HOW TO SPOT AND STOP SPRINKLER INEFFICIENCIES · Your sprinkler heads/nozzles may need to be If...

HOW TO SPOT AND STOP SPRINKLER INEFFICIENCIES

Broken Heads and/or Nozzles

Clogged Nozzles and/or Filters

Tilted and Sunken Heads

Your sprinkler heads/nozzles may need to be adjusted if any of the following is occurring: •Brownspots •Standingwater •Incorrectspraypattern •Ifthewipersealisleaking •Ifthestem,cap,nozzleormainbodyarecracked •Iftheheadhasbeendisconnectedfromthe

lateral pipe •Ifthestemswillnotextendorretract •Ifthenozzlehasbrokenoff

Cloggednozzlesandfiltersareveryeasytospotand clean. The only sign of a clogged nozzle or filterisagapinthespraypattern.

Tiltedandsunkenheadspreventproperwateringas surrounding turf begins to block the spray. As soil shiftsovertime,headswillnaturallybegintosinkand/or tilt. Heads should be inspected on a regular basisandstraightenedorraisedasnecessary.Ifanyofthefollowingisoccurring,youmayhaveatiltedor sunken head: •Flattenedgrassinacircularpattern •Headsthatarevisiblyleaning •Brownspotsthatindicatepoorcoverage

How toSpot:

How toStop:

Ifthenozzleisbroken, youcanfixitbydoingthefollowing: •Pulluptheriser •Unscrewtheold

nozzle •Replaceitwitha

nozzle that has the correct arc and distance of spray.

Forbrokenheads,itis often easier to replace the entire body.

To clean clogged parts: •Pulluptheriser

* make sure to secure it with a gentle clamp to preventitfromretractingintothehead

•Unscrewandremovethenozzleandfilterfrom the stem.

•Cleanthefilterorremovedebrisfromthenozzle

Ifeitherpartistoowornorcloggedwithparticles,replacetheentirenozzleand/orfilter.

To repair a tilted head: 1.Digaroundthehead,removingthesoil. 2.Straightentheheadandreplacethesoil,

compactingitasyoubackfillthehole.To repair a sunken head: 1. Dig up the soil around the head 2.a)Back-fillunder/aroundthebasetoreturn

soil to normal heightOR b) Add a longer riser to the base of the sprin-

kler toensurethetopoftheheadislevel

Nozzle

RiserWiper SealCap

Body

Inlet

Soil level

Properly Functioning Nozzle

Clogged Nozzle

Mixed Heads

High Pressure

Mainlineandlateralleaksexhibitthesamesignswhenthereisaninefficiencyorbreak.Ifanyofthefollowingisoccurring,youmayhaveamainline or lateral leak:

•Poolingwater •Flowingwater •Soft“squishy”areas •“Sunken”areas

•Differenttypesofheadsonthesamezone For example, having a fixed spray head

and a rotary nozzle in the same zone

Mainlinesfeedthecontrolvalvesandarealwaysunder pressure. A break in a mainline will cause watertoleakataveryhighvolumeuntilthesystem has been manually shut down. A mainline break can waste hundreds of gallons per minute.

Lateral linesrunfromvalvestosprinklerheadsandareonlypressurizedwhenthatspecificzoneisoperating.Ifbroken,highvolumesofwatercanbewasted each time that zone turns on. Lateral line breaks often go unnoticed.

All line breaks need to be repaired immediately. Contacting a professional is recommended.

Havingmixedheadsisanissuebecauseeachtypeofsprinklerrequiresdifferentlengthsoftimeto apply the appropriate amount of water. This leads tothesprinklerheadseitheroverwateringor underwatering your grass.

Replace the necessary sprinkler heads to ensure all of the heads in one zone are the same.

How toSpot:

How toStop:

Incorrect Arc and/or Radius

Broken Mainline or Lateral Leaks

•Mistingwhileon–lookfortherainboweffect •Overspray–thisiscausedbyfinewaterspray

blowing away in wind

The arc of a sprinkler nozzle is the degree of a circlethespraycovers.Theradius is how far from the head the nozzle sprays. Check for the following signs that your arc or radius may be incorrect: •Overspray •Evidencethatsomepartsofthelawnarenot

getting enough water

Ifyoursprinklersareexperiencingproblemsduetohighpressure,makesureyoureplace the whole head with a new one that has built-in pressure regulation.

Asprinklers’arcmaysprayinquartercircles,halfcircles,two-thirdscircles,fullcirclesorthearcmay be adjustable. Replace where appropriate. This only applies to fixed spray heads.The radius can be adjusted down from the factory specifieddistance,but by no more than 25%. This only applies to rotor heads.

Fixed Head Rotary Nozzle

MainlineLateral

Radius Adjustment Screw

Obstructed Spray

How toSpot:

How toStop:

Inappropriate Head Height

Misdirected Heads

•Anyobstructionoftheintendedspraypattern.

•Thisincludesbushes,treebranches,new structuresintheyard(playgroundequipment isacommonone),grasslength,etc.

Itisrecommendedtohaveaminimumpop-upheightof4inchesforallturfareas,6incheswhenadjacenttostreetsand12inchesingroundcover/perennialbeds. Look for the following signs that your sprinkler head may be at an inappropriate height:

•Waterpoolingaroundthehead •Brownspotsonthegrassduetounderwatering •Ifyourheadis2incheshighorless

•Whenasprinklerheadisnolongersprayinginthe direction it was intended to.

Removeanythingthatiscausinganobstruction.

Replacethesprinklerheadsoitcanreachthe recommended height:

•4inchesforallturfareas •6incheswhenadjacenttostreets •12inchesingroundcover/perennialbeds

Insomecasesthesprinkler’sstemratchetingfeature (mostly found in rotors) is worn out and willnolongerholdthesteminplace.Ifitisstillingoodworkingcondition,theheadcanbeadjusted.Youcandothefollowingtofixthisproblem.

•Iftheratchetingfeatureisnolongerholdingthesteminplace,youneedtoreplacethehead.

•Forsprayheadswithvariablearcnozzles,thesecan be adjusted by twisting at the top of the nozzle until it is corrected.

Incorrect Correct