Maintaining a lush, healthy landscape isn’t just about watering — it’s about watering smart. An irrigation system can easily underperform or waste water without visible signs, but a professional irrigation audit can reveal hidden problems, save water, reduce costs, and protect your landscape long-term.
What is an Irrigation Audit?
An irrigation audit is a comprehensive inspection and analysis of your irrigation system — from controllers, heads, valves, pipes and backflow preventers to water pressure, scheduling, and actual water distribution.
Key components of an audit often include:
- Visual inspection of system components (sprinkler heads, valves, pipes, controllers).
- Catch-can testing: placing collection containers across irrigated zones to measure how evenly water is distributed. This helps determine the distribution uniformity (DU) and precipitation rate (PR) — two metrics essential for healthy, efficient irrigation.
- Review of scheduling and programming: comparing current watering practices against actual landscape needs based on soil, plant types, irrigation output, and local rainfall.
- Water use history analysis: examining past water bills and consumption patterns to flag anomalies, leaks, or inefficiencies.
With these insights, auditors prepare a comprehensive recommendations report — detailing needed repairs, adjustments, and optimized watering schedules.
The Real-World Impact: Big Savings & Healthier Landscapes
Professional audits almost always uncover actionable improvements. According to industry experts, an audit can typically reduce a property’s water usage by 25–30%, translating into substantial cost savings over time.
Common issues audits reveal:
- Broken, clogged, or misaligned sprinkler heads.
- Sprinkler zones that water non-landscaped areas (e.g. driveways, sidewalks).
- Incorrect sprinkler spacing or mismatched nozzle types causing uneven coverage.
- Improper controller programming or scheduling — leading to overwatering or watering at inefficient times.
- Outdated or inefficient irrigation components (valves, nozzles, controllers).
When these problems are corrected, clients often enjoy lower water bills, healthier lawns and gardens, reduced runoff and water waste, and extended lifespan of their irrigation system.
In some dramatic cases, audits have dropped monthly water bills from triple-digit thousands down to manageable levels — proving the value of a well-tuned irrigation system.
Not Just About Water — It’s About Smart Stewardship
As municipal water costs climb and environmental awareness rises, efficient irrigation isn’t just a “nice-to-have,” it’s a responsibility.
A good audit helps you:
- Understand your landscape’s actual water needs (based on soil type, plant species, sun exposure, drainage, etc.) rather than guessing.
- Avoid overwatering, which can lead to plant diseases, soil erosion, and increased runoff.
- Detect hidden leaks or underground issues that might otherwise go unnoticed until they cause major damage.
- Optimize your landscape for both health and sustainability — saving water, money, and time.
Why Choose Shaffer’s Irrigation for Your Irrigation Audit & Outdoor Lighting Needs
At Shaffer’s Irrigation & Outdoor Lighting, we take irrigation seriously. Our certified technicians bring experienced eyes and professional tools to every audit — ensuring your system is not only functioning but functioning efficiently.
By investing in an audit with us, you can expect:
- A full system evaluation — from controller to sprinkler heads, valves, and scheduling.
- A detailed performance report — showing where your system under- or over-performs, and clear recommendations for optimization.
- Maintenance & upgrade guidance — whether it’s replacing worn nozzles, re-aligning heads, adjusting run times, or upgrading to smarter, water-efficient technologies.
- Long-term support and peace of mind — ensuring your landscape stays healthy year-round, without wasting water or money.
Whether you manage a small home lawn or an extensive landscape, an irrigation audit is a smart first step — and with Shaffer’s on your side, it’s also the easy one.
Ready to Save Water, Money & Time?
If you’re ready to get the most out of your irrigation system and create a landscape that thrives — while helping the planet — contact Shaffer’s Irrigation & Outdoor Lighting today. We’ll schedule a full audit, walk you through the findings, and partner with you to build a watering plan that’s efficient, effective, and environmentally responsible.