Eco Verde Irrigation · Internal Certification

Certified Irrigation Technician Training Program

Ten modules over 4–6 weeks turn a mixed intake — green hires and experienced landscapers — into certified techs, with written assessments, 58 signed repair demonstrations, a 52-episode video curriculum, and a specialty section on the smart-irrigation stack we run every day.

4–6 weeks10 modules 58 repair demosIA CIT-aligned English + Español ★ Smart Irrigation specialty

01The program at a glance

Mornings are module instruction and shop practice; afternoons are ride-alongs on real Jobber routes where the trainer signs off checklist items. Experienced hires can test out of Modules 2–5 (≥90% written + practical) and compress to ~4 weeks; Modules 1, 6, 8, 9 and 10 are mandatory for everyone.

10modules, each with quiz + field checklist
58required repair demonstrations
52training video episodes outlined (~6 h)
80%pass mark on every written assessment
5stations on the final practical
Eco Verde Certified Technician — 6-Week Program Timeline Mornings: module instruction & shop practice  ·  Afternoons: ride-along field work & checklist sign-offs Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 M1 Orientation & Safety M2 Fundamentals & Hydraulics M3 Sprays, Rotors & Risers M4 Drip & Micro-Irrigation M5 Valves M6 Wiring & Electrical M7 Leak Location & Line Repair M8 Smart Irrigation ★ M9 Water Mgmt & Scheduling M10 Jobber, Docs & Final Cert CERT ✓ Daily ride-along + field checklist sign-offs run continuously, Weeks 1–6 Core skills Diagnostics Smart irrigation specialty
Certification Path — Mixed-Track Entry NEW HIRE no irrigation background EXPERIENCED HIRE landscape / irrigation experience TEST-OUT GATE (Day 1–2) Written exam ≥ 90% per module + practical demo, Modules 2–5 only CORE TRACK — Modules 1–7 Safety · Fundamentals · Heads · Drip · Valves · Electrical · Line repair Weeks 1–4 · quiz ≥ 80% + field checklist per module MANDATORY FOR ALL TRACKS — Modules 1, 6, 8, 9, 10 Safety · Electrical diagnostics · ★ Smart Irrigation (SmartLink, flow, fertigation) · Water management · Jobber & documentation No test-out — every Eco Verde tech certifies on these FIELD DEMONSTRATION LOG ~55 supervised repairs & procedures across all modules each signed off by trainer — see Repair Demonstration Matrix FINAL CERTIFICATION DAY (Week 6) Comprehensive written exam (50 q, ≥ 80%) + 5-station practical → Eco Verde Certified Irrigation Technician BEYOND: IA Certified Irrigation Technician (CIT) program maps to IA CIT domains — techs may sit the national exam fail any module → joins core track there pass → skip to Week 3

02The ten modules

M1

Orientation, Safety & the Service TruckALL TRACKS

Week 1 · CIT: job safety, locates, excavation

Heat-illness rules for 115° field work, AZ 811 locates, valve-box wildlife, PPE, and the stocked truck.

Sign-offs: 3 truck inspections · heat drill · 811 walkthrough · safe box-opening ×5
M2

Irrigation Fundamentals & HydraulicsTEST-OUT

Week 1 · CIT domains 1 + 3

System anatomy meter→heads, static vs dynamic pressure, friction loss, pipe & fittings, perfect glue joints, meter leak isolation.

Sign-offs: 2 site walks · 3 gauge readings · 5 solvent welds · 2 slip-fix · 2 meter isolations
M3

Spray Heads, Rotors & RisersTEST-OUT

Week 2 · CIT: sprinklers, nozzles, precip rates

Head family mapped to RK kits, matched precipitation, arc/radius mastery incl. Falcon 6504s, head-level diagnosis.

Repairs: 5 heads · 5 nozzles · 3 swing/risers · 3 rotors · 1 cap-off
M4

Drip & Micro-IrrigationTEST-OUT

Week 2 · CIT: microirrigation mechanics

Control-zone kits, PC emitters by plant type, ¼" line repair, the flush rule, and reading a dying bed.

Repairs: 10 emitters · 3 dripline · 3 filters · 1 zone kit · 2 bubblers · 1 multi-port
M5

ValvesTEST-OUT

Week 3 · CIT: valve operation & troubleshooting

How diaphragm valves work, the bleed-screw diagnostic, rebuild vs replace, and finding the stuck valve behind an MV-flow alert.

Repairs: 2 solenoids · 2 diaphragms · 1 valve replacement · 1 valve box · stuck-valve drill
M6

Wiring & Electrical DiagnosticsALL TRACKS

Weeks 3–4 · CIT domain 2 (~30% of the exam)

Multimeter method (20–60 Ω good · OL open · <10 Ω short), waterproof splices, wire tracking, two-wire decoders & surge arrestors.

Sign-offs: 5 panel diagnoses · 3 splices · 2 wire traces · 1 decoder · lost-valve locate
M7

Leak Location, Lateral & Mainline Repair

Week 4 · CIT: leak ID, excavation, startup

Reading wet spots and GPM history, clean excavation, lateral repair standard, assisted mainline work with slow recharge.

Repairs: 2 laterals ½–¾" · 1 lateral 1–2" · 1 mainline (assist) · 3 leak classifications
M8

★ Smart Irrigation TechnologiesSPECIALTY · ALL TRACKS

Week 5 · beyond the CIT — this is the Eco Verde difference

Our sites run Weathermatic SmartLink: controllers that measure their own flow, shut down on faults, and report to the cloud the office reads each morning. Certified techs work with that system — verify its alerts, diagnose from its data, and close the loop so the data proves the repair.

8A · Smart controllersSL series + SmartLink portal, Events Log, flow table, Receive discipline
8B · ProgrammingZone setup, ET auto-adjust, cycle-soak, flow limits, program-stopped recognition
8C · Alerts & workflowFull triage: 0.0 = no data, confirm with live GPM, the two note-writing laws
8D · Flow sensors & MVMV Check row, learn-flow after hardware changes, stuck-valve isolation
8E · Fertigation tanksService procedure, injection rates, RP backflow rule, fertilizer-only scope
Sign-offs: Weathermatic certification courses · 5 alert verifications · 5 zone-test cycles · 3 controllers programmed · 2 fertigation services · 3 loop-closes
M9

Water Management & Desert SchedulingALL TRACKS

Weeks 5–6 · CIT: soil-plant-water

ET in plain language, the 1-2-3 root-depth rule, catch-cup audits, AZ backflow rules (certified-tester requirement).

Sign-offs: 3 probe assessments · 1 catch-cup audit · 2 schedule reviews · 2 backflow IDs
M10

Professionalism, Jobber & CertificationALL TRACKS

Week 6 · Eco Verde operations + finals

The visit lifecycle, the Found / Did / Where / Verified note standard that writes the invoice, photos, conduct — then the finals.

Finals: 50-question written (≥80%) + 5-station practical → certified, solo dispatch

03The flow-alert triage every tech must own

Module 8C's core skill — the same logic the office uses to create alert jobs. Techs who know it read job notes as instructions, verify faults with live GPM, and never chase a stale alert.

SmartLink Flow-Alert Triage — is the alert real? (Module 8C) Controller shows active flow fault(s) High Flow · Low Flow · Excessive Deficit in Events Log 1 · RECEIVE — pull fresh data from the controller then open the flow table (all zones + MV Check) 2 · Check MASTER VALVE current GPM first MV should read 0 with no zones running MV > 0 → STUCK VALVE water moving with all zones off — dispatch immediately, skip zone tests on this controller > 0 3 · Read each alerted zone's CURRENT AVG GPM compare against the zone's low / high flow limits (limits set to OFF → Weathermatic fake alert, ignore) MV = 0 Non-zero GPM outside limits = CONFIRMED FAULT → Jobber job with reading, limits, and "look for" guidance OUT OF LIMITS 4 · GPM is 0.0 or blank = NO DATA, not "no leak" the zone simply hasn't run recently — the alert is unverified either way → run a live test 0.0 / blank Non-zero GPM inside limits = STALE ALERT — zone recovered. No job. Note & dismiss. IN LIMITS 5 · 2-MINUTE MANUAL ZONE TEST via SmartLink wait 2.5–3 min → Receive → re-read flow table still 0.0? one more Receive, then stop Test reads inside limits alert was stale — no job. Never write "test found nothing" into a job note. OK Test reads outside limits = CONFIRMED → Jobber job. Still 0.0 after 2 Receives = unconfirmed, but Excessive Deficit still gets a job FAULT Special cases the tech must know: • EXCESSIVE DEFICIT = zone repeatedly shut down by its own fault over days → always dispatch-worthy; find the original High/Low Flow event so the tech knows what to look for. • PROGRAM STOPPED = no zone on the controller has run for 2+ days → critical escalation to the office (controller/power/comm failure), not a per-zone repair. • SLW weather-station faults and Aircard comm errors are real dispatches (sensor wiring / antenna & SIM) — never dismissed. Pump/MV Shutdown and MV Two-Wire No Comm are noise.

04Repair demonstration requirements

Certification requires 58 signed repair demonstrations. Each maps to the RK repair kit it bills as — trainees learn the repair and its paperwork as one skill. "Assist" = trainee hands-on under direct supervision.

RepairQtyModuleBills as
Spray head replacement5M3RK – Replace 4" Sprayhead (MPR / Rotating)
Nozzle select, install & arc set5M3RK – Replace Sprayhead/Rotor Nozzle
Swing/riser assembly3M3RK – Replace Broken ½"–1" Swing/Riser Assembly
Rotor replacement + adjustment3M3RK – Replace ¾" / 1" Rotor (incl. Falcon 6504)
Cap-off removed head1M3RK – Cap-off Sprinkler
Drip emitter replacement10M4RK – Replace Emitter
¼" dripline repair + flush3M4RK – Repair Dripline ¼" Tubing
Filter screen service3M4(service)
Control-zone kit replacement1M4RK – Replace Control Zone Kit
Bubbler replacement2M4RK – Replace Bubbler
Multi-port outlet1M4RK – Multi-Port Outlet
Valve solenoid replacement2M5RK – Replace Valve Solenoid (Commercial)
Valve diaphragm rebuild2M5RK – Replace Valve Diaphragm (Commercial)
Full valve replacement1M5RK – Replace 1"–2" Valve (Commercial)
Valve box replacement1M5RK – Replace Valve Box
Quick-coupling valve service (assist)1M5RK – Replace Quick Coupling Valve
Waterproof direct-burial splice3M6RK – Repair Low Voltage Wire/Splice
Wire-fault locate with tracker2M6(diagnostic)
Two-wire decoder replacement (assist)1M6RK – Replace Two-Wire Decoder
Lateral line repair ½"–¾"2M7RK – ½"–¾" Lateral Line Repair
Lateral line repair 1"–2"1M7RK – 1"–2" Lateral Line Repair
Mainline repair (assist)1M7RK – Mainline Repair (size class)
Fertigation tank service2M8(service program)
Backflow identification & isolation2M9(testing requires certified tester)
Plus the platform & diagnostic sign-offs: 5 multimeter panel diagnoses · 5 SmartLink alert verifications · 5 two-minute zone-test cycles · 3 controllers programmed from scratch · 3 supervised solo-standard Jobber visits — full checklists are in each module of the manual.

05Assessment structure

Per module

  • Written quiz — 8–12 questions, pass ≥80% (≥90% at a test-out gate). May be given orally, in Spanish, by a bilingual trainer.
  • Field checklist — every demonstration initialed by the trainer, one box per clean execution. Sign-offs are earned, not attended.

Final certification (Week 6)

  • Written — 50 questions from all module banks, ≥80%.
  • Practical — 5 stations: head & lateral repair · valve & electrical diagnosis · SmartLink alert triage · programming & fertigation · documentation.
  • Then — certificate, pay-tier review, solo dispatch; IA CIT exam sponsored at ~6 months / 1,000 hrs (English or Spanish).

06Video curriculum

Every module has a recording outline in the manual — 52 episodes, ~6 hours, one skill per video, ≤10 minutes, English + Spanish subtitles. Shooting priority: Module 8 series → multimeter bootcamp (6.2) → valve cutaway (5.1) → spray head (3.1) → lateral repair (7.4) — those five cover 80% of daily work.

07External resources that plug in

Required & national

Free curricula & references

Phoenix-local

Specialty