Winterize your irrigation system

I know it's time to winterize my irrigation system when I can smell Fall in the air.

When blue skies become grey and I can feel a chilly breeze in the air, I know it's time to shut the irrigation system down for the winter.  

I think October is the perfect month... depending on where you live.

The reason that you want to winterize your irrigation system (some call it blowing out your system)  is because the water in your irrigation pipes will burst because of expansion when the water freezes.   Some may say that you don't need to because your pipes are buried (a minimum) of 12" beneath the ground.   This is not wise as your pipes may not freeze but your valves are in a valve box and exposed to the cold air which could cause a break.

We fix a lot of Backflow devices that freeze cracked during the winter because the irrigation system was not winterized.  That is a costly mistake as having a contractor replace a double check valve assembly (dcva) generally starts around $500.00 (depending on the size and availability of the dvca).

You winterize your irrigation system by using an air compressor to blow air through your irrigation pipes which pushes the water out through the sprinkler heads.  You will not get every last drop of water out, but there will be enough space in the pipes for water to expand without the pipes bursting.

October is the perfect time to winterize because you never know when a November Freeze may sneak up on you and catch you off guard.

Give us a call and let us set up an appointment to winterize your irrigation system!

253-261-2700

Thanks for reading the blog!
Derrik Tribble
The Lawn Psychologist

Drainage Solutions...

Old Catch Basin w/poor drainage

Fall is certainly upon us here in the Pacific Northwest.  

A lot of times, people will forget their drainage problems over the summer because they are having fun and the nice weather is hiding the problem... for the moment.  But as the Fall rains arrive, it rears it's ugly head.

Cutting Sod and preparing for new drainage pipe.

Connecting new drainage pipe and catch basins.

Not addressing drainage problems can cause serious problems over time.  A minor trickle of runoff over time can gradually erode a hill side away.   A pool of water at the bottom of a downspout may be pooling under your house eventually compromising your houses foundation and create mold problems.

Covering new drainage with wash rock

Most drainage issues can be solved by installing drainage pipes in "problem areas,"  connecting to these existing drains.  However, if there are no existing drains or your in a low spot you may have to pump the water from one area to another (like a drainage ditch a french drain or a sump pump ).

Replacing Sod to look like new!

The pictures in this blog are from a park in Federal Way/Tacoma area.    Here we are re-connecting existing drainage and catch basins that have become clogged over time.    Cleaning these areas out and adding additional drainage should solve their issue.


Let OLM come up with a drainage solution that fits your needs.  We service Enumclaw, Buckley, Bonney Lake, Auburn, Kent, Federal Way, Puyallup, Tacoma, and Renton and Tukwilla.

Clean Catch basins with drain rock that will work!

Contact us for a free quote!
253-261-2700
email: info@olympiclawn.com

Thanks for reading the blog!
Derrik Tribble
The Lawn Psychologist

Wetland Buffer and Mitigation Projects

As landscapers, we have a vested interested in both the development of new neighborhoods, buildings, etc. as well as protecting the environment so our "construction footprint" is not seen tromping through fields, forests, mountians and meadows as new construction expands into rural America.

In the case of Washington State, Wetland Mitigation projects simply go hand in hand with new construction to create natural transitions from new construction projects into our existing forests and landscapes.

For those unfamiliar with what a Wetland mitigation projects is... they are simply a man made landscape buffer using native species of plants between existing wetlands/forests etc. and any new construction project.   

Whether your a DIY type of person who's building a new house or a  Land developer trying to get permits  to develop land.... you know this very well.

Here are some examples of Wetland mitigation Mitigation projects we've worked on.

We've done new plantings, temporary irrigation, stream channel modification and stream and eddy construction for salmon habitats.   

Let us know if you would like help in your Wetland Mitigation project!

We service Bellevue, Issaquah, Renton, Kent, Auburn, Covington, Maple Valley, Enumclaw, Bonney Lake, Buckley, Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner and Federal Way!

Thanks for reading the blog!

Derrik Tribble

The Lawn Psychologist

Water Feature Facelift!

Water features are simply one of the best ways to enhance your landscape.   However, they can become an eye soar when they become outdated, not installed correctly or pumps break down and the waterfeature as whole doesn't work properly.

Before Picture

Oh no... concrete!

It's amazing how many water features we come across that have been "sitting idle" for years, become overgrown with plant material and become a "paper weight" in your yard.  A rather large paper weight. :)  Some were installed many years ago and have become outdated... so to speak.

Before Pic of overgrown plants

This was the case for one of our customers.   One of the pumps stopped working and the plantings around it became overgrown and stale looking over time.  The waterfalls themselves were installed using concrete which in my opinion is a "no, no" because you want your water feature to look as close as it would in nature.  I don't know any natural waterfall that I've ever seen that has concrete on or around it.  

These folks asked us to put the life back into their water feature and we did just that!

After Pic

We started by breaking out the existing concrete... replacing it with pond liner, river cobble and tiered flagstone to give the waterfall a  natural cascading effect.   We then tore out the old plantings (mostly made up of grasses) and replaced them with vibrant color to create a true oasis in their back yard.

After Pic

Whether you've inherited an outdated water feature in a house you just bought or the water feature you had installed many years ago is simply old and outdated, give us a call and let us help you give your water feature a true facelift!   

253-261-2700

Thanks for reading the blog and sign up as a follower!

Derrik Tribble

The Lawn Psychologist

We service Bellevue, Issaquah, Renton, Kent, Auburn, Covington, Maple Valley, Enumclaw, Bonney Lake, Buckley, Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner and Federal Way!

Nice Color!

Save Money & Water Irrigating With Smart Controller Technology!

Anyone who has an irrigation system knows how costly it is to run the system through the Summer months.  I've blogged in the past about "smart irrigation" and gave strategies on designing an irrigation system to maximize efficiency, which results in maximizing your dollar because your not wasting water when you don't need to.

Irrigation technology has come a long ways in the past 5 years with a focus on water conservation.   Low volume nozzles, irrigation heads with check valves, rain sensors and wind sensors are some of the products which focus on conserving water when utilizing your irrigation system.

If you don't have any of the above options on your existing irrigation system, there is an easy fix to instantly make your irrigation up to 30% more efficient from a water conservation standpoint.

It's called the "smart controller."   How can a controller be smart you ask?   I'll explain...

Smart contollers look like a normal irrigation controller but it's "what's under the hood" that make them special.   It's more like a computer than an irrigation controller.

You can input information regarding YOUR specific irrigation system.  Which zones are watering lawn, which zones are watering shrubs, which zones are getting full sun, which zones are getting shade throughout the day, are you watering with pop-ups or rotors, etc.   You then tell the controller  where you are.  Some do this automatically and some you can input your zip code.   After all the information is received, the irrigation controller receives weather data through satellites and adjusts your irrigation system based on daily weather conditions to provide the exact amount of water needed for a healthy landscape.   This is an extremely basic description of what the smart controller does.   I would probably lull most people to sleep if I went on and on about the features and options that smart controllers provide.

Smart controllers do cost more than a standard controller.  However, with the water you save (which equals the money you save), you can re-coup that money in a years time.   Considering an irrigation controller should last 10 to 15 years.... that's a lot of money in your pocket!
The money savings get even bigger for commercial sites which are typically much larger than residential systems.

I pulled this statistic off the Hydropoint website.  WeatherTRAK is Hydropoints' smart controller version.

Saving $6,000 and 1.1 million gallons of water with a single WeatherTRAK smart Irrigation controller.  The Dorchester community achieved full return on their investment in the first seven months after Property Manager Ned Fleming upgraded the aging irrigation system.  And the lush grass, shrubs and native sea grapes have never looked better, despite one-day-a-week watering restrictions.   Below is the link to that article!


http://view.exacttarget.com/?j=fe7015737065057d7114&m=feff1771766306&ls=fdf110727d67057572117875&l=fef51070726c03&s=fe2710787d66057a7d1472&jb=ffcf14&ju=fe28157375660c75711d74


I was just reading the Weathermatic website and the Dallas Cowboys have Smartline controllers to irrigate the landscape at newly built Cowboys Stadium.  They have over 400 zones and are using the same type of controllers we've installed for our customers!

Here is a link to Weathermatics' version of the smart controller.(Smartline)  It has tons of detailed information regarding their Smart Smartline Controller.

http://www.weathermatic.com/index.cfm?page=SmartLine

Most of the other major irrigation manufacturers (Rainbird, Hunter, etc.) offer their own version of a "smart controller."  

There are manufactures website links on our blog for a lot of the products we commonly use in our industry!

Give us a call and we can tell you what it would cost to step into Smart Controller Technology!

www.olympiclawn.com
253-261-2700

Thanks for reading the blog!
Derrik Tribble
The Lawn Psychologist

Creative Irrigation Engineering Solutions!

Here is a project we recently finished.

The home owners have a swimming pool in their back yard.   Over the winter, the pipes underneath the concrete burst.   As opposed to the costly price of tearing the entire pool out,  the home owners chose to fill the pool in with soil and create a lawn area with a small shrub bed.

Dripline Layout

The owners asked us to come up with an irrigation solution for the new landscape.   We had to work with what we had, so we connected our mainline to the fill valve (used to fill up the pool), then ran that to our control valve and ran emitter dripline 12" on center throughout the pool area.



The dripline layout picture was found on the Netafim website.  Netafim is a major manufacture of drip irrigation products.
http://www.netafimusa.com/landscape

Dripline is commonly used in shrub beds.  It is a form of low volume irrigation that places water directly to the base of the plant.   There are emitters evenly spaced throughout the drip tube that emit water slowly.
Dripline can also be used to water lawn areas as long as it's spaced 12" throughout the area where lawn is being installed in a grid like fashion.  Shrub beds generally have 18" spacing as you try to space your emitters so they are next to the plants so the roots can grab the water coming through the emitter.

Hunter SVC Controller

The source of the water was a 3/8" pipe running from the pump house to the pool.  We bushingd' up to 1/2" and ran that to our valve.

The valve was another challenge we faced.  There was no electrical power sources near the pool and we couldn't run wire from the valve to the shed because of the concrete around the pool.    Our solution was installing a Hunter SVC battery powered controller.  One 9 volt battery should run the system for the entire season!

So as long as you have a water source... we can irrigate it!

The Hunter SVC Controller picture was found on their website.  Here's the link!

http://www.hunterindustries.com/

The end result is a "green pool" if you will.  An area to enjoy a summer breeze and a cold drink!

Contact OLM and let us come up with creative irrigation solutions for you!

253-261-2700

If you mention the blog when you call we'll take 10% off the quote!

Thanks for reading the blog!
Derrik Tribble
The Lawn Psychologist

New Paver Patio by OLM Industries, Inc...

Earlier this summer I wrote a blog about building paver patios' for a summertime hangout...

We just completed a project for a customer that did just that...  And it looks fantastic!

Here are some before pictures of her garden area before we did the work.... The existing landscape looks nice enough as it is, but we took it to the next level!

Here is a video of Fidel installing the pavers.  He's very meticulous!

We removed her roses and shrubs and installed a paver patio to give a place for her family to enjoy a glass of iced tea in the summer evenings.  Hope you enjoy!

We also did a small side patio she could set her bird bath on.   Lucky Birds!

Please call us for a quote so you can have
your own Summertime Get-a-way!
253-261-2700

Thanks for reading the blog and sign up as a follower!
Derrik Tribble
The Lawn Psychologist