Sprinkler System Troubleshooting Guide

As the summer heat hits you may notice dry or yellow patches in your lawn. You may ask yourself, why? You'll turn up the water or water more often. And still you have brown patches in the lawn. Here are some common causes to watering woes.

Sprinkler heads.

Sprinkler heads can have many things go wrong with them. The next time you have a few minutes to spare, turn on you sprinklers and have a good look at each sprinkle head. You need to know what type of sprinklers your system uses. The two most common category are: rotors and sprays(adjusting them depends on it. A good sprinkler system always has "head-to-head" coverage. This means that the spray from a given head will reach the heads near it. If your sprinkles are not getting head-to-head coverage you will need to at least adjust your settings(water pressure, spray distance). At worst you will need to replace the heads or even the system. Be careful adjusting settings, don't go 25% past the factory recommended settings. In most cases this will void the warranty; it could also cause damage to the system. The heads could also be buried too deep. This will cause retraction problems if dirt or debris get into the head. It could also mean that the head can't get high enough to spray effectively. While you are checking to see if the head is at the right depth check if it is angled; this can also cause irregular spray patterns. Next check the direction that the sprinklers are spraying. Make sure you are not watering your pavement instead of your lawn. Last but not least, check the heads for debris clogging them up. You can get a fingernail brush to clean it, or your fingernail for that matter.

Watering times.

What time of the day do you water? The worst time to water is during the day. The daylight hours have the highest evaporation rates. The lawn also does not drink as deeply during the day. Don't water in the evening either. The water will just sit. It also causes disease and fungal problems. The best time to water is in the early morning hours, just before dawn. The lawn drinks the deepest during this part of the day. The water does not sit, and doesn't evaporate before the lawn can use it.

Sprinkler lines.

If your sprinkler lines have burst your water pressure will decrease. You lawn will become boggy, and eventually you will get sink-holes. You can get a repair kit at most hardware stores. It is very easy to repair, just read and follow the instructions.

Check your system every spring to find problems before damage is caused. Proper maintenance will keep your system running smooth. Also don't hesitate to call a professional to fix or tune up your system.