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Choosing a Company
Choosing a reputable company is an important decision. Below are
some criteria to consider when choosing a company to perform work on your
house.
Can my yard crew work on my
system? In Most cases NO, nor should they. It sounds harmless to
have a yard worker fix a broken head but the workers most likely have the
appropriate parts on the truck. The parts installed may have negative impact
on the systems hydraulics leading to lower pressure in the zone or changing
the uniformity of coverage by over or under watering in a particular area. If
they are fixing a broken pipe their glue may be old and create another issue
down the road. There could also be consequences by having water getting on windows rotting
them out and causing thousands of dollars in damages. The only time your yard
crew can work on the system is if they are licensed and they have a fully
stocked vehicle and do this on a daily basis.
Is the company professional? The company that
you choose should furnish their employees a clean vehicle with the
companies logo.. The companies representative should be licensed,
uniformed, presentable and easy to communicate with. The
professionalism of the company is an indication of the quality of
work you will receive.
Is the company a licensed? The state of Texas
requires that any company installing or maintaining a sprinkler system be
a licensed irrigator. The state of Texas requires licensed irrigators to
take a through training courses covering irrigation components, design,
hydraulics, maintenance, and water conservation and pass a certification
test. Licensed irrigators must display their license number on business
cards, quotes, advertisements and vehicles.
Check
the license status of a company.
Is the company insured. There
are allot of issues that can arise when working on a customer's house. There
are utility lines underground and other hazards that can potentially cause
damage to a customer's house. Wiring in a rain and freeze sensor incorrectly
on an older controller could start a fire at the sprinkler controller and inadvertently
damage a house. Irrigation Pros has been fortunate enough to have never needed
to use our insurance through good fortune, experience and attention to detail.
But the insurance allows the me and my customers the ability to sleep well at
night knowing that they are protected.
Are their workers legal? Irrigation
Pros only hires legal workers. The majority of our workers are United States
citizens but we also employ workers if they have a valid work visa. Our
employees are paid by check with all appropriate taxes taken out.
Can you communicate with the
technician? I hear this concern often from prospective customers. There is
nothing more frustrating than trying to tell a technician an issue and not
being sure if he understood it or not being able to communicate back with you relevant
information about your repair. Our technicians communicate clearly in English.
Generally it is their primary language.
Did the company ask for all of
the money up front?
Generally on larger jobs over $1,000, a 50% deposit is customary at the signing of contract with the
balance due at completion of the project. This insures the company against
customers who have no intention or are unable to pay while keeping the
homeowner's interest in mind also. Companies that are not financially healthy may require
money up front for small jobs or more money up front on the larger jobs to purchase parts and pay for labor. In this case, they may not be around to finish the job or warranty
their installations. Another reason a company may require a
large deposit is that they are getting as much money up front as they can
but never intend to comes back to do the work. Be ware of companies that show
up in unmarked vehicles even though
they may have credentials like business cards. The cards are cheap to make
and may contain fake license
numbers. If your gut tells you to be cautious, listen to it.
What parts did the company use?
Irrigation Pros does not purchase parts from only one manufacturer. Each
manufacturer has its strengths and weaknesses, While one may have a great
controller at a good price, they may not have the best valve or head and
another may have a great head but it's price may be way out of line for value.
Irrigation Pros impartially shops for good quality parts at a reasonable
price. We buy products from Hunter, Rainbird, Weathermatic, Toro, Irritrol to
name a few. We use Turf Tight glue which is more expensive but our experience
shows that the repairs are permanent with this product making it a good value.
Irrigation Pros accepts no manufacturers moneys for advertising nor do our
vans have any manufacturers logos on them so we can continue to be
impartial.
How were you treated? When
technicians arrive to repair your system, they should be courteous. The
homeowner should be welcome to walk the property during the system check
to better understand
of the necessary repairs or modifications to the system. After they system
is checked, the technician should be able to provide the homeowner with an explanation for the
repair necessary and an approximate cost for work to be done and answer
any of your questions in a professional manner. The majority of Irrigation
Pros customers come from referrals. This can only be achieved by
doing quality work at a fair price and treating the customer with
the respect they deserve.
Does the company get permits?
As of 2009, sprinkler system regulations and enforcement has changed
dramatically. In addition to requiring permits for new sprinkler system
installations, most cities with populations above 20,000 residents now
require the irrigators to submit a drawing showing placement of all heads,
pipes, valves, backflow devices and other items going into the system. If
permits are not pulled, drawings are not submitted and inspections are not
performed, the city can forbid the homeowner from using the system or face
fines. The homeowner is ultimately responsible for the system being in
compliance since they could have put the system in themselves or hired an
unlicensed irrigator. The only way to resolve this issue is to make a
drawing of the entire system including pipe type an sizes underground with
hydraulic calculations The inspector will probably require that the
trenches be opened up so that they can verify the pipe sizes and drawing.
Do not put yourself through this or lose your investment, hire a reputable
company. A reputable
company will require permits and secure them for the
homeowner. The will also handle inspections. If a company advises against permits,
do not do business with them.
The cheapest is not the least expensive. Beware of
the companies that charge a very low labor rate. If the labor rate is low,
chances are that the company is struggling financially, unlicensed or is inexperienced.
Companies generally make up for the low rate by creating part runs, taking
longer on repairs or having a very high mark up on their products. There is
also a good chance that these companies will not be around to warranty work.
Since the cheapest is not always the least expensive, it follows that the most
expensive does not always ensure the best quality. The best rule is to pay
a fair price for quality work and explain to the company exactly what
work you want done and what your expectations are.
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