Sprinkler Blowouts For Friday,  November 23, 2018

Over the last 2-3 days of sprinkler blowouts Jesse and I have run into freeze damaged PVB backflow preventers, or above ground filters that are frozen because they weren’t drained as we have suggested, posted, etc.  We even created a special page with instructions you can print out to pre-winterize your backflows and irrigation filters.  Although backflows and filters in the ground are fine, ones above ground will not be.  As I have said previously, the piping in the ground will last quite awhile before damage occurs, if at all, but we can’t get air to the piping if the connection above ground is frozen.  Fortunately the rising temperatures over the past two days will definitely help with that, but still filters have to be opened and drained, and backflows above ground have to be dealt with as well so they can drain, or water that is in there will just freeze again and we won’t have access.

I spent most of the night before Thanksgiving working on coding for our database and system tracking.  I have coded some things that will save me time in organizing blowouts and tracking our stats so we have more accuracy in the total blowouts, blowouts left to do, and how many have been completed in each area, and tracking cancellations.

We only have about 13 days until all our current blowouts are completed.  Looking forward to that day because we need a break before we start all our other repair projects.

Today Jesse will be finishing up a few sprinkler blowouts in the 83704 and then moving on the the 83703.  I will be working in the 83712 today, and if there is time and Jesse needs help I will start on the back end of his route.

I will be on my own on Saturday while Jesse attends a family event he shouldn’t miss.  That being said, don’t quote me on this because depending on how Friday goes it could change in an insant, but Saturday I will be in the 83713, Sunday Jesse and I both will be in the 83713, and then Monday one rig will be finishing up in the 83713 while another starts the 83705.  Tuesday will be another day in the 83705 for one rig and then one rig in the 83716 for Tuesday and Wednesday.  I’m not planning any further ahead than that until I see how these go.

I also have to make a quick run to Avimore and actually beyond that for one blowout in Gardena before heading to the 83716, but except for drive time, it won’t take two long.  We will then shut down Boise County, Avimor, and Hidden Springs.  We have also closed Gem County to any new requests.  Once we get back to Nampa and Caldwell and Middleton we will shut down Canyon County to new requests as well.  I don’t want to do these forever, and if I don’t stop at some point we will get requests into January.  The only exceptions I will make is if someone just purchased a home and found out the blowout was not completed.  We don’t like to leave anyone stranded, but especially those who are not at fault for not taking care of it earlier.  By this time of the year we are about the only ones still running.  Many other companies do not own their own machines so are not available.  I hope to get one or two more machines for next year, and hopefully find qualified technicians to run them.  Getting the machines is easy.  It’s only money.  Finding QUALIFIED technicians to run them is a completely different story.  We have talked to a LOT of customers this year who told us the person who did their blowout last year didn’t do it correctly, and they had problems in the spring – especially with backflow preventers that weren’t winterized properly.  I am happy to report we have NEVER had a problem with a system in the spring as the result of a blowout after 15,000+ blowouts.