(1)  Each sprinkler system for a home should have it’s own unique design that takes into consideration, the size and configuration of your yard,  the planting areas, the water pressure, the number of zones required, and the hydraulic calculations to make it all work for your specific home’s conditions. Water conservation is now, more than ever, a major concern when designing an irrigation system. New design regulations adopted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) went into effect January, 2010.

(2)  Make sure your Sprinkler System contractor installs a ‘master valve’ on your system to eliminate leaks in the system by taking the water pressure off the mainline when the system is not being used.  This will also eliminate any possibility of the pipes freezing, since there will be little water left in the mainline when the system is not being used.

(3)  Make sure your Sprinkler System installation company is licensed by the State of Texas.

(4)  Be sure that your contractor guarantees that your specific system will cover 100% of the area that you want irrigated.  That means no dry spots and using the correct number of heads and nozzles. “By the zone” pricing can be risky. Are there 5 sprinklers or 13 in the zone? Are they 4 inch or 12 inch pop-ups?

(5)  Price should not be your only concern, although it is important to receive value for your investment.  If you base your decision on price alone, you may get what you pay for, which is a system that may cost you more in the long run.

(6) Make sure your irrigation contractor uses only the highest quality parts, like waterproof silicon sealed underground rated wire connectors (not tape or regular wire connectors and valves, wireless rain/freeze sensors that shut off if it rains and freezes not the wired versions).

(7) After a sprinkler system is installed, be sure to keep a copy of the system “layout plan”.  This is very important when and if you need to repair your system for any reason in the future, so the contractor doing the work has a set of plans to look at to help assist in identifying the problem.

(8) There should be a clear understanding about the design objectives. What is acceptable to another may not be for you. There are different degrees of drainage correction. Don't rely on trial and error methods of correction. The contractor should be able to provide calculations that indicate the system capacity.

(9) The contractor should be using a sight or laser level during construction to accurately determine available slope. If the contractor doesn't plan to...find another company.

(10) Corrugated pipe is not approved for drainage systems in the cities of Houston, Bellaire, Memorial Villages, SugarLand and many others. This is an inferior, short-lived product fore several reasons. Drainage systems in Houston and most surrounding cities require a permit prior to construction.