Seasonal Irrigation System Inspection Checklist

A properly functioning irrigation system is crucial for your yard's health, so it’s important to inspect it frequently. Missing valves, leak detection, and anything less than 100% irrigation are things to look out for because fixing them as soon as possible saves you money. That said, there are three specific times per year you need to inspect your system: at spring start-up, mid-season, and right before winter. Preparing your system for each season ensures a lower likelihood of necessary repairs.

Spring Start-Up Irrigation Inspection

Spring is a good time to inspect your irrigation system to ensure it’s ready for the season. But before you begin, check the last frost date for your area. Filling your sprinkler with water while the temperature is still cold can turn it all into ice, resulting in irrigation damage in various ways. When you’re in the clear, you can begin your visual inspection. Look for things like bent or broken sprinkler heads, cracked connectors and pipes, and debris in or around your system. Inspecting the main and drain valves and backflow preventers for damage or debris is also good practice. Before you turn anything on, clean and replace the filters if necessary, even if they were cleaned last fall. You can then turn on the main valve, but do so slowly and turn it off immediately if you notice any problems. You can then activate the system zone by zone, checking for leaks, loose connectors, and broken valves. From there, you can set your automation controls and walk through your property to make sure everything is functioning properly. It also helps to check the leak indicator on your water meter.

Mid-Season Irrigation Inspection

A mid-season irrigation system inspection is crucial because you’re in the thick of everything. If the system is broken or malfunctioning at this point in the season, your yard may not be able to withstand the summer heat. Inspections during this time can look similar to a spring inspection, but there are typically fewer steps. It’s still an important step to inspect your sprinkler heads. It’s not uncommon for them to see damage, and if they're bent or broken, it’s an easy and affordable repair. Plus, the conditions of your sprinkler heads directly affect your watering patterns. Similarly, you want to ensure your yard is getting full coverage. Dry, patchy, or browning spots in your yard will indicate a lack of water. However, the most important step in a mid-season irrigation inspection is to ensure that your watering schedule is correct. Your yard will likely require a different irrigation schedule in the middle of summer than at the beginning of the season. Invest in smart irrigation technology like sensors and monitors to adjust accordingly while conserving water.

Winterizing the System Inspection

At the end of the season, winterizing your irrigation system is one of the best ways to say goodbye to the warm weather. Essentially, you’re reversing the spring start-up irrigation inspection. You want to start by keeping tabs on the weather–it’s important to turn off your system at least a week before the first hard freeze. Then it’s time to shut off the water, which you can do with the main valve. If your system has a backflow preventer, it’s also important to turn this off. If your system runs on an automatic timer, this is the time to turn it off. Some systems have a “rain mode” that allows you to turn the timer off without losing any programmed information or settings. This shouldn’t affect your energy costs and can make powering on easier in the spring. After the water has been shut off, you need to drain it. The method you use for draining will depend on the type of irrigation system you have, but in general, there are three ways to do it: manual draining, automatic draining, or blow-out draining. Lastly, it's important to show the above-ground components some love; you can wrap any exposed valves, pipes, or backflow preventers in foam covers or insulation tape to insulate them for the winter.

Conclusion

Overall, you want to ensure that everything in your irrigation system functions properly at all times. Neglecting its necessary repairs will not only cost you your garden but also a pretty penny to replace it in the long run. But now that you know what to look for during an inspection, you can save yourself the headache.