Spring Start-Up

Our sprinkler spring start-up gets your irrigation system running again after winter. We pressurize the system, program the controller for spring, check every head for proper direction and coverage, clean or adjust heads as needed, and install the backflow preventer if your system has one. It is the first of three seasonal services that keep an irrigation system healthy year round.

Reviewed by Brian Gepford, General Manager of Pro-Mow, Inc.

Why a system needs a proper start-up

When we winterize a system in the fall, we blow the water out of the lines with compressed air and shut the controller down so nothing freezes and cracks. By spring, that system has been sitting dry for months. The water is off. Heads can be clogged with debris. Some will have settled in the soil, and some will be pointing the wrong way or broken.

Turning the water back on without checking any of that leads to dry spots, water on the driveway instead of the lawn, and damage that is easy to miss until the grass starts browning out in summer. A spring start-up catches those problems before the season begins.

Our four step start-up

Pressurize the irrigation system. We bring water back into the lines and check that the system holds pressure.
Program the controller for spring. Watering times are set for spring conditions rather than last summer’s schedule.
Check every head. We check heads for proper orientation and coverage, and adjust or clean them where needed.
Install the backflow preventer, if applicable. When we winterize a system, the backflow preventer is removed and left with you. At start-up, we put it back.

Watering and your mowing day

If Pro-Mow also mows your lawn, set your controller so irrigation does not run in the twenty four hours before your mowing day. Cutting saturated turf tears the grass blades and leaves wheel marks that can stay visible for weeks. We can set that up as part of the start-up.

The full irrigation season

Spring start-up is the first of three seasonal services:

Spring start-up to bring the system back online.
Monthly maintenance, six visits from May through October, to keep the system watering correctly as the weather changes.
Winterization before the first frost, to clear the lines and protect the system over winter.

Irrigation design, installation and repairs are handled by our sister company, Superior Sprinkler Systems. It has worked on irrigation systems across Loudoun County since 1991 and is run by the same family from the same Dulles address as Pro-Mow.

Spring start-up questions

What is included in a sprinkler spring start-up?

We pressurize the system, program the controller for spring, check every head for proper orientation and coverage, clean or adjust heads as needed, and install the backflow preventer if your system has one.

Why do sprinkler heads need adjusting every spring?

After a winter sitting idle, heads can be clogged with debris, settled into the soil, knocked out of alignment or broken. Checking them before the season prevents dry spots and wasted water.

What happens to my backflow preventer?

When we winterize your system in the fall, the backflow preventer is removed and left with you. We reinstall it during the spring start-up.

Should my sprinklers run before my mowing day?

No. Keep irrigation off for twenty four hours before your mowing day. Mowing wet turf tears the blades and leaves wheel marks.

Who installs and repairs sprinkler systems?

Our sister company, Superior Sprinkler Systems, handles design, installation and repairs. It is run by the same family from the same address as Pro-Mow.

Call 703-957-4880 for a free estimate. Book your spring start-up early so your system is ready before the lawn needs water.