May 11, 2007
Albany- Watering restrictions have forced many homeowners to resort to sprinkler systems to keep their lawns maintained. Getting a new system put in at this point could take some time. Sprinkler System installation for many companies is about seven weeks behind schedule.
Getting water to your dry, worn out lawn in an attempt to make it green again isn't easy. Sprinkler installation crews are running faster than a cat on a hot tin roof.
"Crazy, absolutely crazy," said Ward Summerell, owner Advanced Lawn & Sprinkler, Inc.
Between people wanting new systems, upgrading old systems, or just in need of repairs offices have been flooded with calls.
"Service is behind six to seven weeks, installs are behind seven to eight weeks and the drier it gets, the harder the ground gets, the slower it gets," said Summerell.
"With the ground being so hard the plow will not pull through it, so we have to cut everything with a trench. It's about as hard as a brick on a home, said Jackie Sargeant, Advanced Lawn & Sprinkler.
With more stringent water restrictions, watering only between midnight and 10:00 a.m. on your assigned days, many have turned to automation.
"Automation is the answer to getting around the water restrictions and keep your yard looking like it should," said Summerell.
In the future, crews say you should check your system over the winter and call for repairs then, because if you've waited until now to discover there's a problem, you're going to wait even longer for repairs.
"We've got maybe 15 more systems on the book waiting in line behind this one," said Sargeant.
A manual sprinkler system in your yard can be easily retro-fitted to an automatic system and fairly inexpensively.
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