Drip irrigation installation: a guide for pros

What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.

Offering drip irrigation installation

Drip irrigation is a precision job that rewards careful layout and a clean filter setup. Your value is in matching emitter flow to plant needs, protecting the system from clogs and giving the customer a timer schedule that fits the plants.

What customers ask

  • Will drip water my shrubs and trees enough?
  • How often will the emitters clog, and how do I prevent it?
  • Can I run the drip with my sprinkler system?
  • Will rodents or animals chew the lines?
  • How do I change the timer when the seasons change?
  • What does the warranty cover?

How to win the job

  • On the first call, ask which plants are on the drip, how big they will get, and what sun and soil they have, then set the emitter plan.
  • Check the water supply pressure on site and note the filter and regulator needs before you quote, so the system runs at the right pressure.
  • Put the zone list, the emitter types and counts per plant, the filter, the regulator and the timer in the written quote.
  • Flush the lines and run every zone with the customer before you leave, showing them the emitters and the flow at each plant.
  • Leave a written timer schedule for each zone, with the seasonal change you recommend and when to make it.
  • Show your layouts and close-up photos of emitter placement on your profile, so customers see how the water reaches the roots.

What to put on your profile

  • Photos of drip layouts and emitter placement, shot after the mulch goes on
  • The emitter types and filter setups you install most often
  • Your flushing and testing method, described in plain terms
  • The plant types and garden styles you irrigate with drip

Follow-up that helps the customer

  • Send a filter-cleaning reminder for the season, with the steps for the customer's filter
  • Offer a flow check after the first summer to find clogs or plants that need more water
  • Suggest adding drip to new beds or trees the customer plants later, and let them decide

Licenses and permits

Drip irrigation is commonly licensed when it connects to the main water supply or includes a backflow device, and rules differ by area; small kits added by a homeowner are commonly not licensed. Check with your state or local licensing agency and your water utility before you take the work.

Questions

Do I need a license to install drip irrigation for customers?

It depends on how the system connects. Work that ties into the main supply or includes a backflow device is commonly licensed in many areas. Check with your state or local licensing agency before you offer it.

How do I keep emitters from clogging?

Use a proper filter at the supply, flush the lines at setup, and tell the customer how often to clean the filter. Show them how to tell when a dripper is clogged and how to replace it.

How do I explain run times to a customer?

Drip waters slowly, so run times are longer than spray zones. Explain that the schedule depends on plant size, soil and season, and write the schedule for each zone in the handover notes.

About this guide

This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.

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