If you're someone who prides themselves on having a big, green, beautiful lawn, then you should never underestimate just how important your home's irrigation system is. Most homes have a simple sprinkler system that delivers water to the grass and other plants in your yard, but because most of the parts in these systems are hidden, troubleshooting can be a bit tricky. If you're looking to fix an existing problem in your irrigation system, or simply want to educate yourself on preventative repair, take a look below at some troubleshooting tips.
Sprinkler Heads
One of the most frequent problems you're bound to run into with your irrigation system is with sprinkler heads. Sometimes they'll break and need to be replaced outright, but a more common issue is seeing the sprinkler head rise and then not release any water at all, or release water in a sort of haphazard spray pattern. Both things are usually indicative of sprinkler heads that have been clogged with dirt and other debris. To fix this, simply remove the sprinkler head from the riser and take off the basket filter. Then clean the filter (and the sprinkler head) thoroughly with water to ensure that there is no more clogging. After putting the sprinkler head back on the riser, you should see operations return to normal.
Water Pressure
Another big problem homeowners often face with their irrigation system is low water pressure. This is almost always due to a leak somewhere in the system, which you can track down by looking for water seepage in your lawn's top soil. When you've located the leak, you'll want to dig down and then cut the broken part of the line off (make sure the system is off when you do this). Replace this now empty section with a slip coupling and you'll be good to go in a matter of minutes.
Water Usage
A final problem you may occasionally face is higher water bills that indicate an unusual amount of water use. If you're quite sure that there are no leaks in your sprinkler system, then the most likely culprit is your irrigation controller. Inspect the box to make sure that nothing about the watering schedule has changed -- sometimes it's remarkably easy for a single setting to be changed accidentally, which then results in excessive watering of your lawn when you're asleep or not at home.
For more sprinkler tips, contact a company like Lush N' Green.
