As lawns green up in spring, the sprinkler system usually comes back into regular use after a winter of light watering or none. A quick checkup finds problems before the summer heat makes them obvious.
1. Turn the water on slowly
If you shut off the irrigation for winter, open the valve slowly. Check that the backflow device ball valves and test cocks are in their normal positions.
2. Check the backflow device
Look and listen. Spray from the top or a crack means it needs repair. Close the shut-off and call. See backflow basics.
3. Do a meter test
With everything in the house off and the controller off, watch the meter’s leak indicator. If it moves, there may be a leak on the mainline.
4. Open the valve boxes
Clear out silt, needles and leaves. Watch for fire ants. See fire ants in valve boxes. Check that splices are dry and solid.
5. Run every zone and walk it
Look for:
- Heads that do not rise fully
- Geysers and bubbling
- Heads spraying onto concrete, walls or fences
- Heads blocked by grass or plants
- Zones that do not come on
6. Fix the heads
- Clear grass and needles around heads
- Clean clogged nozzles and screens
- Raise sunk heads and level tilted ones
- Replace broken heads with matching parts
- Re-aim heads that turned
7. Test the rain sensor
Make sure it is mounted, connected and not bypassed. Press the test button while a zone runs.
8. Check the controller
- Replace the backup battery
- Check date and time
- Delete unused programs
- Set a spring schedule with the seasonal adjustment lowered
See controller and rain sensor setup.
9. Flush drip lines
Open end caps, flush, and clean the filter.
10. Make a list
Write down anything you could not fix. That is what to hand a technician.
Common spring problems around here
- Freeze-cracked backflow devices after a cold winter
- Valve boxes full of silt and fire ants after winter rains
- Heads buried under pine needles and leaves
- Rain sensors knocked loose by winter storms
- Dead controller batteries and lost programs after power outages
- Lines cut during winter fence or landscape work
When to schedule it
The best time is just as the lawn starts actively growing and before you need regular watering, usually early to mid spring. That gives time to fix anything before the heat of late spring and summer.
Call us
If you want a full spring checkup, or found problems on your own walk-through, call (346) 627-2444.
Have a question this did not answer? Call (346) 627-2444 and ask. More articles on the blog.
