keepitgreen.be
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Platform for the management and construction of sports and golf courses
Installation-ready thanks to customised service
As our days get busier and our summers drier, the garden is in danger of falling victim to water shortage. From the corner of the garden owner, there is therefore an increasing demand for a sprinkler system, preferably fully automatic. “Garden contractors need by no means be intimidated by this demand,” says Hydor's Bert Van de Weghe. “Based on the garden plan, we supply a fully installation-ready solution.”
Hydor has been in irrigation and garden watering for 65 years and distributes A-brands such as Perrot, Hunter, Irritrol, Rainbird and K-Rain.
“Our business grew from agriculture and horticulture and then expanded to sports fields, parks and private gardens. In the past, this may have only involved luxurious and extensive gardens, but today, sprinkler irrigation comes up in every garden project, even rooftop or small city gardens. People are clearly aware of how important proper sprinkling is for maintaining the garden, but do not necessarily want to be responsible for it themselves. And the same goes for a garden contractor who wants to provide a certain guarantee for his plantings. After all, with an appropriate sprinkler system, he does not have to go to the site every day to do so. That saves an enormous amount of work and kilometres.”
Bert Van de Weghe does understand that not every garden contractor is immediately comfortable with his customer's request for a sprinkler system. “Some are intimidated by the electrical component of the installation; others by the large choice of sprinkler heads. It is also not always obvious to draw up an efficient and effective sprinkler plan. But as long as the calculations are done correctly, the installation itself is usually not that difficult.”
Van de Weghe emphasises that drawing up bills of materials, for example, does not have to be in the hands of the garden contractor himself. Hydor not only offers all the equipment and components for a complete installation, but also provides guidance from A to Z.
“In most cases, we provide the necessary sprinkler studies and draw up a sprinkler plan and a bill of materials on that basis. We do all this as completely and in as much detail as possible, and complex components such as collectors with electro valves for different sprinkler zones are even fully assembled with us. In this way, we simplify the installation and ensure that the contractor can get to work efficiently, without mistakes and without unnecessary moves because a certain coupling piece is missing.”
For Hydor to quote, it is obviously up to the garden contractor to provide the right information. “If I can give one tip, it is to think about the sprinkler system in good time. A solid water supply is already very important. However, wait until the final garden design is ready to provide us with the necessary plans and dimensions. If the shape or layout of the garden, and mainly the lawn, changes, everything has to be recalculated.”
“The most important data we need are the exact shape and dimensions of the lawn, the location of the various plant zones and a rough estimate of their water requirements. After all, if one plant zone needs much more water than another, it is important to lay them on different circuits.”
Besides preparatory work and skilful explanations of the various components, Hydor can also offer a helping hand on site.
“We regularly see some reluctance to connect electrical components or set the controls. We often then send out our own installers to, for example, connect the pump, assemble the control cabinet and so on. If required, we can even take on the entire installation or after-sales service. Then the garden contractor no longer has to worry about, for example, frost-proofing the system or replacing a sprinkler head. In this we are quite flexible, so that every garden contractor will eventually find a way to meet their customers” demand for sprinkling."
