How to choose an irrigation company in Houston

Walk away if

• There is no TCEQ license number on the proposal, the truck or the controller.
• They do not mention a backflow preventer, or they plan to connect to the house water without one.
• They say a permit is not needed for a new system in Houston.
• They cannot provide a design plan showing zones, heads and pipe sizes.
• They quote by the number of heads with no site visit and no water pressure reading.
• They offer no warranty on the installation or will not put it in writing.

Ask before you hire

1. What is your TCEQ Licensed Irrigator number, and will that person design the system?
2. Will you pull the City of Houston permit, and is the backflow test included?
3. Can I see the zone design with head types, spacing and pipe sizes before you start?
4. What static pressure and flow did you measure at my house, and how does the design use it?
5. Does the controller support rain and freeze sensors, and are they included?

Houston specifics

Houston lawns need water in summer and then get more rain in a week than some cities see in a season. A system designed for the city has a rain sensor so it does not run during a downpour, and a freeze sensor so it does not glaze your sidewalk in a January cold snap. Texas rules require rain and freeze sensors on new systems, so a bid that leaves them out is already behind the code.

Clay soil changes the design. Water soaks in slowly, so long run times on a clay lot send most of the water down the street. Good Houston designs use shorter cycles with soak periods between them, and matched-precipitation heads so one part of the zone is not drowning while another dries out.

The backflow preventer is the part the city inspects. Houston water is drinking water, and the irrigation system is full of fertilizer, soil and whatever is on the lawn. Texas requires the assembly on every system and a licensed test at installation. Keep the test report. Some jurisdictions require periodic retesting, so ask the installer what applies to your address.

Watch the foundation. Sprinkler heads that spray the slab every morning keep one side of the house wet and the other dry, and uneven moisture is how Houston slabs crack. Ask for heads aimed away from the foundation and for drip in beds against the house.

Reading an irrigation bid

A complete bid includes the Licensed Irrigator’s name and number, the site measurements for static pressure and flow, a zone-by-zone design with head types and spacing, pipe material and sizes, the backflow preventer model and the test, the controller model with rain and freeze sensors, the permit and inspection, how the yard is restored after trenching, and the warranty on parts and labor in years. Ask for the as-built drawing at the end. The next company you call will need it.

Frequently asked