As a homeowner, maintaining your irrigation system is extremely important. It is your responsibility and now as we are approaching winter, it is a good time to conduct a zone by zone inspection of your system. Like any water system, it works under water pressure and when there are leaks, the system does not perform efficiently. When checking your system zone by zone, turn on the water and check for the following:
-to make sure zones are coming on (if not, it could be a clogged or broken valve).
-for breaks in the lines
-for leaks
-for heads that are raised and not flush with the ground
-drip irrigation to make sure it is covered with soil or mulch for protection from lawn equipment
-irrigation heads for clogged nozzles creating coverage problems
If you find problems make needed repairs so that your system is working properly to maintain your landscape. If you do not know how to make repairs, contact an irrigation company to make needed repairs. This inspection needs to be done annually.
When checking your irrigation system, make sure all valve boxes are flush with the ground to prevent damage during lawn maintenance.
As we approach winter, turn off your irrigation system. There is plenty of natural rainfall between October and May so you do not need irrigation to keep plants healthy. If there is an unusual year and rains are scarce and your yard is dry, turn you irrigation on and run but then turn it back off. Leaving your system in the off position, will prevent icing when running during periods of extreme cold. This icing can damage plants and causes walks and roadways to be a danger to pedestrians and cars.
By keeping your system in working condition, you will avoid plant damage and water waste due to leaks and excessive watering. This means more $$ in your pocket.