January 26 - 30, 2026REGISTRATION DEADLINE DATE: FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2026
Effective March 17, 2014 all individuals certified as Landscape Irrigation Contractors are required to obtain 16 Continuing Education Credits (CECs) to renew their license, with at least 8 CECs in water conservation topics and 2 CECs in NJ business law & building codes.
WINTER TECH COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2026 - IN-PERSON CLASSES AT SITE ONE IN EATONTOWN, NJ
Dripline Installation: Design Considerations and Methods for Various Situations
- 8:00am – 12:00pm
- Instructor: John Raffiani
- 4.0 CECs (Water Conservation)
- IANJ Members = $120/Non-Members = $240
Description (click to read more)
Description: A course for the beginner to intermediate contractor or installer covering hedges, hills, planting beds and turf. This course will review the benefits, advantages, disadvantages and differences of dripline irrigation, as well as how water moves in different soils. Attendees will learn the design basics and how to correctly program by soil type, soil intake rate and precipitation rate.
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LUNCH WILL BE PROVIDED FOR INDIVIDUALS ATTENDING MORNING AND AFTERNOON SESSIONS
Seasonal Water Allocation by Site Using ET, Crop Coefficients and Scheduling Adjustments
- 1:00pm – 3:00pm
- Instructor: John Raffiani
- 2.0 CECs (Water Conservation)
- IANJ Members = $60/Non-Members = $120
Description (click to read more)
Description: When you design an irrigation system knowing how much water it potentially needs during the watering season is information your client would like to know-and so would you. In this course we will cover how to accurately allocate water to a given area and calculate the amount used using ET, crop coefficients, effective rainfall and precipitation rates. By working through two site examples, we will determine consumption totals and dollar costs to run the systems. Water is expensive. Knowing the costs in advance will set you apart from the competition when you see actual consumption.
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Plant and Soil based Scheduling for Water Conservation
- 3:15pm – 5:15pm
- Instructor: John Raffiani
- 2.0 CECs (Water Conservation)
- IANJ Members = $60/Non-Members = $120
Description (click to read more)
Description: The objective of this course is to provide the contractor with the knowledge and terminology to determine a beneficial watering schedule based on multiple factors relating to plant materials and soil strata. Applying water is subject to many inputs and using horticultural knowledge coupled with sound irrigation scheduling practices is a must to not only conserve water but to also gain the trust of your clients. Learning to use fact based talking points in your everyday interactions with your clients will pay dividends going forward.
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TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2026 - VIRTUAL ZOOM CLASSES
The Basic Principles of Irrigation
- 12:00pm – 2:00pm
- Instructor: Ted Moriarty
- 2.0 CECs (Water Conservation)
- IANJ Members = $60/Non-Members = $120
Description (click to read more)
Description: A concise but instructive discussion of the fundamentals that are the key to quality irrigation system design and installation. Hydraulic and electrical principles, component sizing to control pressure, spacing and layout, precipitation rates and making the right equipment choices. No matter what the level of industry experience or technological advances, the principles never lose their importance.
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Advanced Electrical Troubleshooting - 3:00pm – 6:00pm
- Instructor: Craig Borland
- 3.0 CECs (General)
- IANJ Members = $90/Non-Members = $180
Description (click to read more)
Description: This class will discuss basic electrical troubleshooting, transformer troubleshooting, phasing issues and testing, grounding systems, battery systems troubleshooting and flow sensing troubleshooting.
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2026 - VIRTUAL ZOOM CLASSES
5 Simple Ways to Assess Irrigation Systems for Water Savings
- 12:00pm – 2:00pm
- Instructor: Ted Moriarty
- 2.0 CECs (Water Conservation)
- IANJ Members = $60/Non-Members = $120
Description (click to read more)
Description: Students will learn how to efficiently assess irrigation performance by focusing on 5 key elements that provide the professional contractor with the information required to solve irrigation system performance issues, equipment functionality, and more. Determine a range from easily addressed issues to the more difficult problems and how to recommend solutions for your customers with easy-to-understand action items. The result needs to be irrigation system efficiency, and accurate application of water.
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2026 - VIRTUAL ZOOM CLASSES
NJ Business Law & Building Codes Relating to Irrigation Contracting
- 3:00pm – 5:00pm
- Instructor: John Raffiani
- 2.0 CECs (NJ Business Law & Building Codes)
- IANJ Members = $60/Non-Members = $120
Description (click to read more)
Description: An in-depth review of the key points in our Licensing Act, building codes, permits, Consumer Affairs contract requirements, Home Improvement Contractors act (HIC) with recent updates (yes-they do apply to you!), utility mark outs, back flow testing and employee-related laws.
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2026 - VIRTUAL ZOOM CLASSES
Irrigation System Troubleshooting
- 12:00pm – 3:00pm
- Instructor: Craig Borland
- 3.0 CECs (General)
- IANJ Members = $90/Non-Members = $180
Description (click to read more)
Description: This class will introduce troubleshooting by looking at the irrigation system in three parts: Controller troubleshooting, field wiring troubleshooting and value troubleshooting.
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CRAIG BORLAND (Click to read about Craig)
Craig Borland has worked for Toro Irrigation/Irritrol for the past 31 years. During that time, he has managed the Controller Repair Department and the Service Center Repair program, and held positions as Warranty Administrator, Inside Sales rep, and is currently working as Field Service Manager in the Irrigation Division. Craig provides technical support for the Engineering, Legal, Technical Support and Marketing departments, and the Micro Division, among many others. He holds a B.S. in Fruit Science with a Minor in Ornamental Horticulture from Cal Poly–San Luis Obispo. He has taught classes for the Irrigation Association for the past 18 years, and serves on the IA Education Foundation Committee as a Subject Matter Expert.
TED MORIARTY (Click to read about Ted)
Ted Moriarty is beginning his 37th year in the irrigation industry. He has worked as a branch manager, sales manager and area manager in distribution. He has worked as sales representative for two major international irrigation equipment manufacturers. Ted now owns and operates Smart Watering Company, a Boston MA based irrigation consulting business specializing in water management issues, industry training and servicing and retrofitting residential and commercial irrigation systems. He holds IA Certifications in Design (commercial), Contractor, and Landscape Irrigation Auditor. Ted has been training industry professionals for nearly all his years in the industry. In 1998, he became an Irrigation Association instructor and developed and updated several IA classes. In addition to this, he has developed curriculum for and provides training for the licensing requirements in North Carolina, New Jersey and Connecticut. Ted also provides training for water purveyors and government agencies.
JOHN RAFFIANI (Click to read about John)
John Raffiani has been installing and servicing irrigation systems since 1966-more than 17,000 to date. His completed projects range from small residential systems up to 100-acre sites (in phases)-Homes, Shopping Centers, Corporate Office Parks, Athletic Fields and Condominiums in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Florida, Arizona and California. Along with irrigation maintenance and upgrades, installing large scale landscape and drainage projects for the HOA market is a specialty. John is a Licensed Irrigation Contractor in NJ, an IA Certified Irrigation Contractor, an IA Certified Irrigation Technician, a Certified Back Flow tester, an NDS Certified Drainage Contractor, a Rutgers Certified Fertilizer Applicator and an IA Regional Authorized Instructor. He has written and taught many Continuing Education Credit courses and Webinars for the National IA, the NJ Irrigation Association, the CICA, the MNLA and the NJLCA while remaining an active member of the IANJ, IA, NJLCA, NJTA and NE7WWA.
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