After a successful installation, your irrigation system should deliver the right amount of water at the right times to ensure you have a healthy and beautiful landscape. But if your lawn sprinkler system isn’t working properly, you may end up killing your grass, flooding your yard, and experiencing a variety of other unwanted complications. To help you determine if you need irrigation repairs, here are 5 signs that your yard is equipped with a faulty sprinkler system.

5 Signs You Need Irrigation Repair

1. Excessively Wet Grass

Too much water on your lawn can prevent proper root growth and kill your grass. If there’s too much moisture, soil erosion may eventually occur as well. This problem often occurs due to issues with the automated system—such as improper zoning or excessively long run times. Your system might also not be equipped to shut down when it rains.  

2. Dry Grass

Dry grass means your lawn is not getting any or enough water. In some cases, this issue is related to poor programming—such as short run times and bad zoning. However, it may also indicate a blockage within the lawn sprinkler system. To determine if a pipe is clogged, look to the sprinkler heads near the dry patches and observe their spray patterns. If the spray is blocked, the head may need to be cleaned or a clog within the pipe may need to be removed.

3. Flooded Sidewalks

Flooded sidewalks and driveways are more than just a nuisance, as they can also result in wasteful water use and high utility bills. Usually, this problem can be fixed either by adjusting your system’s spray pattern, changing to a different sprinkler head or repairing broken pipe or sprinkler head.

4. Bubbling Lawns

If an irrigation pipe leaks water, the excess moisture may separate the turf from the soil and create an unusual bubble appearance in your yard. This is going to require an excavation, probably, somewhere near the center of the bubble. Prepare yourself; it is going to be messy. You are probably looking for a broken pipe, broken fitting or separated fitting. Once identified, make the repair, replace and tamp soil and put sod back on top.

5. Inactive Sprinkler Heads

Sprinkler heads should always emit water during the times that they are programmed to run. If you spot inactive or low-performing heads, there’s a good chance that those heads aren’t getting enough water pressure. Without enough pressure, sprinkler heads—especially pop-ups—won’t be able to engage correctly. If the problem is only one head or only part of a zone, look for a leak, restriction or clogged pipe. If the problem is an entire zone, check that electric control valve. But it is still possible that the problem is a leak or restriction. If the problem is the entire system, check the main shutoff valve. Also check that the pressure supplied to the house hasn’t dropped since the original installation. If the water supply has changed, a booster pump may be the answer.

If you’re spotting any of these problems with your lawn sprinkler system, Irrigation Tech has the resources to protect your landscape. Providing irrigation repair throughout Rochester, NY, this company can quickly identify problem areas and deliver swift assistance to restore the system’s flow. If your current irrigation isn’t right for you, this team also offers versatile sprinkler system installation to ensure your grass is watered in the best fashion. Visit this specialist online to learn more about their automatic watering systems or call (585) 225-0380 to request help from a trusted pro.