If you rely on a sprinkler system to water your lawn in the summer, you’ll have to perform some maintenance in the spring to make sure that everything is working correctly. That can help you avoid damaging the sprinkler system, wasting water and driving up your water bills.
Check the Ground
Before you inspect your sprinkler system, make sure that the ground has thawed. If you run water through the sprinklers when the soil is still partially frozen, the system can get damaged.
Inspect Each Part of the Sprinkler System
Check every part of your sprinkler system for blockages and signs of damage. Take your time and go over the system in a structured way so you don’t miss anything. Remove any dirt, stones and other foreign objects that might cause blockages or damage parts.
Inspect all the components for signs of damage. That includes the sprinkler heads, hoses, drip emitters, drip lines, filter screen, backflow prevention device and pipes, if you have access to them.
Straighten out any components that have gotten bent and replace any damaged components. Consult the manufacturer’s website or seek help from a professional if you have questions or can’t fix a problem yourself.
Reconnect any parts that you disconnected in the fall. If your sprinkler system has a battery-powered timer, check the batteries and replace them if needed. Make sure that the date and time are correct so your sprinklers will turn on and off when you want them to.
Test the Sprinkler System
Once you’ve inspected your sprinkler system, taken care of any damage and reconnected all the components, you can begin testing the system. Turn on the water at a low pressure, then open the valves one by one, starting with the valve that’s farthest from the water source. Slowly increase the water pressure, open the other valves and look for any signs of a problem.
Use a pressure gauge to measure the pressure inside the pipes. If the pressure is higher than it should be, that can indicate that there’s a blockage. If the pressure is too low, that’s a sign that there’s a leak somewhere.
If you’ve done all of this and everything seems to be in order, you can test the sprinkler system as a whole. Make sure that all the sprinkler heads are opening and directing water where it’s supposed to go so you don’t waste water and money. If necessary, adjust the sprinkler heads so water doesn’t hit your house, land on your driveway or run into the street.
