​There are a surprising number of different sprinkler heads available on the market, but not all of them should get included in your yard. And although Texas Rainmakers knows how to install them all, it helps to educate others on their many uses.

Automated In-Ground Sprinklers

Automated popup sprinklers are likely the most popular option for most homeowners. All you must do is have it programmed correctly, and the system does the rest.

These are useful because you can adjust specific zones to come on at different times, and advanced models make it simple to account for rain. However, for the best results, you’ll want to hire a professional to install them.

Manual Sprinkler Systems

Manual irrigation systems tie into a water control valve that remains in the ground. Once you need to water your plants, you manually turn the valve and allow water to flow.

Once you think that you’ve watered enough, you just switch it back and wait for next time. When it feels as though too many items are overly complicated, some homeowners prefer something to remain analog.

Fixed Popup Sprayers

When you have areas of your yard that require dedicated irrigation heads, fixed popup sprayers get the job done. Once active, they maintain a steady stream of water that shoots out in small, separate streams.

These are useful for patches of grass and for setting up individual zones. Best of all, you know how soaked they will leave your plants, allowing you to adjust for enhanced water efficiency quickly.

Rotating Impact Heads

Rotating impact sprinkler heads create the unmistakable sound of summer. As it turns as far as it can, it snaps back to its starting position, creating an even coverage for irrigation.

When you have a flower bed or a line of hedges and shrubs, rotating impact heads ensure that it all gets adequately watered. Whether you prefer their distinctive series of clicks or need the added reach, we can help you install them all.

Rotating Gear Head

The downside to rotating impact head sprinklers is that they are both loud and expensive. As they retain mostly metal components, they cost more than plastic systems.

Gear sprinklers are the updated version of impact heads, remaining quieter and manufactured with cheaper plastics. Not only do they cost less, but their mushroom-like appearance is less conspicuous as well.

Misting or Drip Heads

The typical sprinkler head is going to use too much force for more delicate species of plants. If you are growing herbs, flowers, or have plants that require a small amount of daily water, you may want a drip or mist spray system.

These heads use much smaller holes, a lighter flow of water, and less pressure. As a result, they gently water your more sensitive vegetation without the risks of harming them.

No matter which combination of irrigation heads are the ideal solution for your yards, our team is here for you. Choose Texas Rainmakers for better sprinklers.

​You spend hours maintaining your lawns to keep them looking their best every day. However, you can’t seem to shake the feeling that something is missing from your yards.

While you already have plenty of vegetation in the area, from lush grass and flowers to thick shrubs and hedges, you need one missing item to tie it all together.

Unfortunately, homeowners today have more options than ever for their outdoor décor needs.

Before you spend a fortune on gaudy ceramic statues and plants that don’t take to your soil, Texas Rainmakers can assist you with professional landscape lighting services. When you install the right mix of light fixtures outdoors, it helps you enjoy it all day, every day.

Why should you stop spending time outside just because the sun went down? Continue reading for more benefits provided by your new landscape lights.

Enhanced Safety

Although children are said to be the only ones afraid of the dark, your mind doesn’t enjoy being in spaces where you can’t identify what’s around. Even if it isn’t complete paranoia, it still helps to see where you are walking.

Whether you must get up in the middle of the night to take your dog out back, or you heard an unusual sound and needed to investigate, a pitch-black yard won’t reveal any secrets soon. Unless you have a simple way of illuminating your lawns, you can only rely on what your eyes can make out.

Not only will it seem much easier to navigate through your yards in the dark, but it also helps prevent your home from becoming a target. When you need a safer yard, you need new lighting installed today.

Affordable Home Upgrade

Everyone improves their homes, but not all upgrades remain worth the costs. And although your lighting fixtures will eventually need to get replaced, most exterior items stay relatively affordable.

You can also tie them into a programmed outlet timer or utilize fixtures with solar batteries, allowing you to enjoy them without added electrical costs. You’ll have a brighter, lighter yard for less without a pricey after-market addition.

Numerous Options

Unlike other home upgrades, your landscape lighting provides lots of options for total customizability. Whether you prefer a specific color of light or a particular style of fixture, you have virtually countless choices to select.
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Best of all, you aren’t limited to only one type of lighting when you have our experienced technicians installing them for you. We can help you discover the ideal mix of styles, bulbs, hues, and placement, thrusting the right plants into the spotlight. 

No matter your reason why Texas Rainmakers provides the best in local landscape lighting solutions for any yard.

You’ve spent all day making burgers, hot dogs, and potato salad for your Fourth of July backyard barbecue. However, you quickly discover you have swarms of unwanted guests.

Mosquitos are no strangers to the state of Texas, and each year, there always seems to be more than ever before. Not only do they leave you covered in repeated bite marks, but they carry all manner of disease with them.

An unlikely tool in your pest control arsenal is your yard’s irrigation system. By hooking your sprinkler system into a bug misting system, you have a built-in approach to keeping tiny bloodsuckers away.

If you’re not convinced yet, read on to learn what your irrigation mists can do for your yard. And when you are prepared to enjoy it yourself, contact Texas Rainmakers today.

How Does It Work?

In addition to the water main connection in place, we install a tank filled with an all-natural pest repellant. Once the bugs start invading, you just switch them on and watch them go to work.

Because the repellant gets administered with regular yard watering, it continually protects your property each time your grass looks thirsty. Daily use of your sprinklers is all it takes to keep your worst pests away.
And since you aren’t operating them outside of scheduled use, you aren’t using any additional water each month, preventing rising utility costs. Your built-in mosquito misters remain the cost-effective way to protect your loved ones every day.

Your system continues to protect you without requiring a ton of installed components. When you need a simple way to defend your yards, we remain the best choice for you.

Is It Dangerous?

For years, homeowners have gotten forced to balance their outdoor protection against mosquitos, and whether or not they will harm the environment in the process. Since the 1970s, however, most pest control methods have gotten seen as too hazardous to use, or it isn’t discovered to be an issue until later.

The solution that fills your tank is an organic pest repellant that makes it impossible for mosquitos to hang around. As it activated along with your water main, it lingers behind throughout your yard. 
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Your system won’t harm your plants, and it doesn’t contaminate the surrounding area. It remains mild enough for your family to enjoy and potent enough to end mosquito swarms whenever they arrive.

If you’ve never lived somewhere that gets cold in winter, then you may not know that you must prepare your sprinklers. Unless it gets done correctly, you’re in for a rude awakening come spring.

When you eliminate all standing water from your sprinkler systems, it prevents expanding ice from destroying your system. As much of your sprinkler components remain PVC, plastic, and vinyl, it doesn’t take much to force them to split.
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However, if you aren’t sure how to winterize sprinkler systems, you need a local expert like Texas Rainmakers to assist you. We ensure that your irrigation gets the best treatment to continue working for you later.

What is Irrigation System Winterization?

Some homeowners may think that it’s enough to merely turn off the supply of water that continually flows to their sprinklers. However, they don’t understand how much moisture remains trapped inside already.
It doesn’t take much for trapped water to freeze, rapidly expanding inside the rigid tubes and components.

Even if it doesn’t create enough force to split them open, it can just as soon cause it to stay stretched out.
Proper winterization requires that you not only cut the flow of water, but you must also force air through the lines as well. Otherwise, you’re just running the risk of destroying lines and rupturing sprinkler heads in the warmer months.

Why Hire Us for Your Winterization?

Although blowing out your irrigation lines is something that can get completed by yourself, it isn’t recommended to try without someone experienced nearby. Anything from accidentally damaging your sprinklers to winding up in the hospital is potential outcomes.

Using too much pressure can rupture sprinkler parts, while too little won’t do much of anything. And if you remain unfamiliar with how to use pneumatic devices, you could seriously injure yourself in the process. 

Winterizing your yard’s irrigation lines isn’t the most challenging home maintenance item to complete, but it can quickly turn into a dangerous one. Make sure your sprinklers remain in good hands by contacting Texas Rainmakers to prepare your lawn for the winter season.

The typical homeowner does not utilize backflow testing nearly as often as they should, even though it’s a crucial maintenance need. Otherwise, you’re keeping yourself and your family at risk.

Backflow is when the direction of sewage or water reverses in a city or home plumbing system. As a result, contamination can happen through either back pressure or siphonage.

Siphonage is when the water direction changes course because of a decrease in water pressure. Without backflow testing, backflow can bring about diseases, illnesses, and even death.

The Health Risks
Backflow testing can stop infection and safeguard the health and quality of life for everyone.  There are very particular health issues that can get prevented through backflow testing.

In the past, large outbreaks like salmonella and dysentery have all happened because of backflow. Currently, chemicals like insecticides and sodium hydroxide have gotten into plumbing systems via backflow. 

Although, the most common issues related to backflow are sewer backups. When it comes to siphonage, sewer backflow makes unclean water flow back into the plumbing system. 

Sewer water becomes filled with an assortment of dangerous bacteria such as E. Coli, hepatitis, and salmonella that can bring about serious health issues. Unfortunately, it isn’t always apparent that they already are in your water, making it challenging to realize you’re infected.

There are also less common but still harmful microbes that are in sewer water. Every one of these bacterial illnesses can get averted with yearly backflow testing. 

Water Main Damage
The most frequent cause of backflow is a water main break. Back pressure happens when the downstream pressure is higher than the supply chain compression. 

Backflow is also one of the usual reasons for equipment malfunctions like a defective pump system. By preventing backflows from occurring in the first place, you won’t need to worry about expensive plumbing repairs later.

Prevention Testing
Backflow testing ensures that backflow preventers, the helpful gadgets that stop backflow, are working right. These tools get installed in plumbing cross spots where drinking water could become contaminated.

Issues can occur at any time, so it’s a wise idea to test for problems at least once each year. Otherwise, you’ll be caught by surprise by significant problems in the future. 

Yard Contamination
Backflow can also happen outside the home in your yard. That means that your irrigation or sprinkler system must have a backflow preventer to stop lawn fertilizers and landscaping chemicals from polluting your drinking water.

Use a Certified Professional
You should know that only a professional licensed by the state or local government is permitted to perform backflow testing.
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Routine backflow testing keeps everyone healthy and safe. If you want to learn more regarding backflow testing, give us at Texas Rainmakers a call for quality services offered at affordable pricing. 

​Summer seems to last most of the year here in Humble, Texas. Some days are even too hot to enjoy a spin around town on my motorcycle.

It is also too hot for your yards to continue living without irrigation installation. Some homeowners may think they cost too much, while others remain unsure if they’re worth the hassle. 

It is essential to know a something about irrigation systems when thinking about irrigation installation. If you decide you want a new sprinkler system, you should call a professional. 

What Will Get Watered?
The first thing to consider is what, among your entire outdoor areas, will get watered? That includes shrubs, trees, and hardscapes, and knowing this will help in the irrigation installation process.

Some plants remain more drought-tolerant than others, and you might need more than one zone or timer for specific areas. Know ahead of time which sprinklers will run longer than others to prevent overwatering. 

How Much Pressure Do I Need?
The secret to an efficient irrigation system is to determine the right design capacity. A water pressure gauge gets linked to the faucet closest to the water meter so that the water pressure can get read. 

Water volume is provided as GPM (gallons per minute) and is crucial in making the system more effective. Otherwise, it will be like trying to shower with a tap that only drips out.

Why Professionals Get Better Results
To understand your water volume requirements, you have to know what size the service line is and what size the water meter is. A professional will create a with your water volume and water pressure measurements to establish your system design capacity.

An irrigation installation specialist uses the info regarding the layout of your outdoor space to craft the types and placement of sprinkler heads. It is critical to use the right style of sprinkler head for the right area. 

An accurately designed irrigation system with the right parts saves you money, time, as well as keeps your outdoor areas healthy.

Begin with Sprinkler Head Placement 
Proper planning and preparation help your irrigation installation go flawlessly. After deciding the location of the sprinkler heads, the route of the piping through your yard gets determined. 

Once you have where the lines, heads, and solenoids need to get installed, it’s a matter of applying elbow grease and getting down and dirty in the soil. It is this part that you’ll certainly want a company working because we can get it down much faster than anyone untrained.

Prevent Leaks with a Pro
While much of your irrigation installation can become a Do It Yourself project, you’ll want to choose a professional service provider like Texas Rainmakers to ensure correct results. Otherwise, you could easily cause a leak or have connections fail and not even know it.
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An improperly installed system can cause more expense and headaches in the future. Make sure that your irrigation installation remains on budget and choose us today.

Watering your yard, garden, or lawn can become a substantial daily chore. Installing a sprinkler system, however, remains the simple way to get it done with little effort from you.

Nonetheless, even top-quality irrigation systems can deteriorate over time, and you may require sprinkler repair to work again efficiently. Calling in a professional is usually the best course of action.

Below are some helpful hints about how to save more on a better quality of sprinkler repair. Ensure sure that you’re avoiding spending too much on a well-watered lawn.

Request a Quote Upfront
Getting an estimate for sprinkler repair costs can help you better budget for the work. Keep in mind that trying to get the exact cost of fixing a sprinkler system can be complicated. 

After all, these systems vary from one property to the next, and rarely are any two issues the same. Only a professional sprinkler repair service will know what they need to do and what it will cost.

Be that as it may, you might find it helpful to get a ballpark figure when hiring sprinkler repair specialists. Typically, repairing an irrigation system starts around $200 or up to $400, with yours most likely will be somewhere in between.

Damaged Pipes
One common issue is when the pipes to your sprinkler system become damaged. Damages can be a significant expense, and the only real way to repair a broken pipe is to replace the whole thing. 

If the pipe is underground, the cost rises, and the sprinkler repair pros will have to dig into the ground to remove it. You may also incur landscaping costs if your lawn is disturbed during the job. 

Spot Issues and Timer
Lots of time, sprinkler system damage centers around a single part. For instance, a single sprinkler head might not be operating right, and the reason could be something as simple as a malfunction or blockage from dirt. 

Another possibility is the timer isn’t working correctly. A faulty timer prevents specific areas of the sprinkler system from working as they should.

Both of these possibilities are small and require little tools and time to fix. So, they most likely are at the lower end of the price range.

Other Considerations
Other factors that could affect the sprinkler system repair costs are the climate in your area and the size of your system. Regardless of the reason, get that sprinkler system fixed so your lawn and garden can get the water it needs.
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One final consideration I can offer is that if the costs of maintaining or for sprinkler repair calls becomes more than what you initially paid for the system, it’s time to replace it. You may find that you can have a new one installed for less than it costs to swap out faulty parts, as well as the cost of wasted water.

You might not realize it, but the largest irrigated crop in America is your lawn. That is why sprinkler systems remain so crucial. 

You probably wondered if your yard had a watering problem. No matter what you try, it still seems thirsty! 

What most homeowners don’t realize is that lawns take in over six billion gallons of water every day.
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Why Maintain Your Sprinkler Systems?

Efficient sprinkler systems can save money and time while doing a good thing for the environment. As an avid lover of fishing and hunting, keeping the environment healthy is important to me.

Proper sprinkler system installation and maintenance can keep you from using too much water without sacrificing a flourishing green lawn.

DO
Use your sprinkler systems. 
Watering with automatic sprinkler systems may reduce the amount of water used, as well as the time needed. 
• Utilize timers. 
      o Your sprinkler systems can often retrofit timers, which you can buy at any home improvement store.
• Water early in the morning. 
     o Watering at night may seem like the more efficient way to go, but it can bring on fungus growths. If the side of your home remains green with mold and mildew, try changing to morning use instead. 
• Install a humidity sensor or rain shutoff device. 
    o That way, when there’s already a ton of moisture in your yards, your sprinkler system will stop unnecessary watering. 

DON’T
• Don t water your pavement. 
     o Ensure your sprinkler systems only cover gardens and lawns. Incorrect sprinkler systems waste more than 400 gallons a month on watering sidewalks.
• Don t have your sprinkler system on while it’s raining.
• Don t allow your sprinkler systems to waste water by running into drains or the streets
• Don t water during the day. 
     o You don’t have to run your sprinkler systems every day, and certainly not while you’re at work. Keep them off anytime after early morning. 

What Brands of Sprinkler Systems Are Best?
Installing the appropriate sprinkler system can do amazing things for your lawn, regardless if it is a commercial or residential property. If you’re unsure about which sprinkler systems will work best for you, call a professional like me.

However, sprinkler systems are considerable investments, so it makes sense to do your homework and pick one that has favorable customer reviews. Three top sprinkler systems in today’s market are Rain Bird, Hunter, and NDS.

Final Thoughts on Sprinkler Systems
Correctly maintained sprinkler systems are well worth the investment in money and time. However, depending on the type of yards you have, you may want to discuss your needs with a professional service provider.

When I’m not out on my motorcycle, my other passion is helping homeowners discover the ideal brand and setup for their irrigation needs. See why more Houston residents choose us daily.
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If you remain unsure, contact Texas Rainmakers. We can help you make the best purchase decision, as well as more efficient use of your sprinkler systems.