Repair / Maintenance

1. Find your water meter and ensure it is not turning.
2. Go to your irrigation timer and turn on a zone, then look at your water meter. If the water meter is turning you know there is water going to that zone.  You can repeat for all zones to ensure they are all working.
3. After you have confirmed that the irrigation system is working electronically via the timer, you can then turn on each zone and check to ensure the zone is functioning properly.

They can last about 20 years.  Over the past few years, the technology of irrigation systems has changed substantially, and by upgrading your irrigation timer to a Wi-Fi smart timer you can extend the life of your sprinkler system.  With these timers, your system will run less when the weather is cold and wet, thus causing less wear and tear on the components.

The other thing that can extend the lifespan is having an irrigation professional install or adjust it using best practices.  An improperly built sprinkler system will start costing you money from day one and will not last as long.

In most cases, you look and listen. Look for water bubbling up, or try to hear it in areas where you have seen a loss in pressure. Another great way to find leaks is during the fall blowout. Air will blow out of the leak and will be pretty easy to find. During any service call, such as a blowout or a spring activation, you can ask your irrigation professional to look for leaks and document any areas of concern.

Yes, if the mainline to the irrigation system is still open. Simply turning off the timer may not suffice. If there is any debris stuck in one of the control valves, water will continually weep out of the lowest head on the zone (typically). Often, we get calls from clients saying a sprinkler is leaking because water will not stop dripping from it. Really, it is the control valve that’s leaking, not the sprinklers. Regardless, if you suspect your system is wasting water, it’s best to close the primary shutoff valve (usually located inside your house on the irrigation mainline) and call a professional.