An underground irrigation system does one thing: it puts the correct amount of water on the right parts of your property at the right time, every time, without you thinking about it. Everything else follows from that. Grass that is watered consistently is more resistant to drought stress and disease than grass that gets soaked on Saturday and ignored until the following weekend. Beds, hedges and specimen trees that represent real money stay alive through a dry August. And you stop moving a hose.
Superior Sprinkler Systems has been designing and installing these systems in Northern Virginia since 1991. We are family owned, we work from Dulles, and we do this one thing rather than offering it as a sideline to landscaping.
A design, not a kit. Before any pipe is ordered, a licensed irrigator measures the property, tests the water pressure and flow available at your tap, and draws a layout to suit the grade, the exposure and what is planted. Head to head coverage is guaranteed on every design we produce, which means each sprinkler throws far enough to reach its neighbor and there are no gaps between arcs. Any dry spot that appears afterward is corrected under the warranty rather than argued about.
Zones that match your property. Turf in full sun, turf in shade, foundation beds and mature trees all need different amounts of water at different frequencies. Putting them on separate circuits is what makes an irrigation system efficient rather than merely automatic. Rotors cover open lawn, matched precision sprays handle tighter shapes near walks and beds, and drip line waters planting at the root without wetting the foliage.
Weather aware control. Modern controllers adjust to conditions instead of running a fixed program. Rain shut off stops a cycle that is about to be wasted. Soil moisture sensing prevents watering ground that is already wet. Weather based scheduling reads forecast and evapotranspiration data and shortens or skips accordingly. WiFi enabled models let you run or pause the system from your phone. The point of all of it is the same: water that is not needed does not get applied.
Protection for the water supply. Every system we install includes an approved backflow prevention assembly. Water sitting in a buried irrigation lateral is not drinking water, and the assembly stops it being drawn back toward the potable supply if pressure drops. Virginia code requires it, every water authority in our service area enforces it, and the device must be tested when installed and every year afterward by a certified tester. Our staff includes Virginia DPOR certified backflow testers, so testing and filing stay with us.
Equipment chosen to last. Rain Bird, Hunter and Irritrol components throughout, all WaterSense certified. Rigid PVC pipe in the ground, not the flexible tubing some contractors substitute to reduce a bid, because buried pipe is the part of the system you cannot get back to easily. A master shut off valve is fitted somewhere you can actually reach, so a burst line in winter is a two minute problem instead of a flooded yard.
A controller you can get to. Most go on the garage wall, out of the weather and close to power. A basement, a shed, a barn or a weather rated outdoor enclosure all work where the garage does not suit the layout.
A three year warranty. Covering defects, and including winterization, spring start up and backflow testing for the first year.
There is no useful average, because the variables move the number more than the size of the lawn does. The ones that matter:
We offer a free quote in writing, itemized, within 24 hours of the site visit.
1. Site visit. We measure, test pressure and flow, look at grade, sun and soil, map any existing system, and ask what you want covered. Expect about forty minutes.
2. Written estimate. Inside 24 hours, itemized so you can compare it against anything else you have been given.
3. Permits and utility locating. We obtain the permits in our name and arrange for buried utilities to be located and marked. Where a homeowners association requires an application, we provide the layout drawing for it.
4. Flagging. Head positions and trench lines are marked on the ground before anything is cut, so you can see the whole layout and change it while changing it is free.
5. Installation. Trenching, pipe, valves, wiring, heads and controller. One to two days on a typical residential lot, longer on larger properties. Trenches are closed and the surface restored as we go.
6. Commissioning and handover. Every zone is run and timed, every arc and nozzle set, the schedule programmed for the current season, the backflow assembly tested and the report filed, and the warranty activated. Then we walk you through operating it and answer whatever you want to ask.
The relationship does not end at handover. Systems drift: heads get knocked by mowers, arcs shift, planting fills in and changes what needs water, and controllers eventually need replacing. We stay on the account for adjustments, repairs, upgrades and the two seasonal jobs that keep a system alive in this climate.
Winterization is not optional in Northern Virginia. Water left in a lateral through a hard freeze expands and splits the pipe, and you find out in April. We blow every zone out with compressed air before the first serious freeze.
Spring start up brings the system back online in stages, checks each head, corrects what moved over winter and resets the schedule for the season. It is also when the annual backflow test is normally carried out, since systems are shut down through the winter months.
We install and service across Loudoun County and into Fairfax County. The pages below cover the conditions, water authorities and permitting that apply in each area, which differ more than people expect from one town to the next.
We also serve surrounding communities including Sterling, Chantilly, South Riding, Purcellville, Middleburg, Haymarket, Clifton and Fairfax. If your address is not listed, call and ask.
In business since 1991. Family owned and operated from the start, still run by the same family.
Irrigation is the whole business. Not an add on to a landscaping or lawn care service.
Certified backflow testers on staff. Virginia DPOR certified, filing with Loudoun Water, Fairfax County and the Town of Leesburg.
Licensed and fully insured. Designs by a licensed irrigator, installations by our own employed crews.
Three year warranty. With the first year of seasonal service included.
Free estimates. Written and itemized.
Three years against defects. Winterization, spring start-up and backflow testing are included for the first twelve months.
Buried utilities located before any trench opens. Every layout is drawn by a licensed irrigator for even coverage and efficient use of water. Head-to-head coverage is guaranteed, meaning each head throws far enough to reach its neighbor, and dry spots are a warranty matter rather than an argument.
Moisture sensors, weather-based controllers and zone control, with WiFi-enabled options. These adjust to conditions instead of running a fixed program, so water that is not needed never gets applied.
Years of experience, precision and attention to detail, producing efficient water distribution and minimal disruption to the property.
Connection made inside or outside the home depending on the plumbing, always with a master shut-off valve you can reach without a flashlight and a crawl.
Fitted to every system we install. It prevents water standing in a buried lateral from being drawn back toward the drinking supply. Virginia code requires it and every water authority in our service area enforces it.
Somewhere dry with power nearby, which usually means the garage. Basements, sheds, barns and outdoor-rated cabinets all work as alternatives.
Rain Bird, Hunter and Irritrol throughout, all WaterSense certified. Rigid PVC in the ground rather than flexible tubing, because buried pipe is the part of the system you cannot easily get back to. Rotors, matched precision sprays and drip line, each used where it belongs.
Systems drift. Heads get knocked by mowers, arcs shift, and planting fills in and changes what needs water. We stay on for adjustments, repairs, upgrades and the two seasonal jobs this climate demands.
About forty minutes on site: measuring, testing pressure and flow, looking at grade, sun and soil, and asking what you want covered. Written estimate within 24 hours.
We pull the permits, arrange utility locating and flag the layout so you can change it while changing it is still free. Then we install, close the trenches and test every zone.
Every zone run and timed, every arc and nozzle set, the schedule programmed for the current season, backflow tested and filed, the warranty activated. Then we walk you through operating it.
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Professional& ExperiencedQ: Is a permit needed to install an irrigation system?
A:In most cases yes, because the work connects to the potable water supply and involves plumbing components covered by the Virginia Construction Code. Requirements and the authority you deal with vary by jurisdiction, and so does where the backflow test report has to be filed. We pull the permits for every job we install. The town pages linked above set out what applies in each area.
Q: How much water does a lawn in this region need?
A:Cool season grasses, which is most of what grows here, generally want one and a half to two inches per week including rainfall, and closer to two inches through extreme summer heat. Frequency matters as much as volume. We normally program early morning cycles applying around a quarter inch at a time, which suits the clay soils common across Northern Virginia better than one long weekly soak.
Q: When is the best time of day to run it?
A:Between roughly 6:00 am and 10:00 am. Water applied then soaks in before the heat of the day evaporates it, and the grass surface dries as the sun comes up.
Q: Are there times I should avoid watering?
A:Two. Midday, because a large share of what you apply evaporates before it does any good. And evening, because grass that stays wet overnight is grass that grows fungus. Useful signs your lawn wants water: footprints that stay visible after you walk across it, a blue grey cast to the color, blades folding or wilting, and soil that has gone hard.
Q: Will an irrigation system actually save water?
A:Compared with hand watering or a hose timer, yes, provided it is designed and scheduled properly. Many lawns in this region are overwatered, and a rain sensor or a weather based controller can cut water use substantially while producing better looking turf, because the system stops running when the ground does not need it.
Q: Do I need a separate water meter for irrigation?
A:Usually not. Most Northern Virginia authorities calculate the sewer portion of the bill from winter consumption, so summer irrigation does not inflate the sewer charge and a second meter rarely pays for itself. Confirm the current position with your own water authority before spending money on one.
Q: What happens to my lawn during installation?
A:Trenches are narrow, they are closed as we go, and turf is relaid where it can be lifted. In the growing season the lines are usually invisible within two to three weeks. Work done in cold weather takes longer to recover because the grass is not growing into it.
Q: What maintenance does the system need?
A:Winterization in the fall, start up in the spring, an annual backflow test, and periodic adjustment as heads move and planting changes. We handle all of it, and we contact customers on our books when their seasonal work and their backflow test come due.
Stop moving the hose. Call 703-957-4946 or request a quote and we will come out, measure, and put a price in writing within 24 hours.