Droughts and an increasing emphasis on saving water has clients taking a closer look at their irrigation systems to make sure that water is being efficiently applied. Irrigation breakdowns often go undetected.
Proper irrigation design, installation and then, maintenance determines how efficient and uniform the water application is. These three processes have a significant impact on over or underwatering your landscape. So, identifying problems early helps limit breakdowns and maintain quality playing conditions.
Benefits of Irrigation System Maintenance:
- Water conservation.
- Prevent catastrophic failures.
- Reduced energy consumption.
- Maintain irrigation efficiency.
- Prolong the life of an irrigation system and reduces long-term costs.
Irrigation components have a finite life span. In general, an irrigation system preventive maintenance program involves the observation, adjustment and maintenance at regular intervals of sprinklers, valves, controllers and other components.
Irrigation System Maintenance Activities
- Daily maintenance involves checking for wet and dry areas, monitoring the pump system and checking the central controller to ensure it is properly programmed.
- Weekly maintenance often includes observing sprinkler operation to make sure they are properly rotating and that there are no leaks or clogged nozzles.
- Less-frequent but important jobs include semiannual pump system maintenance and raising and leveling sprinklers.
So, for you, the homeowner- some simple tips can help you get the most out of your system:
Tip 1: Do Clean Your Sprinkler Heads
Sprinkler nozzle/head issues when left unattended can be quite costly to repair. Clogged, misaligned, or broken heads should certainly be cleaned and fixed. Soil, grass and other debris can build up around the heads and affect spray patterns. Ensure that all nozzles pop up and then retract when the water is turned off.
Tip 2: Check for Leaks
Walk through your landscape while the system is running and look for water pooling on the surface or water spraying where it shouldn’t.
Flag the leak and either fix it yourself or call an irrigation professional to conduct an audit. Additionally, a leak detection system picks up all leaks, even those that aren’t visible.
Tip 3: Look for Misting
High pressure is a problem that causes sprinkler heads to mist. This means that water doesn’t get to the landscape.
You can adjust the flow control on the solenoid valve for that zone or ask your irrigation professional to check the water pressure for you.
Tip 4: Look for overspray
Sprinklers pointed towards walls and hardscapes miss the landscape and waste water. Look for sprinklers that overspray or spray water onto areas outside the landscape. In most cases, you can turn the nozzle to face the correct direction, or flag it for a pro to fix.
Tip 5: Make Schedule Adjustments
Plant water needs change with the season, and so should your irrigation schedule. If you use a weather-based controller, it should be set to weather based mode. If it’s a timer, you should have a seasonal schedule to follow. Follow the manufacturer instructions to set the controller or contact an irrigation professional is