GoHighLevel for Irrigation and Sprinkler Services: Automate Startups, Blowouts, Leak Fixes, Zone Maps, Seasonal Triggers

TL;DR
Irrigation margin dies when spring startups drag, leak tickets bounce, routes zigzag, and winter blowouts happen late. GoHighLevel captures every lead, classifies system type, prices startups or blowouts or repairs with clear ranges, batches routes by zone, triggers skips by rainfall, schedules backflow tests, collects deposits, and requests reviews. Weeks run tighter, callbacks drop, subscription revenue climbs.

Pain points you are paying for

• Spring phones explode, quotes stall, the first responder wins.
• No zone maps or photos, techs waste time figuring out heads and valves.
• Leaks and low pressure misdiagnosed, second trips with parts.
• Crews drive 70 to 100 km per day, poor route density.
• Winter blowouts booked too late, frozen lines, angry clients.
• One-off visits never convert to seasonal plans.

What the system does

• Capture calls, forms, SMS, and Google messages into one CRM.
• Classify in 90 seconds, startup, repair, add-ons, winter blowout, backflow test.
• Price from menus with limits, swap to time and materials when risk flags appear.
• Book 2 hour windows with travel buffers and skill tags.
• Route by postcode zones, cap km per crew.
• Seasonal triggers use rainfall totals, forecast, and temperature bands to pause or resume.
• Backflow tests scheduled and logged with device IDs.
• Payments deposits for multi-zone repairs or controller upgrades, card on file for plans.
• Reports photo and note summaries after each visit.
• Reviews and referrals automated, neighbor offers for same street.

Fast intake flow that converts

1. Client selects Startup, Repair, or Blowout.
2. AI collects address, water source, controller brand, zone count, photos, and a short video if pressure looks weak.
3. System shows a realistic range and the next two windows.
4. Client books, adds card on file, receives a prep checklist.
5. Tech gets a job card with zone map placeholders, parts kit, and backflow info.

Intake fields that keep quotes accurate

• Property type, residential, HOA, commercial.
• Water source, municipal with backflow, well, lake or pond, cistern.
• Controller brand and model, smart or not, rain or soil sensor yes or no.
• Zone count and types per zone, spray, rotor, drip.
• Est. area per zone in ft²/m² and plant type, turf, beds, mixed.
• Pressure symptoms, low, misting, uneven, dry spots.
• Leak location clues, valve box damp, sidewalk heave, mushy area.
• Backflow device type and serial, RPZ or PVB.
• Photos, controller faceplate, inside valve box, 2 heads per zone, any wet area.
• Access notes, timer location, valve box depth, gate code, pets.
• Map pin for routing.

Pricing menu and rules, USA friendly

Ranges are USD. Adjust to labor and parts. Keep limits visible in quotes.

Menu rules

• If photos show tree-root heave, cracked manifold, or unknown wiring, switch to time and materials with a clear hourly rate and minimum.
• For well or lake draws, require a priming and check-valve inspection.
• For smart controllers, require Wi-Fi on site at install and client email for app invite.

Useful formulas and thresholds that speed diagnosis

• Precipitation rate
  • Metric, mm per hour = 60 × total L per minute ÷ area in m².
  • Imperial, in per hour = 96.3 × total GPM ÷ area in ft².
• Runtime match
  • To apply 12.7 mm, roughly half an inch, set minutes = target mm ÷ (mm per hour) × 60.
• Skip rules you can encode
  • Skip if forecast rainfall ≥ 6–10 mm in the next 24 h.
  • Skip if soil temp under 4 °C for warm-season turf.
  • Start spring after 5 consecutive nights above −1 °C and daytime highs above 7 °C.
  • Blowout when first hard freeze forecast ≤ −3 °C and ground not yet frozen.

Route and capacity logic that protect margin

• Zones, North, Central, South, keep daily drive under 60 km per crew.
• Buffers, 10–20 minutes between homes, longer for leak hunts.
• Escalation, if a tech does not accept in 2 minutes, route to the next in-zone.
• Batch days, startups by subdivision in spring, blowouts by subdivision in fall.
• Short-job hotlist, heads and sensors near each zone to backfill gaps.

High impact automations

• Missed call text-back in 15 seconds with intake link and photo prompts.
• Startup campaign to last year clients with self-book link.
• Leak triage bot asks zone number, symptoms, and wet area photo.
• Backflow reminders by device ID and last test date.
• Weather skip SMS when rainfall triggers a pause, with the next runtime.
• Blowout alerts when a hard freeze is forecast, prioritize high-risk zones.
• After-visit report with photos and parts list, plus recommended fixes.
• Review request 2 hours post visit, neighbor offer at day 7.
• Subscription quarterly tune or seasonal plan, card on file.

Scripts that convert

• First reply, “Share controller brand, zone count, and 3 photos, controller face, a valve box, and two heads. I will give you a range now.”
• Range anchor, “Startup for up to 6 zones is 95 to 145 USD, add 35 to 55 per extra 4 zones. Want Tuesday 10:00 to 12:00 or Thursday 13:00 to 15:00”
• Leak clarity, “Lateral leaks usually land 140 to 260 USD in labor plus parts. If a valve manifold is cracked we switch to time and materials with a cap.”
• Upsell, “A rain sensor saves water and callbacks. Add today for 85 to 160 USD parts and labor, paired to your controller.”
• Blowout urgency, “Freeze is coming. I can hold Friday morning. Emergency window has a small premium.”

Metrics to track weekly

Real example, compact

A two-crew shop in Barrie moved to zone batching and weather skips. In 45 days: 187 startups, 71 percent booked from text, daily km per crew 74 to 43, first trip completion 86 percent, leak revisits down 38 percent, plan attach 34 percent, reviews 9 to 28.

Owner insights

• Weather skips cut complaints and wasted water.
• Zone maps and photos stop diagnostic drift.
• Backflow reminders bring predictable off-season work.
• Batch startup and blowout days by subdivision to win back hours.

Setup blueprint in GoHighLevel

1. Intake form with water source, controller, zone count, photos, map pin.
2. Knowledge base with menus, limits, leak T and M rules, sensor and controller SKUs.
3. Calendars by zone, buffers, capacity caps, batch days.
4. Workflows, missed call text-back, startup and blowout campaigns, leak triage, weather skips, backflow tasks, after-visit report, reviews, neighbor offer, subscription upsell.
5. Payments, card on file for plans, deposits for controller upgrades.
6. Dashboards, response time, km per crew, first trip completion, backflow on-time, plan attach.
7. Test with 20 real leads, tune ranges and thresholds.

FAQs

How do I size runtimes without guessing
Use precipitation rate. Metric, mm per hour = 60 × L per minute ÷ area in m². Imperial, in per hour = 96.3 × GPM ÷ area in ft². Set minutes from the target depth and your rate.

What should I automate for weather
Skip on forecast rainfall above 6–10 mm in 24 hours and on low temperatures that slow turf growth. Notify clients automatically with the new runtime.

Do I need deposits
For controller upgrades or multi-valve repairs, yes, 15 to 30 percent. Plans keep a card on file, charge after each visit.

How do I stop second trips
Require controller and valve box photos, plus two heads per zone. Build a parts pull sheet from the intake and keep a standard kit on each van.

What about backflow compliance
Store device type and serial, test date, and pass or fail status. Automate reminders at 11 months and schedule tests by zone.

Commercial next steps

• Deploy the irrigation snapshot with menus, leak rules, weather skips, backflow tasks, and batch routing.
• Train CSRs on photo prompts and zone count questions.
• Turn on startup, mid-season tune, and blowout campaigns with self-book links.