It’s easy to turn on the sprinkler system at your home and you can easily turn them on yourself, right? Wrong! A common misconception among homeowners is that a spring start up for a sprinkler system is “just turning on the valve”. On the contrary, Pacific Lawn Sprinklers has detailed, proven, and systematic irrigation procedures that must be followed to ensure your sprinkler system is operating at its best.

The winter months can be very hard on your underground sprinkler system. It is extremely important that the ground is no longer frozen before performing a spring start up. Pacific Lawn Sprinklers will follow a 10 point checklist at your sprinkler turn on to ensure your system is operating efficiently and correctly. Our trained irrigation technicians will SLOWLY open the supply valves and pressurize the supply lines and water mains. This step, although it seems minute is imperative. The reason is because you can cause a huge water hammer by turning the water on too quickly. This can also cause fittings to burst and sprinkler heads to crack and pop out of their casings. All valves must be opened slowly and the main lines must be given enough time to fully pressurize.

Pacific Lawn Sprinklers will also perform a complete visual inspection of the main lines, backflow devices, and valve manifolds. To the untrained eye, a small leak can be overlooked, but can cause wasted water and increased water bills! Your technician will also energize each individual zone and check the sprinkler heads, risers, drip irrigation lines or emitters on each zone for proper operation and spray direction. Each area must be reviewed for proper coverage and the correct performance pressure. Small adjustments are usually necessary due to new plantings, shrub growth, or landscape alterations. Common repairs after the winter months include the replacement of clogged nozzles, lateral line repairs for leaks, and recalibration for defective solenoid valves. Other components of the sprinkler system will also need to be checked for proper operation- such as your automatic rain sensor, electric control valves, and control wiring. These repairs, if overlooked can be costly and can cause much more monetary damage than the cost of a spring turn on.

It is also important to make sure your irrigation controller is set correctly. If you are not familiar with your controller, we strongly suggest you do not touch it! The reason is because you can mistakenly create multiple start times, leading your irrigation system to come on multiple times a day. This can lead to over-watering and flooding. For most systems, the early morning (anywhere from 2am to 7am) is the best time to water the lawn because the air is cooler, the sun will be rising shortly, and there is usually less wind. In the middle of the day, water evaporates too quickly because of the sun, and in the evenings, water can cling to the blades of grass overnight, which can cause fungus. Moreover, most homeowners and their families like to enjoy their yard in the late afternoon and night, and do not want to be sprayed from their lawn sprinklers!

If the above steps are not completed by a trained irrigation professional, you could be facing some costly repairs, so make the right choice and contact Pacific Lawn Sprinklers today! Pacific Lawn Sprinkler’s Service Department is ready to schedule your appointment! Please schedule an appointment conveniently online at www.pacificlawnsprinklers.com or give us a call at 888-438-7224.