lowest setting, it is 37 times less fertilizer than that. And, because of the way it is applied, it is much, much more beneficial to the plants than throwing fertilizer granules on the ground and watering them in.

Mosquitos

Once you have a system for distributing a solution through your sprinkler system, a lot of possibilities open up. Want to cook out, but he mosquitos are carrying you away? Add some organic insect repellant, run through a short cycle and viola! you have re-occupied your back yard.

So, the painful part is updating your sprinkler system to meet the city's new code. That's the lemon. The lemonade is what you can do now that you have complied with the new code. Hello to no-work-fertilization and hello to no-mosquitoes.

We would love to give you a no-obligation Promise. (A Promise is our guaranteed, up-front price. It's not an estimate.)

You can call Drew at 254.829.3800 or email us at info@rainstat.com.

The Art of Hootness

I want to tell you about a Waco shopkeeper that is an inspiration to me and should be to all shopkeepers everywhere. Her name is Karyn and she owns a remarkable cooking shop called the Gourmet Gallery.

Now, I'm only slightly acquainted with my friend's office manager, but she and her husband have just had their first child. I asked Karyn to make up a gift basket for her. "What do you want?" A very logical question, I'll admit, but one I was completely unequipped to answer. As I said, we were only slightly acquainted. "I'll work something up."

I traveled to Gourmet Gallery to pick up the basket and deliver it to Hewitt Chiropractic, the lair for Drs. Michael and David Moore, and Rene, their now-on-maternity-leave office manager.

To me, it was a nice basket.

"Rene's been in here before," Karyn said. "I think she'll really like this. I called her office and found she's a hot chocolate connoisseur. And, I know she likes nice things."

Is this obvious to you? This Waco shopkeeper gave enough of a hoot to call my recipient's office. I think that's laudable, but, let's face it--that kind of effort could be a written requirement in some This-Is-The-Way-We-Do-It-Here manual. But she *remembered* her coming in and *remembered* the kind of stuff she likes. That's not in any manual. That's hootness.

Hootness is rare, but it's not totally absent in this town. We want and hope Rainstat's customers see hootness in us, too.

Okay, I realize blogs are largely soliloquies but, if no one but me reads this, I want to encourage myself to start looking for hootness and shouting it from the mountain tops when I find it.

And, I'd bet that basket knocks her socks off. Thanks Karyn.

What a hoot!

It's That Transition Time of Year

This is the hardest time of year to keep your sprinkler's controller up-to-date because the weather is changing. It's that time of year when a Rainstat Smart Controller does the most good and saves you the most money. Here's why:

During July and August it is HOT. Everyone knows it's going to be hot and your landscape is going to require a lot of water. Your water bill weighs a little more in your mail box during the summer and there's not a lot you can do about it. If it is 105º outside, there is going to be tremendous evaporation and your plants are going to be growing their fastest.

Likewise, when winter hits and we are dipping below the freeze mark every night, you don't need much water at all.

So, the time to install a Smart Controller in right now, during the transition time.

What is a Smart Controller, you say?

A Smart Controller replaces your present controller. The new controller "talks" to your on-site weather station so you water just enough each day. Never too little or too much. And you never have to touch it. It changes and "programs" itself daily.

We would be glad to show you one and give you an idea of what to expect. The new controller pays for itself in reducing the amount you are already spending on your water bill. And, your landscape will actually do better while saving you money.

Interested? Call me. My cell number is 254.744.1724.

Is It Time to Update Your Technology?

Picture a chisel and a rock vs. a pencil.

Or, how about a more up-to-date comparison of a ledger book and a computer with accounting software. The old way still works but the new way is better (faster, cheaper . . . ).

That's the way the Rainstat controller is. Your old sprinkler controller still works, but it is obsolete. Throw it away. Quickly.

The new controller is the same forward step you took when you got a controller in the first place (instead of turning on manual valves).

Maybe I'm wrong. Let Rainstat Irrigation look at your sprinkler system. We will both know within 10 minutes if it is a good move for you.

Call now to talk to a real person (most of the time). 254.829.3800

Self-Serving Change In Tag Line

"The best way to repair or upgrade your sprinkler system without getting soaked." It's self-serving chest-thumping, I know. But in thinking about how we go about the relatively simple task of replacing a sprinkler head, we do it so you should NEVER have to address that head again!

Does it cost more? That depends on whether your looking at cost from the initial expense to get the job done or the cost over the life of your system. The answer is probably "yes" and "no." Yes, it probably will cost you more to have it done right as apposed to just unscrewing one head and screwing another in its place. No, when you consider that you should never ever have to address that head again.

It's the old "pay me now or pay me later" reply, but if that head has to be repaired again (because your riding lawn mower broke the riser again), you shot yourself in the foot by paying too little.

Here's the new tag line, "The best way to permanently repair or upgrade your sprinkler system without getting soaked."

Okay. I feel better now. What do you think?

Doug Saylor
Rainstat Irrigation
254.829.3800

A Practical Epiphany

The word "epiphany" might be a bit strong.

I've always looked for that special something that would incite our customers to love us. But I realize that our job is "get your head in the game, get this sprinkler system fixed as quickly and as inexpensively as possible, and get out of these people's lives."

As it is, we repair whatever the problem is, we do it for the price that was quoted in our Promise before the work started and we place our little sticker on the controller in the hope that you will call us again. Magic huh?


My realization, my epiphany, is that we are not in the Magic Business, Disney is. Anything we "do" is ultimately just what is expected.

And that creates a subtle but profound change here at Rainstat Irrigation. We will continue to give Promises before we obligate you to pay for any work we do. We will still fix the problem if you honor us with permission to do so. We will even continue to keep our trucks clean and our employees well identified.

But I see a need to tweak something–maybe just an attitude. In an attempt to look at ourselves from your perspective, I see that we are nothing more or less than a supplier that can potentially ease your pain. If we can do that in the most pain-free way possible, we've done our job.

As I said at the beginning, our attitude needs to be "get your head in the game, get this thing fixed as quickly and as inexpensively as possible, and get out of these people's lives." We'll keep leaving our little stickers on your controller in the hope that you will call us again but the magic will be that you are able to get on with your life without worrying about dead plants, shocking water bills or whether or not we will do what we Promised.

No magic. Just an attitude. And a commitment.

Autopilot vs. Throttle Lock

I'm no pilot. I know a few and they love Autopilot--especially on long trips. These sophisticated devices keep the plane on a strait and level path at a constant speed. The pilot can sit back and literally read a book with the confidence that the Autopilot is taking care of the plane at least as well as s/he could.

Now consider a simple throttle lock. All it does is keep the engine's speed constant. Sit back and read a book with a throttle lock and it will likely be your last. It will keep your engine speed (not necessarily your plane's speed) constant as it flies you right into the ground. That's precisely the difference between your present sprinkler controller and a Rainstat Controller.

So, in the parlance of Generation Twenty-Something, your *ancient* controller is dead on with the throttle lock. You set it and it repeats your last instruction from now until you intervene. It changeth not. It can't. And it wastes a lot of water because it cannot react to weather conditions. In the process, it "flies" your wallet right into the ground.

Not so with your Rainstat Controller. Like the Autopilot, it reacts to every subtle weather change and corrects itself so your landscape gets just enough to thrive. This used to cost tens of thousands of dollars. You can get one installed for $995.

A Rainstat Controller and Weather Station is the best way to put your sprinkler system on Autopilot.(sm) Please call 829.3800 now to scedule a free on-site analysis of your sprinkler system.

Thanks for reading.








Doug

Internet Eleminates My Job

Here is a video clip that Google sent me on "sprinkler repair." I had no idea this stuff existed on the Internet but here you have it.

Watch this and you don't need my company.

Sprinkler Repair

Thanks for reading. And watching.

Doug

September, The Foothills of Winter

September is when the weather breaks. Usually. It's a "transitional period" sprinkler-wise. And, it's one of the most water-wasting times for sprinkler system owners and managers because it is still summer and summer schedules seem to be sticky.

Here's the averages you need to start with: The average rainfall for Waco in September is 3". The need for water as expressed in the evapotranspiration (ET) rate is 5.7". So you need to replace 2.7 inches for the month. The reality of it though is the 2.7" needs to be weighted toward the first half of the month when, like today, Labor Day, it is supposed to be in the upper 90s.

So, if you don't yet have a Rainstat Controller (it makes your adjustments for exact water savings every day), please pay attention to your sprinkler's schedule and make the transitional adjustments.

Specifically, I'd stay with my August need of 5.7" until we start seeing some high temperatures in the mid 80s with cool nights. Then I'd drop the schedule to 25% of the August run-times.

Is all this Greek? Call me at 254.829.3800. It all has to do with conserving water (and saving you money) while keeping your landscape vibrant and healthy. The Rainstat Controller is a "Green" or "Smart" controller. It's like a thermostat for your yard.(sm)

Thanks for reading,
Doug

More help on our web site

The Rainstat Controller and Weather Station solves the problem of scheduling your sprinkler system for water savings and a beautiful landscape. But what if you don't want to spend $1k to avail yourself of this new device?

Answer: Program your controller to cooperate with the weather. You may have discovered that your weather man talks about "inches of rain" while your controller talks about "minutes of run-time." What we have here is a failure to communicate.

Please stay tuned. We are in the process of writing a free white paper on programing your controller correctly and continuously in conjunction with a redesign of our web site.

More later . . .

If you don't want to jump through these hoops, get a Rainstat Controller. It's like a thermostat for your yard.

How Long Should You Water In July and August?

Here's a rule of thumb: July and August call for 1.5 inches in addition to our normal rainfall (which is usually pretty-much nil) in the Waco area. But your sprinkler controller thinks in time not inches. So let's convert inches to time so you can better manage your sprinkler system and your water usage.

Rotors, the heads that shoot a stream of water and the head rotates, precipitate at about .5 inches per hour. That means it takes a whopping 3 hours a week to lay down 1.5 inches of precipitation! There always seems to be a trade-off between buying water and having a beautiful stand of grass. You will make you own decision on expenses, but 3 hours for rotors is the ticket to beautiful grass during our hot summers.

Sprays, the heads that shoot water in all directions at once, precipitate at 3 times as much as Rotors. They only need to run for an hour per week to get the same 1.5 inches of precipitation.

How often? The Waco area generally has very heavy clay soil. If you run your system for too long, it just creates runoff and wastes water. Try 3 times a week at 1 hour each for Rotors and 20 minutes for sprays. If you still have runoff, cut your time in half and double your days. For example set your controller for 30 minutes for rotors and 10 minutes for sprays and run it every day but, say, Sunday.

Your grass will thank you and your checking account will wonder what happened.

Remember to change it again when the weather breaks in September.

If you don't want to constantly tweak your sprinkler's controller but want green grass and as low a water bill as possible, consider our Rainstat Controller and Weather Station. It's not for everyone but you can check it out at our site. It's like a thermostat for your yard. You set it once and forget it.

Questions? Call any time. 829-3800.

Can we agree on what is Complicated?

Today's home sprinkler system tools would utterly fail if they modeled how your air conditioner worked in your home. You would have to look at the hour by hour weather forecast, and schedule your air conditioner to come on when the inside temperature got uncomfortable. But before you could do that, you would have to know 1. how long it takes for the outside temperature to raise the temperature in your house and, 2. you would have to know how long it took to lower the temperature once the a/c started.

Let's say you knew these two necessary bits of information and could calculate when your air conditioner should come on and how long it needed to run. Fine, but now you need to have some way of turning it off at the right time and turning it back on when it gets too hot.

Thankfully, you have a thermostat. It senses the current, inside temperature regardless of how hot it is outside, compares that current temperature to the desired temperature (set by you, once) and either turns the a/c on or off.

Yet a few people have told me that setting their sprinkler system by predicting when their yard needs water is simple and that setting the Rainstat controller (once forever) is complicated.

I believe that some of these objectors are really saying, "I'm afraid to give up control of my watering schedule because I'm afraid I won't be able to afford the water bill." Keep in mind that the Rainstat Controller has proven itself in saving between 20% and 50% on your annual water bill. That is assuming that your landscape was green before and you want it to stay green.

Granted, if your grass is in a state of stress all summer because you will not water the inch and a half it needs each week during our Waco summers, you have reason for concern. But if your grass is green now, giving up control of when and how much it runs will be as hard as it is to set your thermostat on 72 degrees and enjoying the automatic cool.

That's why we say, "It's like having a thermostat for your yard." Please call us today at 829-3800 to get all your questions answered.