Spring is a great time to tune up your sprinkler system and get it ready for an efficient watering season. Just like a water heater, furnace or other appliance in your home, sprinkler systems need an annual tune up to keep them working properly.
Follow these five steps for a finely tuned sprinkler system:
- Turn on your sprinkler system one water zone (valve) at a time, and walk each zone
- Check for adequate water pressure. Pressure may be too high if you see “misting” (water that sprays into the air and drifts away) or if pop-up sprinklers don’t rise all the way. Pressure may be too low if you see water dribbling (instead of spraying) from sprinklers.
- Look for water-wasting problems such as:
- Sprinklers that water the sidewalks, street, fence, and any other area that shouldn’t be watered.
- “Geysers” — water shooting out of a broken sprinkler head.
- Water running off the lawn or planting bed and onto the pavement.
- Clogged spray nozzles with little or no water exiting sprinkler heads.
- Repair problems:
- Adjust misdirected and tilted sprinklers to water the lawn and not the sidewalk.
- Repair or replace damaged sprinkler heads and nozzles.
- Stop runoff by dividing your watering cycle into multiple shorter periods to allow better absorption.
- Clear out clogs in spray nozzles.
- Schedule your sprinkler timer according to the weather and your water provider’s guidelines. After all, if you set your timer once and let it run all season, you’ll both waste water and potentially hurt your plants.
