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JB Irrigation Houston Sprinkler Repair

Category: <span>Sprinkler Maintenance</span>

JB Irrigation Houston Sprinkler RepairLatest NewsSprinkler Maintenance
25 Apr 2017
sprinkler-timer
0 Comments By JustinB Sprinkler Maintenance

Determine Irrigation Run Times And Schedules For Your Irrigation System

Irrigation systems require setup. As you prep a your system for its first-time use this spring, you’ll need the things to set up an irrigation schedule that will work best for the site’s specific conditions: the water requirement and the precipitation rates of the sprinkler heads or drip emitters.

Water requirement: The easiest way to estimate the water you’ll need is to use evaporation and transpiration (ET)
information. Evaporation happens to water from the soil surface, and transpiration occurs to water from the leaves of the plant. Historic ET data for your area can be obtained through online sources like your local university extension’s website.

The amount of water lost through ET changes with the seasons, so you’ll need to reset the watering schedule throughout the year to accommodate these modifications.

Precipitation rate: This is the rate at which water is being applied to your plants in a certain amount of time (usually inches per hour). The best way to figure out the precipitation rate of your sprinkler heads or drip emitters is to do an irrigation system audit.

Contact JB Irrigation today to have one of our knowledgeable technicians out for a “Spring System Check and Startup Inspection“. We will check over your entire system and provide you with suggested run times and an irrigation schedule.

09 Jan 2017
freeze
0 Comments By JustinB Freeze Damage Repair, Sprinkler Maintenance

Freeze Has Damaged Thousands Of Sprinkler System Backflow Preventers And Pipes In The Houston Area

frozen pipe repair houstonMost people wake up in the morning and don’t see any water so they assume they have no busted pipes. Pipes bust because water gets trapped in them and expands. If the water expands and has no place to go it will eventually burst your pipe at the weakest point. I typically don’t get any calls until mid day when the pipes start to thaw out and the water starts spraying.

•If you must leave before the thaw then turn the water to your house off so it won’t flood while your gone

•Most of you have a backflow preventer that looks like the one in the picture. If you have a sprinkler system then by code you must have one. (It may be in the bushes.)

If you have one of these on your sprinker system it needs to be wrapped during freezing conditions. Otherwise ice will form inside, expand when it thaws and break it.

21 Jul 2016
houston-landscaping-irrigation-trees-shrubs
0 Comments By JustinB Landscaping, Lawn Care, Sprinkler Maintenance

How To Make Your Lawn, Trees And Shrubs More Drought Tolerant In Houston

Lawns

Most lawns receive twice as much water as they require for a healthy appearance. The key to watering lawns is to apply the water infrequently, yet thoroughly. This creates a deep, well-rooted lawn that efficiently uses water stored in the soil.

To know when to water the lawn, simply observe the grass. Wilting and discoloration are signs of water stress. At the first sign of wilting, you have 24 to 48 hours to water before serious injury occurs. Apply 1 inch of water to the lawn as rapidly as possible without runoff. Watering only when needed and watering thoroughly produces a deep-rooted lawn which is more water efficient and drought enduring.

Trees and Shrubs

All trees and shrubs need more frequent watering from planting time until becoming well rooted, which may take two growing seasons. Once established, plants can then be weaned to tolerate less frequent watering. Proper weaning develops deep roots and makes the plants more drought enduring.
As with lawns, water established trees, shrubs and groundcovers infrequently, yet thoroughly. In the absence of rain, most trees and shrubs benefit from a once-a-month thorough watering during the growing season. Remember, normal lawn watering is not a substitute for thorough tree and shrub watering.
The feeding root system of a tree or shrub is located within the top 12 inches of the soil and at the “dripline” of the plant. The dripline is the area directly below the outermost reaches of the branches. Apply water and fertilizer just inside and a little beyond the dripline, not at the trunk. Simply lay a slowly running hose on the ground and move it around the dripline as each area becomes saturated to a depth of 8 to 10 inches. For large trees, this watering technique may take several hours.

22 Jun 2016
controller burnt 2
0 Comments By JustinB Sprinkler Maintenance

Recent Thunderstorms Damage Hundreds Of Irrigation Systems In Houston

It’s been a wet last few months with record rainfall and flooding. Many homeowners have turned off their irrigation systems because of it. Now that the rain has subsided, it’s time to water again. Some people find that when turning on their system, it doesn’t work.

Along with the flooding rains were Thunderstorms. These thunderstorms produced deadly, damaging lightening. A close lightening strike can cause power surges in your home’s electrical system, knocking out sensitive electrical appliances and components.

Irrigation system timers and controllers are one of these items. JB Irrigation has seen an increase in these lightening related and power surge related type failures. We’ve attached photos of a recently ruined sprinkler controller that almost caught fire from a near-hit lightening strike.

If your irrigation system was working before the storms and it’s not now, yours may have suffered this type of damage.

If the system seems it is ‘off’ or not getting power but it is; (this can be verified by plugging in a lamp or other appliance into the same outlet) you probably have a lightening damaged control-timer panel.

If the LCD display is garbled there is likely this type damage.

If the system, when activated, continuously runs the same zone and will not turn off or advance, you may have lightening or power surge damage.

If you have any signs of burn marks or discoloration of the internals of the unit you may have a damaged control unit.

JB Irrigation & Service specializes in this type of sprinkler repair. We are experienced in the repair, replacement, resetting and rebooting of these electronic control systems. We have technicians standing by, in your area, with our service trucks stocked with the necessary replacement parts and replacement units. Call us today…281-760-3882

08 Jun 2016
sprinklers
0 Comments By JustinB General, Lawn Care, News and Information, Sprinkler Maintenance

July Is SMART IRRIGATION Month. We’ll Help You Save Water and Money

JB Irrigation is celebrating Smart Irrigation Month by helping customers save water, save money and see better results.

Smart Irrigation Month is a public awareness campaign to promote efficient water use. Focused on July, traditionally the month of peak demand for outdoor water use, the campaign highlights simple practices and innovative technologies to:

  • Make maintaining green spaces easy and convenient.
  • Minimize overwatering while keeping lawns, gardens and landscapes beautiful and healthy.
  • Save money on utility bills.
  • Help protect community water supplies for today and the future.

Property owners and managers typically overwater, unintentionally wasting money every time they take out the hose or turn on the sprinklers. JB Irrigation and Services, a leader in smart water-saving practices, is delivering real results by:

  • Helping customers plant and maintain low water landscapes that will thrive in their climate and site conditions.
  • Installing new irrigation systems that use real-time weather data and soil moisture sensors to automatically adjust watering to meet plant needs.
  • Using low volume microirrigation to precisely apply very small amounts of water to gardens, trees and shrubs, minimizing evaporation and waste.
  • Retrofitting existing systems with rain sensors that prevent watering in rainy weather.
  • Helping customers program automatic controllers to comply with community watering restrictions while extracting maximum benefit from every drop of water.
  • Auditing irrigation systems to make sure water is being using effectively and making necessary adjustments.
  • Identifying customer rebates from water utilities and other resources for water-efficient products.

For more information about how JB Irrigation and Services can help homeowners, businesses and property managers, call us at 281.760.3882 today.

 

25 Feb 2016
Water-Leak1-DataSheetV3.indd
0 Comments By JustinB Lawn Care, News and Information, Sprinkler Maintenance

Repairing Houston Sprinkler Water Leaks

An irrigation system that has a leak 1/32” in diameter (about the thickness of a dime) wastes 6,300 gallons of water per month or 75,000 gallons per year*. In a typical subdivision of 48 homes, that’s over 3.6 million gallons of water…from just one leak!

Here are some tips to avoid leaks and wasted water:

  • Use only the highest quality cement and primer to ensure a leak-free joint:
    Weld-On offers high quality, reliable cements and primers for every application
  • Make sure your crew is properly trained in solvent welding techniques:
    Weld-On offers FREE ASTM D2855 / ASME B31.3 training.
    Contact your Weld-On rep to sign up today!
  • If you do have leaks:
    Contact JB Irrigation’s support service at 281-760-3882
    Consider using an easy repair product like Weld-On 810™, 811™ or 845™

Why risk leaks and call backs when you can have confidence in the only manufacturer who has focused exclusively on solvent cements for over 60 years?

18 Feb 2016
Water-Leak1-DataSheetV3.indd
1 Comments By JustinB Lawn Care, Sprinkler Maintenance

When Should I Fertilize My Houston Lawn In The Spring?

To get a beautiful green lawn and healthy stand of grass you will need to fertilize your lawn. Since our winter (or lack of) seems over it is now time to fertilize your lawn. A few days before fertilizing, water your lawn thoroughly with your sprinkler system. Then apply your fertilizer. Water fertilize in.

If you are using a “weed and feed” fertilize you will want to wet the grass blades a little so the “weed and feed” fertilize granules “stick” on the weeds. This is so the “weeding” chemical aspect of the fertilize can be absorbed. Do not immediately water in. Let the fertilize stay on the leaves for 2 days. Then water in.

Before fertilizing, have JB Irrigation come and check your sprinkler system to make sure it’s ready for the season. You don’t want to get your fertilize down and then find your system in need of repair.