Unlike western Washington, Spokane, located along the state's eastern border is an extremely dry region that requires well-designed and maintained irrigation systems to keep turf and landscapes looking vibrant and fresh all summer long. Car dealerships, an industry that relies on eye-catching first impressions, know the importance of well-maintained landscapes and turf areas.
Issues To Be Addressed
A poorly planned irrigation system can cost car dealerships far more in the long run than the initial installation cost. Wet grass can be extremely slippery and sprinkler heads that do not retract can cause tripping hazards, leading to liability issues. Additionally, the parking lot island areas at many dealerships are odd-shaped and narrow to accommodate rows and rows of tightly parked vehicles. Such spaces are difficult to water with pop-up sprinklers while avoiding overspray. Even worse, cars parked with their bumpers over the edge of an island interfere with spray from the sprinklers. Furthermore, even light winds will disrupt the spray pattern of sprinklers, causing overspray and underspray concerns along with the unsightly water spots on vehicles, which incurs repeated and excessive costs for the detailing of vehicles.
The owners of the George Gee Automotive Group in Spokane, Washington have learned that using Netafim's subsurface Techline dripperline is well worth the investment and produces savings in time, manpower and money.
The Netafim Solution
In 2000, Ty Ullman of the Clearwater Summit Group, Inc., a design/build company for residential and commercial projects, in Spokane, Washington installed 12,000 feet of Netafim Techline, using 0.6 GPH flow rate drippers spaced 12" apart in the island areas at the George Gee Pontiac dealership to keep the areas looking lush while keeping the cars "spot free".
"There is a severe prevailing wind across the area of the dealership," Ullman explained. "The landscape for the business before George Gee moved in was noticeably stressed so we designed more turf areas, which were brighter and gave more color to offset the cars. We used subsurface drip irrigation to create a better looking landscape while avoiding water spots on the cars."
The suggestion to use Netafim Techline came from the Horizon Irrigation and Turf Solutions distributor also located in Spokane. "Based on the application and the need to keep cars clean, we recommended Netafim Techline because it suited all the purposes," explained Todd Kemink of Horizon Irrigation.
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Easy to Design and Install
With guidance from Horizon, Ullman was able to quickly and easily install the Netafim Techline on 12" rows. The subsurface Techline system was such a hit with the dealership we planned for future installations at the new Hummer Dealership explained Ed Tabish from George Gee.
Netafim's Techline dripperline addressed several of the issues common among car dealerships. The subsurface design and installation eradicated the possibility of tripping over sprinkler heads that have not retracted. Because it is installed below grade, the roots are nourished from underneath, so no water accumulates on the grass, thus eliminating slippery surfaces. The flexibility of Techline allows for installation in and around any space or shape. And because the water is delivered directly to the root zone, overspray and water droplets cannot reach the nearby vehicles.
Easy to Maintain
Maintenance on this irrigation system is minimal, especially since Ullman installed a DF150-120 "disc" filter, which cleans the water and protects the system much better than screen filters thanks to a set of stacking discs that provide "depth" filtration.
Netafim Techline provides Ullman the flexibility necessary to ensure healthy, vibrant landscapes at the George Gee dealerships on a consistent basis. The watering frequency and length can easily be increased or decreased at any point during the season and is good for established turf areas and newly sodded landscapes. Ullman explained that the sodded areas at the new George Gee Hummer dealership watered with Techline look better than the pop-up spray areas along the exterior of the dealership. "We've recommended this product in similar situations because of the long-term results," he concluded.
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