Some “repair or replace” dilemmas are easy to solve.
Repair or replace your broken Oreo? Eat the broken one. Then replace it — with three more.
But repair or replace an irrigation system? There’s a bit more at stake here.
How do you know if you need a new sprinkler system installation?
Here’s a look.
Repair or Replace Your Sprinkler System?
Good news: about 80 percent of the time, your irrigation system can be repaired.
Typical repairs are broken sprinkler heads, leaky valves, defective solenoids, broken wires — the individual parts that keep water flowing to your lawn and landscaping. These irrigation repair costs are nowhere near the cost of new sprinkler system installation.
Most of the time, new sprinkler system installation isn’t needed.
When New Sprinkler System Installation is a Good Idea
But there are some exceptions:
Old and Brittle PVC Pipes
If your irrigation system is more than 20 years old and was made with PVC pipe, you might be looking at new sprinkler system installation.
PVC gets brittle with age and doesn’t move as the ground moves with the freezing and thawing we get here in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Newer sprinkler systems have polyethylene pipe, which is flexible, moves with the ground, and lasts much longer.
Major Landscape Renovation
Repair or replace your sprinkler system? If you’re doing a major landscaping renovation and have to dig up and reconfigure many zones, it may actually cost less to start over with a new one. Time for new sprinkler system installation.
Poor Design
This one’s a bummer, because it’s totally preventable with expert irrigation system design.
If your system was designed so poorly that all areas of your lawn and landscaping aren’t getting coverage, or there isn’t enough water volume and pressure, you may need a new sprinkler system installation.
Here’s a quick plug for expert irrigation system design.
Make sure you hire irrigation services in Minneapolis, MN and Eau Claire, WI that emphasizes expert design.
This is really important. But not every irrigation company offers it.
You have to install a sprinkler system right the first time. If it’s wrong, it’s really expensive to fix. Sometimes it even means starting over.
Be careful of irrigation companies that skimp on the number of irrigation heads or the number of zones to reduce the amount of materials and labor, so they can offer a lower price.
Shoddy design can mean you waste hundreds to thousands of gallons of water each year. It’s not great for your lawn’s health, either. And, it might mean you need a new sprinkler system installation — when it should have been done right in the first place.
Consider an Irrigation System Upgrade
Repair or replace your sprinkler system? How about a compromise?
You can improve your older sprinkler system without totally replacing it.
We can upgrade older systems with new sprinkler heads, controllers and other new and water-saving components so your system works as good as new.
Repair or Replace Your Sprinkler System? Trust RainMaster
The only way to tell for sure whether you need to repair or replace an irrigation system is to have an irrigation specialist inspect it in person. Feel free to also have them inspect your broken Oreos.
Whether you need expert repair or it’s time for new sprinkler system installation, your irrigation maintenance company should make all of this super easy.
You deserve skilled, efficient irrigation repair; continued attentive maintenance; and friendly customer service that takes away the stress and makes things easy.
Hire an Eau Claire or Minneapolis irrigation maintenance company that goes beyond fixing that immediate irrigation repair problem and sets you up for easy maintenance designed for the long haul, so your sprinkler system lasts for many years.
Choose from our three irrigation maintenance programs to make sure everything is running smoothly.
When you’re ready to put your trust in us, we can’t wait to meet you — and help you make the best choice for your lawn.
Ready to make your lawn life easier? Request a quote today! We’ll review your options together so you can make a confident decision. Then, you can finally enjoy your well-watered lawn and stop worrying about it.
