Overview
Irrigation maintenance is paid to stop a system flooding the lawn at 3am
Irrigation maintenance is the cousin trade to irrigation installation. The system was put in three or five years ago, the customer hasn't thought about it since, and now a solenoid has stuck open and the lawn is a swamp at 6am every morning. The contractor's job is part diagnostic, part repair, and part annual care. Winterisation in cold climates is mandatory or the pipework freezes and splits; spring start-up requires zone-by-zone testing, valve adjustment, and replacing the heads the lawnmower destroyed last year. A flat 'system serviced, $180' quote gives the customer no view on what the visit actually catches, and the same customer is back the next month with the next zone failure.
QuoteGenio gives irrigation maintenance contractors a quoting shape that suits seasonal care. Annual or biannual visit as a recurring record (winterise in autumn, start-up in spring), zone-by-zone test, head and nozzle replacement priced per piece, solenoid valve and controller repair as named lines, and a contingency line for the pipe burst the customer is going to call about. Send via WhatsApp from the customer's garden, take card-on-file for the recurring contract, and each visit closes with a system health report attached. Customers on a contract don't get the 3am alarm call about the swamp out back.
Who it is for
Who uses QuoteGenio
Built for every type of irrigation install and maintenance business.
The problem
The quoting headaches every irrigation business knows
Irrigation jobs hide cost in zones, valves, and controllers. If your quote is one lump sum, the client thinks they are being overcharged.
Quotes after every site visit
You walk the system, count heads, then drive home to write it up. The client gets it tomorrow, by which time they called the next guy.
Lump-sum quotes raise suspicion
An irrigation quote of 'R19,832 to fix the system' tells the client nothing. They want to see zones, heads, valves, and controller as line items.
No recurring service revenue
Most irrigation businesses live on once-off call-outs. The crews that win on retainers are the ones who quote a service contract on every job.
The fix
QuoteGenio makes it simple
A workflow that fits the way irrigation jobs are scoped, with line items per zone, head, valve, and controller.
The payoff
What you get with QuoteGenio
The everyday wins that add up across a year of quoting and invoicing.
Built for irrigation
Line items for zones, sprinkler heads, drip lines, valves, controllers, and seasonal service. Everything an irrigation quote needs, nothing it does not.
Works from your phone
Quote at the manifold with the head count fresh in your head. No laptop, no driving back to the office to write it up.
Quote in under 2 minutes
Save zones and head types as templates. Pick the components, type the count, send. Done before the next call-out comes in.
Recurring service contracts
Convert any accepted quote into a recurring annual service invoice. Spring start-up, autumn winterise, billed automatically.
Built for your trade
Quoting calibrated to how irrigation maintenance actually work
Pick your trade in Settings and the entire quote flow switches to fit. Line item presets, compliance fields, on-the-quote calculators, and per-m² / after-hours pricing all change to match your industry.
Trade-specific line items
Quick add picker pre-fills the common items your trade quotes. Skip the blank rows.
Brand-specific catalogues
Pylontech, Hikvision, Canadian Solar, Sunsynk and others pre-named. Pick the brand, the description writes itself.
Compliance fields built in
IOPSA, ECASA, PIRB, PSIRA, NHBRC, SAQCC. Set once. Every quote prints them under FROM.
Registration expiry alerts
Dashboard notification 60 days before your PSIRA, CoC or any dated registration lapses.
Per-m² / hour / day billing
Unit selector on every line item: m², hr, linear m, days. Stop doing the maths externally.
After-hours and emergency
1.5× and 2× multipliers as a one-tap toggle. Customer sees the breakdown on the quote.
Quote-flow calculators
Solar size, battery backup, cable run cost. Compute on the spot, drop straight onto the quote.
Staged payments
Deposit on acceptance + balance on completion as two separate amounts on the quote PDF.
Scope-of-work checklist
Structured Included / Not included lists. Client acceptance = signing the scope.
Site-survey mode
Log a location per line item: camera positions, fixtures by room, sensors by zone.
Regional rate hints
Pricing ranges per item per currency shown as you quote.
Free on every plan
All of the above included on the free plan. Premium is for capacity, not the trade tooling.
Why QuoteGenio
Why Irrigation Maintenance choose QuoteGenio
The tools that matter most when you are quoting on-site, under pressure, and between jobs.
Quote from your phone
Most Irrigation Maintenance build and send quotes directly from the job site. No laptop, no office, no delays.
Win more jobs, faster
The first professional quote a client receives usually wins. Respond in minutes, not hours.
Quote to invoice in one click
When the job is accepted, convert to an invoice instantly. No retyping, no double entry.
Pricing guide
Typical Irrigation Maintenance job pricing
A rough guide to what irrigation services charge for common jobs. Pricing varies with system age, controller type, water source (mains, borehole, tank), and access to the manifold. Use these as a sanity check when building your own rates, not as fixed numbers.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Standard service call-out (first hour) | R1,240 - R2,479 |
| Sprinkler head replacement (per head, pop-up) | R297 - R744 |
| Solenoid valve replacement (per valve) | R1,570 - R3,966 |
| Smart controller install (4 to 8 zones) | R6,280 - R19,832 |
| Seasonal start-up service (8 zone system) | R2,975 - R6,280 |
| Annual service contract (8 zone residential) | R6,280 - R14,048 |
| New install, small garden (4 zones, 25 heads) | R46,276 - R90,899 |
Pricing converted from USD to ZAR at indicative rates. Rates vary significantly by country, region, currency, and market.
Call-out fees
A standard call-out of R1,240 to R2,479 covers travel and the first hour on-site to diagnose. Most irrigation services credit the call-out against any work agreed on the day. List it as its own line so the client knows you do not arrive for free.
Hourly vs fixed pricing
Use hourly pricing (R1,240 to R1,818 per hour) for diagnostic work where the fault is unknown. Use fixed pricing for clear jobs like seasonal start-up, controller installs, and head replacements. Always offer an annual service contract as a separate quote line.
See it in action
Example quote breakdown
Here is what a clean annual irrigation service contract looks like. Notice how each visit, allowance, and programming task shows as its own line. Clients accept this kind of quote faster because they can see exactly what is included in the contract and what would be a variation.
Try it yourself
Job size
Region
Sample quote
Annual service contract, 8-zone residential system
Spring start-up visit (test, adjust, flush)
Autumn winterise visit (drain, blow-out, isolate)
Replacement heads allowance (up to 6 pop-ups)
Solenoid replacement allowance (up to 1 valve)
Controller programming and seasonal schedule
| Description | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring start-up visit (test, adjust, flush) | 1 | R3,636 | R3,636 |
| Autumn winterise visit (drain, blow-out, isolate) | 1 | R2,975 | R2,975 |
| Replacement heads allowance (up to 6 pop-ups) | 1 | R2,727 | R2,727 |
| Solenoid replacement allowance (up to 1 valve) | 1 | R2,396 | R2,396 |
| Controller programming and seasonal schedule | 1 | R1,240 | R1,240 |
| Subtotal | R12,974 | ||
| Tax (10%) | R1,297 | ||
| Total incl. tax | R14,271 | ||
Totals recalculate as you change the controls above. Tax rate inferred from the sample quote.
Items often forgotten
Pop-up head replacements, solenoid allowance, controller battery, the trip back if a part is not on the van, winter blow-out compressor hire, and the annual programming refresh. Add these as standard lines on your service contract template so you stop absorbing them out of your margin.
Peer snapshot
How Irrigation Maintenance actually use QuoteGenio
Indicative activity for Irrigation Maintenance on the platform. Use it as a benchmark for how often to quote and how fast to respond.
16
Quotes sent per month
54%
Average quote acceptance
2 min
Median time to send quote
R14,271
Typical quote value
Figures are indicative platform averages for this trade segment.
Start quoting Irrigation Maintenance jobs like this, free
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Avoid these
Common quoting mistakes
We talk to a lot of irrigation businesses. The same pricing and service-contract mistakes come up again and again. Fixing these will protect your margin and turn once-off call-outs into recurring revenue.
Mistake: Quoting irrigation as a single lump sum
Better: Always break out zones, heads, valves, and controller as separate lines. A lump-sum quote of 'R19,832 to fix it' loses to a competitor who shows the client what they pay for.
Mistake: No spare parts allowance on service contracts
Better: Build a parts allowance line into every annual contract (e.g. up to 6 heads, 1 valve). Above the allowance is billed at standard rates. The client appreciates the predictability.
Mistake: Forgetting the controller battery
Better: Smart and 9V battery-backup controllers need a fresh battery annually. Add it as a R413 line on every service. It is the single most common cause of dead controllers in spring.
Mistake: No mention of water source
Better: Boreholes, tanks, and mains all behave differently. Note the water source on the quote so it is clear what your service covers. A borehole pump fault is not the same job as a leaking solenoid.
Mistake: Quoting new install without a controller
Better: Always include the controller as an itemised line. Some clients want to reuse an old one. Stating it lets them choose, instead of finding out at install when you arrive without one.
Mistake: No winterise service offered
Better: In frost-prone areas, winterising prevents R 5,000 of pipe damage. Quote it as a standard line in autumn. Most clients say yes immediately when they see the comparison cost of repair.
Mistake: Skipping the trip charge for far jobs
Better: Driving 60 km to swap one head loses you money. Add a 'distance surcharge' line for jobs outside your standard radius. The client either accepts or batches it with other work.
Mistake: No follow-up after sending the quote
Better: Most quotes that don't close, don't close because nobody followed up. Send a polite check-in 48 hours after the quote lands, and a second nudge at day 7. Two of every three accepted quotes get there because someone followed up.
Step by step
How to quote irrigation maintenance jobs
Walk every zone before you price. Count sprinkler heads (pop-up, rotor, micro), list solenoid valves at the manifold, check the controller make and whether it holds the battery-backed memory, and trace the water source: mains, borehole, tank, or rainwater tied. Test run each zone and note weak heads, leaking laterals, and coverage gaps. Note the distance from your base so you can price the trip charge for far jobs. The manifold photograph and head count are your evidence base, so pin the notes to the quote. A borehole pump fault is a different job to a leaking solenoid, so get the water source right at the quote stage.
Itemise by component, not in a lump sum. Line items for call-out fee, pop-up head replacement per head, solenoid valve per valve, smart controller with zone count, seasonal start-up, winterise blow-out, controller programming and battery. On annual service contracts, quote spring start-up and autumn winterise as separate visits, add a parts allowance (typically up to 6 heads and 1 valve) at $ 100 to $ 200, and state that above-allowance parts are billed at standard rates. Note water source on the quote. Add a distance surcharge for jobs outside your standard radius so 60 km trips to swap one head do not lose money.
Set 14 to 30 day validity because controller and head prices move with import shipments. For service contracts, state that retainers are reviewed every 12 months and that the annual controller battery is a standard $ 25 line. Quote winterising as a $ 150 to $ 300 line in autumn and explain the comparison cost of a frozen lateral (R 3,000 to R 8,000 to repair), which gets most clients to yes on the spot. Take a deposit on new installs over $ 3,000 to cover mainline, valves and controller order. Always include a 12-month workmanship warranty line.
Send quotes on WhatsApp from the manifold before you drive off. Irrigation clients collect three quotes and the first one in the inbox usually wins, particularly on storm season call-outs when everyone wants a fix now. Build on your phone while standing at the controller, share the link before you pack the diagnostic kit, and offer a service contract at the bottom of every once-off quote to convert the call-out into recurring revenue. When a client asks for an extra zone or a controller upgrade mid-job, send a variation quote before the trench goes in.
FAQ
Common questions from irrigation maintenance
Everything you need to know before getting started.
Yes. Each line item has a description, quantity, and rate. Quote 'sprinkler head, pop-up' with quantity 25 and rate per head, or quote per zone with notes describing what each zone covers. Both work.
Yes. Once your quote is ready, share it as a link directly via WhatsApp. Your client gets a professional branded document instantly, before you drive off site.
Add a line for each visit (start-up, winterise), a line for the parts allowance, a line for controller programming, and a notes section listing what is included. Convert the accepted quote into a recurring annual invoice.
Yes. Every quote has a unique public link. Your client can open it on their phone and accept it online. No signup required.
Yes. Convert any accepted quote into an invoice with one click and reuse it annually. All the line items carry over so there is no double entry.
Yes. The free plan gives you 5 quotes and 2 invoices per month with no credit card required. Upgrade to Premium for unlimited quotes, invoices, statements, and reports.
Two visits per year (spring start-up and autumn winterise) plus a parts allowance is the standard structure. Price the visits at R2,975 to R4,628 each, add a parts allowance of 4 to 6 heads and 1 valve at R1,653 to R3,305 and quote a total annual fee. Above the allowance gets billed at standard rates. Most 8-zone residential systems land between R9,916 and R14,874 per year.
For new installs and big repairs, quote per zone with a head count noted per zone. For service work and individual replacements, quote per head. Per zone makes the quote read like a system; per head makes it easy for the client to compare against one-off competitors. Use both on the same quote where it helps.
If frost is possible at any point in winter, yes. A frozen lateral or solenoid costs the client R 3,000 to R 8,000 to repair. Quote winterising as a R2,479 to R4,958 line in autumn and explain the comparison cost. Most clients accept on the spot. In frost-free zones it is optional but still useful for a system flush.
Quote by zone, with mainline metres, valves, heads per zone, controller, and labour as separate lines. Most small residential systems (4 zones, 25 to 35 heads) land at R46,276 to R90,899. Add for borehole pumps, smart controllers, and rainwater tank tie-ins. Always include a 12-month workmanship warranty line on the quote.
Still have questions? We would rather answer them now than after you have signed up.
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Guides
Guides for Irrigation Maintenance
Practical advice to help you quote better, get paid faster, and grow your business.
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