Spring Startup Checks Every Irrigation Customer Needs

Every irrigation spring startup checklist should cover the same four areas: controller programming, backflow preventer condition, zone-by-zone head inspection, and system pressure. Cover those four things on every visit and you will catch freeze damage before a customer calls you in July blaming a dead lawn on your work. Miss them and you are eating callbacks all season.

Why Spring Startups Are Worth Documenting

A startup visit is not just a courtesy call. It is a documented inspection that protects you when a customer later claims a cracked lateral was your fault. Take photos of every zone before you pressurize, note what was already broken, and get a signature. That paper trail is worth more than the labor you bill for the visit.

Spring startups also set the tone for the whole season. Customers who see you working through a real checklist trust your quotes for repairs. Customers who just watch you hit a button and leave will shop around the moment something breaks.

Controller and Clock Settings

Check the programming before you touch the water

Pull up the controller and confirm the current date, time, and seasonal adjustment percentage. Winter shutdown often leaves clocks unprogrammed or stuck on a holiday mode that waters once a week regardless of your settings. Reset every zone runtime for early-spring conditions — not the peak-summer schedule — so you are not overwatering before the grass is even growing hard.

Battery backup and voltage

Replace the backup battery every spring, no exceptions. A dead battery means one power blip wipes the whole program and the customer thinks the system failed. Check transformer output voltage while you are at the panel. A controller running on low voltage causes erratic valve behavior that is nearly impossible to diagnose from the field without knowing the starting condition.

Backflow Preventer Inspection

Look for freeze damage before you open the main

Walk the backflow preventer before you crack the main shutoff. Cracked bodies, split test cocks, and blown-out bonnets are all common after a hard freeze. If you pressurize a damaged backflow device you can spray water across the customer's foundation or driveway and suddenly you own that problem. Flag it, photograph it, and get repair approval in writing before the water goes on.

Know your local testing requirements

Some municipalities require an annual backflow test by a certified tester. Know which jurisdictions in your service area require it and build that into your startup quote as a line item or a referral. Customers appreciate knowing the rule exists. It also keeps you off the hook if they ignore the requirement and later face a fine.

Zone-by-Zone Head Inspection

Run every zone manually and watch

Do not just let the timer cycle through. Run each zone from the controller, walk the zone, and watch every head. You are looking for heads that do not pop up, heads that spin freely without distributing water, and heads that stream instead of spray. Winter frost heave shifts rotors out of grade, and lawn mowers hit pop-ups that were left up after the last fall cycle. Note every damaged head by zone number before you quote repairs.

Check coverage and arc settings

A rotor pointed at a fence or a spray head blasting pavement is wasting the customer's water bill every cycle. Adjust arcs and radii while you are already in the zone. This is a five-minute fix that saves the customer real money on their utility bill and gives you a talking point when you present your inspection report. Customers remember the contractor who saved them money without being asked.

Look for dry spots and soggy areas

After you run each zone, note any dry corners and any saturated low spots. Dry corners mean a head is missing, broken, or the arc is off. Soggy areas near a valve box usually mean a valve diaphragm is torn and the zone is running when it should not be. Both conditions get worse all season if you leave them — and the customer will eventually notice and call someone, possibly not you.

Pressure and Main Line Check

Measure static pressure at the point of connection

High static pressure cracks heads and blows diaphragms. Low static pressure means rotors do not reach their rated radius and coverage gaps open up. Use a gauge on a hose bib near the meter before any zones open and again with one zone running. If static pressure is above 80 PSI, the customer needs a pressure regulator or their existing one has failed. Put that in writing.

Listen for lateral leaks before you leave

After your zone inspection, shut down the controller and walk the property one more time with everything off. Soft, spongy turf over a lateral line that should be dry is a buried leak. Mark it with a flag, photograph the location, and add a repair quote to your invoice before you leave the driveway. Finding it now is professional. Finding it in June when the customer's water bill triples is a crisis.

How to Turn Every Startup Into a Repair Estimate

Carry a price book so you can quote head replacements, valve rebuilds, and controller upgrades on the spot. Customers who just watched you find five problems are in a buying frame of mind. A handwritten number on a clipboard works. A clean estimate on your phone with parts and labor itemized works better and closes faster.

If you are already using a quoting app to send estimates from the field, build an irrigation startup template with your standard labor time and your most-replaced parts pre-loaded. Halden Pro includes a price book and estimate templates you can pre-fill so you are not rebuilding the same quote forty times a season. Their Pro plan at $99 a month also includes service agreements, which is the right tool for locking in a customer's spring startup, mid-season check, and winterization as a recurring package.

What to Leave With the Customer

Hand the customer a one-page summary of what you checked, what was found, and what was repaired or quoted. Even a simple list builds confidence. Customers who receive a written inspection report refer their neighbors. Customers who get a verbal 'looks good' and a bill call you back every time something breaks and want it for free.

Photograph every head, every valve box, and both sides of the backflow preventer before and after the visit. Store those by job so you can pull them up the next time a customer says something was already broken when you got there. Field photos are your evidence and your sales tool at the same time.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a spring irrigation startup take?

Most residential systems with six to twelve zones take 45 minutes to an hour and a half depending on head count and what you find. Larger commercial systems or properties with multiple controllers will run longer. Build your pricing around time plus a flat inspection fee rather than a single trip charge so repairs do not eat your margin.

What is the most common problem found at spring startup?

Cracked or lifted pop-up heads are the most common finding, followed by rotors that have been hit by a mower over the winter. Backflow preventer damage is the most expensive single-item finding and the most important to catch before pressurizing the system.

Should I charge for the irrigation spring startup checklist inspection separately from repairs?

Yes. Charge a flat inspection fee that covers your drive time, the full zone-by-zone walkthrough, and your report. Repairs are quoted separately. Customers who understand they are paying for a professional inspection rather than just a water-on service are more likely to approve repair quotes on the same visit.

How do I upsell a seasonal service agreement at startup?

Quote startup, a mid-season check, and winterization as a bundled package right when the customer sees you find problems during the spring visit. That is the moment they trust your expertise most. Price the bundle at a small discount versus booking each visit separately so the customer feels they are getting value and you lock in three truck rolls instead of one.

What documentation should I keep after every startup visit?

Keep zone-by-zone photos, your written checklist with pass or fail notes, any signed repair authorizations, and the final invoice. Store them by customer and by job date so you can pull up the exact site condition from any prior visit if a dispute comes up later in the season.