A sprinkler company should text customers several weeks before the local average first fall frost, so blowout appointments are booked before the first hard freeze. The bottom line: set one target date per service area, store it on each customer, and let GoHighLevel send the booking messages on schedule. If your area's window is already open, run the workflow this week.
What the sources say about timing
Irrigation manufacturers agree on the deadline. Hunter Industries says blowout should happen every year before the first freeze in regions where frost extends below the depth of the piping, and that water left in a backflow assembly can damage its internal parts and crack the brass body. An irrigation contractor's article in a Michigan State turf archive explains why: water expands by about one eleventh when it freezes, so roughly 11 cubic feet of water forms 12 cubic feet of ice. Rain Bird adds that above ground valves and backflow preventers should be insulated.
The date is local. Rachio points to frost date calculators that use 20 years of average temperatures to estimate the first fall freeze, and says the freeze can come before or after that date. A Colorado irrigation contractor says northern Colorado should winterize between late September and mid October, reports that Erie saw its first hard freeze on October 18 in 2024, and says blowout appointments fill by mid October. That is one contractor's local record, but it shows why a company should not wait for the weather.
The schedule
| When | Message | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Six weeks before the customer's target date | Invitation with a booking link | Text and email |
| Three weeks before | Reminder to customers who have not booked | Text |
| One week before | Call task for unbooked customers | Task for the office |
The six week start is our recommendation, based on contractors saying October fills quickly. Adjust it to how many blowouts your crew can do per day.
Build it in GoHighLevel
- Look up the average first fall frost for each of your service areas with a frost date calculator.
- Create a date field on the contact called Winterization target date. Fill it with the average first fall frost date for that customer's area, minus about three weeks to leave a buffer.
- In Automation, create a new workflow and add the Custom Date Reminder trigger.
- Select the target date field and add Before Number of Days set to 42.
- Add Send SMS with your calendar booking link and Send Email with the same link.
- Add a Goal Event for a booked appointment so booked customers skip the reminders.
- Publish, then build the 21 day workflow with a second text and the 7 day workflow with an Add Task action.
- Every spring, use Update Contact Field or a bulk edit to move each target date to the next year.
Text to send
Hi [first name], it is [company]. Your sprinkler system at [service address] needs to be blown out before the first hard freeze. Book your time here: [booking link]. Freezing water can crack pipes and the backflow assembly.
What the workload looks like
For example, if one crew can blow out 12 systems a day and you have 600 customers, that is 50 crew days (600 divided by 12), or ten working weeks. If the first hard freeze can arrive in mid October, the invitations have to go out well before then, and that is why a six week head start is a practical minimum rather than an early start. Your own crew capacity changes the numbers, so use your real daily count.
Mistakes to avoid
- One date for the whole region. Frost dates differ by area and elevation. Assign a target date per customer.
- Forgetting spring. Winterization is followed by startup. Add a spring reminder so the account keeps its rhythm.
- Not skipping booked customers. A goal step keeps customers who booked from getting more reminders. Test it with a test contact.
- Ignoring the backflow assembly. Hunter Industries says freezing water can damage it, so include it in the message and in the service checklist.
Check before you switch it on
US text messages sent from a standard 10 digit number need A2P 10DLC registration. The HighLevel support portal says registration is required for texts to US recipients from 10 digit long code numbers and that toll free numbers do not require it. HighLevel's opt in guidelines also say a person cannot be forced to agree to text messages in order to submit a form, so keep the consent box optional. One compliance guide separates informational texts, which need documented consent, from marketing texts, which need prior express written consent. Ask your attorney which category your reminders fall into. Sprinkler accounts are often in a spouse's or a property manager's name, so confirm who books the service before you text. This is general information, not legal advice.
Questions people ask
Why not just send one message in October?
Contractors report that appointments fill by mid October in some areas, and a hard freeze can arrive before then, so an earlier invitation gives customers time to book.
What temperature counts as a hard freeze?
Sources define it differently. One irrigation guide uses 28 degrees Fahrenheit for several hours, so use your local frost date and your crew's judgment.
Do I need a separate workflow per area?
Not if each customer has their own target date. The trigger works from the date on the record.
Ready to try it yourself? Start a GoHighLevel account here.
You can also see this in action in our GoHighLevel capabilities demo.