As the lawn wakes up in Dallas, usually some time in March or April, the sprinkler system wakes up too. Many systems sat mostly idle through the winter. Some went through a hard freeze. Now is the time to find problems, before the summer heat makes them obvious.
1. Turn the water on slowly
If you closed the irrigation shut-off for winter, open it slowly. A sudden rush of pressure can damage the backflow device or cause water hammer. Make sure the backflow device ball valves and test cocks are in the right position.
2. Check the backflow device
Watch and listen. Water spraying from the top or from a crack means it needs repair. Close the shut-off and call. See backflow preventer basics.
3. Check the meter
With the house off and the sprinkler controller off, look at the water meter’s leak indicator. If it moves, there may be a leak on the mainline, possibly from freeze damage.
4. Run each zone manually
Walk each zone while it runs. Look for:
- Heads that do not rise or rise only partway
- Geysers from broken heads or risers
- Water bubbling from the ground between heads
- Heads spraying onto pavement, walls or fences
- Heads blocked by grass, shrubs or new plants
- Zones that do not come on at all
5. Clean and adjust heads
- Clear grass and soil around heads
- Raise sunk heads to grade
- Re-aim heads that turned
- Clean or replace clogged nozzles
- Replace broken heads with matching type and nozzle
6. Test the rain and freeze sensor
Dallas requires them on automatic systems. Make sure the controller is not set to bypass. Press the test button or wet the sensor while a zone runs and confirm the zone stops. See rain and freeze sensors.
7. Check the controller
- Replace the backup battery if the controller uses one
- Check the date and time
- Delete old programs you do not use
- Confirm your two watering days and that every program finishes before 10 a.m.
8. Set a spring schedule
Spring needs less water than summer. Start with shorter run times or a lower seasonal percentage, and use cycle and soak on clay. Increase gradually as it gets hotter. See cycle and soak for Dallas clay.
9. Check beds and drip
Flush drip lines, clean the filter, and check that emitters reach plants that grew over the winter.
10. Make a list
Note anything you could not fix: zones that will not run, leaks, damaged backflow. That list is what you hand to a technician.
Common spring problems
- Freeze-cracked backflow devices after a cold winter
- Heads broken by winter yard work or holiday decoration stakes
- Dead controller batteries and lost programs
- Sensors left bypassed from the previous dry season
- Heads buried by fall leaves and mulch
Call us
If you want a full spring check, or found problems on your own walk-through, call 469-208-4222.
Have a question this did not answer? Call 469-208-4222 and ask. More articles on the blog.
