4 Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Irrigation Company

Irrigation is an unusual purchase. Almost all of what you are buying ends up underground on the first day, and you will not find out whether it was done properly for two or three years. By then the person who installed it may be difficult to find.

These are the four questions worth asking before anybody starts digging, and what the answers actually tell you.

1. What exactly does your warranty cover, and for how long?

Ask for specifics, not adjectives. Is the warranty on labour, on parts, or on both? How long does each run? Is there anything the customer has to do to keep it valid?

That last part is the interesting one, and a straight answer is a good sign rather than a bad one. Our own position is that installations carry a one year warranty, and products carry a lifetime warranty when the customer keeps the system on our ongoing maintenance service. The condition is stated openly because it is the mechanism, not the catch. Parts last when somebody inspects them on a schedule, and a lifetime warranty on a system nobody ever looks at would be a promise nobody could keep.

A company that says lifetime warranty with no conditions at all has either not thought it through or is relying on you not reading it.

2. Are you licensed and insured?

This should be a one word answer followed by an offer to show you. Irrigation work means trenching across a property, working near buried utilities and tying into your potable water supply. If something goes wrong on your land and the contractor is not insured, the problem becomes yours.

Our team maintains full licensing and insurance. Any contractor should be able to say the same without hesitating.

3. How do you handle it when the project changes?

Projects change. Ground gets opened and something unexpected is under it: an old line nobody knew about, rock where there should be soil, a grade that does not match the plan. It happens on a real percentage of jobs.

What you are listening for is whether they have a process or whether they improvise. Do they stop and talk to you, or do they carry on and present it at the end? We stay flexible when project changes arise, and we commit to clear communication from start to finish, which mostly means telling customers things they would rather not hear at the point we find out rather than at the point we invoice.

4. Will I be able to reach the valves in five years?

This question sounds oddly specific and it is the most revealing of the four. It tells you immediately whether the person in front of you has ever had to repair somebody else's work.

Valve boxes that are set too deep, or in a spot that will be swallowed by a growing bed, disappear under sod within a few seasons. Every future repair then begins with an hour of searching. We have opened systems with six valves all buried under turf, and reset them so they can be adjusted, cleaned and replaced without digging.

An installer thinking about the repair visit five years out will give you a real answer about box placement and depth. One thinking only about install day will not understand why you asked.

Two smaller things worth checking

Ask how long an estimate takes to arrange, so you can plan. Ours are free, done in person, and scheduled within two to three weeks, which is honest rather than impressive. Any contractor promising a same day quote on a system they have not walked is quoting a guess.

And ask what happens after the install. A system that is never inspected will drift out of adjustment regardless of how well it went in.

A fifth question, if you only ask one

Ask them to walk the property with you and explain the zone plan out loud before anything is priced. Where does each valve cover, and why did they group those areas together?

Somebody who has genuinely designed around your yard will talk about sun, slope, shade and soil, and will point at the ground while doing it. Somebody who is pricing a standard package will talk about the number of zones and the number of heads. Both quotes may land on a similar figure, but you are buying two very different things.

Why it matters more here than in some trades

Irrigation is a long relationship, not a transaction. Spring start-ups, winterisation, a head move when a patio goes in, a repair when something finally gives. The company you pick is one you will be calling for years.

B and C Irrigation Systems has been locally owned and family operated in Huntsville since 1999. Call (256) 286-4108.