The snow came fast and furious in Calgary last weekend, but after three generations of performing commercial and residential landscaping services in our hometown we can say with some authority that this won’t be the last we’ve seen of nice weather. It’s fairly common in this city for there to be a cold snap in September, and then the weather will warm up enough for the snow to melt and perhaps even a few more golf games to be had. In fact, the weather report is calling for temperatures to be in the low double digitsby Thanksgiving long weekend.
We may have to wait a little bit for the snow to melt, as an awful lot of it fell, but fall irrigation services are still available for those with underground sprinklers.
First, We’ll Check Everything
Fall irrigation services are vital part of your underground sprinkler maintenance program. It is the most important job you can perform to ensure you will get the most service possible out of your system.
Before we drain your system we will do a thorough check to ensure all of your components are working properly. As we all run our systems early in the morning to maximize water usage, it’s easy to miss if something is going wrong. We will run each of your zones, checking each of the sprinklers for proper pressure, spray direction, and any blockages. It’s not uncommon for sprinkler heads to rotate a bit over the season, so we can reset everything back to optimize spray direction so there is very little water being wasted.
In addition, we’ll check each of your irrigation boxes for any sign of leaks. Again, these problems can be kind of hidden, as often systems will run relatively well even with a leak. If there is a large amount of water in your box, however, we know there is something wrong.
Next Comes the Blow Out
Since temperatures have not fallen well below zero for an extended period of time, the ground is still more than warm enough for fall irrigation services. We usually blow out irrigation systems right through to the end of October, and sometimes even into November.
Blowing out your irrigation system will extend its lifespan exponentially. As we head into the coldest months of winter the ground freezes, and in Calgary the frost depth reaches about seven feet every year. This is why we have a lot of issues with frozen and burst water pipes throughout the year.
If there is any water left in your irrigation’s pipes, it will freeze and expand over the winter. The pipes themselves will also freeze, which makes them far more brittle than usual. They are highly susceptible to cracks, and a cracked pipe come spring can mean a lot of problems.
When water is run through them, cracked pipes will either slowly leak or quickly burst underground to create a boggy mess of your yard. They are difficult to locate, so it usually requires a lot of digging to find the problem. Although we do our absolute to keep things as neat and tidy as possible, there will almost certainly be some repair work needed.
Get Even Further Prepared By Also Scheduling Snow Removal Services
Our year-round clients saw the benefits of signing on with a full-service landscaping and snow removal company last weekend. We began arriving early Sunday morning to our commercial and residential properties with all of our equipment ready to go to rid all sidewalks, driveways, and pathways of the several inches of snow that fell overnight on Saturday. We worked non-stop until all of our properties were safe to visit.
As soon as the snow melts we can continue our fall clean-up services until all of our properties are fully prepared for winter.
We are a family-owned company specializing in residential and commercial lawn care services for these southeast Calgary districts and communities:
Auburn Bay, Chaparral, Chaparral Valley, Copperfield, Cranston, Douglasdale, Heritage Pointe, Lake Bonavista, Mahogany, McKenzie Lake, Mackenzie Towne, Maple Ridge, New Brighton, Odgen/Lynwood/Millican, Parkland, Riverbend, Sundance, Walden, and Willow Park.
We are your outdoor ally all year round. Get started today by contacting Mirage for a fast, free project quote.
