Simmons Landscape & Irrigation

06/04/2026

🚨 Irrigation Mystery Solved! 🕵️‍♂️💧

During a recent spring startup inspection 🌱, the first four zones refused to turn on. 😬

No clicks. No water. No sprinklers. 🚫💦

Fortunately, this wasn't Chris's first time seeing this system. He originally installed it back in 2010 📅, so he knew exactly where to start looking. 🔍

After opening the valve box and digging out the soil packed into the box, a tunnel appeared and the culprit revealed itself...

A chipmunk 🐿️ made the box a home and had chewed through all four solenoid control wires! ⚡✂️

The damage didn't stop at the control wires. The chipmunk had gnawed off the wires attached to the solenoids themselves, requiring replacement. 🔧

To get everything back into working order, we:
✅ Cleaned out the valve box
✅ Replaced damaged solenoids
✅ Repaired the chewed wiring
✅ Installed new waterproof Blazing BVS1 connectors 💧🛡️ to help prevent future corrosion

The attached video 🎥 shows the condition of the valve box and the chewed wiring that brought four irrigation zones to a halt.

Sometimes the biggest irrigation problems start with the smallest troublemakers.

06/04/2026

How was your day?

04/23/2026

04/23/2026

Leaks, leaks, and more leaks. 😭💧💧💧

Today Chris and Jonas were out at Maumee Bay State Park continuing repairs after the roofing crew drove over the system. 🚧🚜

While Jonas reconnected pipes on the east side of the Lodge, Chris found 5 leaks. In a 6-foot section of pipe. 🤯😭🚰

One of them was at a fitting inside a sleeve under the sidewalk… 2 feet down. 😅🕳️

You fix one 🔧 and another shows up. The irrigation version of whack-a-mole. 🙃

The General Contractor is about to go chasing after the…
Roofers->🏃💨💨💨 🏃💨💨💨

04/21/2026

If y’all would just stop digging up our pipes, I’d be broke. 😂💸

The good folks at Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative are in the middle of a major sidewalk removal and replacement project. 🚧🪨

Chris got a call from their head of building maintenance in a bit of a panic. 😬☎️

Demo was starting today and nobody was quite sure what was about to get hit underground.

Sure enough, several turf areas that will soon become concrete are now opened up 🌱➡️🕳️ and irrigation lines are exposed and broken. 🚰💧

But honestly, that’s the best-case scenario. 👍

Now we can repair everything properly 🔧 before it gets buried under fresh concrete next week. 🧱

On Thursday (Jonas’s day off 😎), Chris will be back on site to:
✅ Repair the damaged lines 🔧
✅ Install protective sleeves 🛡️
✅ Make sure any other leaks are patched before concrete buggies roll through. 🚜

Sometimes a little chaos upfront saves a lot of headaches later. 😅

04/21/2026

When the roofers don’t use enough plywood 🪵…

Chris and Jonas grab the shovels and get to work. 🪏⛏️😅

It's the end of day 2 of playing whack-a-mole 🎯 with broken pipes. 🚰💧

Find a leak… fix it 🔧… another one pops up somewhere else. 😬

Just another day in irrigation life. 💆🌱💦

04/16/2026

If you were my client, how would you feel getting a link to this video? 🤔🎥

Especially if you’re just getting a baby down for a late morning nap 👶💤 and the last thing you want is a door knock 🚪👊 or the doorbell ringing 🔔😬.

A quick video update = no interruptions 🙅‍♂️, no noise 🤫, and you still stay in the loop 🔄✅.

Generally, less than 2 minutes ⌛ of your time (1:47 in this case) is enough for an update.

Give it a watch if you're inclined, and let me know what you think 👇

04/15/2026

Today 🗓️

Location: Wildwood Metro Park 🌳🚲🥾

Problem: The usual winter damage from snow ❄️ being piled up and plows driving over sprinkler heads (plus general wear and tear).

Chris got the irrigation systems at the Visitor Center and Manor House ready for the season. 🧑‍🔧

That meant inspection, adjustments, finding leaks/broken heads, repairing the problems, and checking the repairs.

Since volunteers 🙋 come through to work in the Shipman Garden flower beds after we do this activation inspection service, we left behind some drip tubing and repair couplings in case a wayward shovel (or 🐿️) finds the pipe with a shovel 🪏.

Is your irrigation system 🌊 ready for spring🌷🌼🪻?

04/09/2026

The Maumee Bay Lodge and Conference Center had a problem. 😳

Last fall, their former fountain contractor of many years disappeared into the wind. 🌬️💨

When their Chief Engineer and Director of Facility Operations realized that winter was fast approaching he contacted Simmons ☎️. You see, we have been maintaining their irrigation system ever since it was installed by us back in 1998 so the working relationship was strong. He asked if we could help save their $35,000 fountain ⛲ from the ice. 🧊

Of course we accepted the challenge. 🤜🔥🤛

We were able to remove their fountain and keep it in dry storage 🏜️ over the winter until it went back to its home in the pond 🐸 behind the Lodge today.

Before we were able to put it back in the water, Chris had to remove two heavy gauge abandoned power cables that were intertwined with the good power cables. 🧑‍🔧

He also replaced the shoreline anchoring ropes with proper wire rope because the old "cables" were cheap clothesline that broke when pulling the fountain to shore last fall. 🧑‍🔧

Today, after getting the fountain set back in the water 💧 and reconnected to the electrical circuits, Chris and Keith turned on the main breakers 🔌⚡ inside the Lodge and made sure the fountain ⛲ and the lights 🕺🪩were running for the enjoyment of the guests and their events.

Wedding season can officially commence! 🎩🍾💍

Huzzah!

04/08/2026

The helicopter landing at Tiffin Softball