Lewisville Sprinkler Repair

Do you want to avoid a costly Lewisville sprinkler repair bill? Sure, who wants to pay big money toward a repair that could have been prevented and avoided altogether? Did you know that there’s a process for starting up your system when the winter is over? Yes, there’s a process to de-winterize your irrigation system to hopefully keep everything in top shape for the upcoming season.

De-winterizing Your Irrigation System

It’s good to understand the basics of your lawn sprinkler system and how things work. If anything, it can help diagnose the issue and determine the next steps without wasting people’s time, including your own. It also comes with a peace of mind knowing that you accomplished something and correctly.

There are many factors that determine the time it takes to de-winterize your sprinkler system. Generally speaking, it can take 2+ hours, but this depends on the number of existing sprinkler heads, the overall condition of your system, and the size of the property that you’re dealing with.

Verify Any Frozen Ground

Make sure you and your lawn are both on the same page and verify that your lawn is completely unfrozen. You can use a shovel to test at least a foot into the soil. Pick an area in your lawn that isn’t obvious or watched so that you aren’t making an ugly mark in your yard for testing. If you find frozen ground, wait another week or so and try again until you do not hit frozen ground. Starting your sprinkler system up while the ground is frozen can damage water lines in the process. The water can freeze and burst your pipes. If you absolutely can’t wait to water your lawn, one recommendation is to just use a good old fashioned hose and just manually water everything. Do not risk busting pipes as this can be a costly fix.

Get the Control Panel Operational

This is your system’s brain, so if it isn’t working, nothing else really matters. Once you find it, verify that the setting is correct, the date/time is correct, and also your irrigation zones. Backup batteries more than half a year old should be replaced.

Clean Each of Your Sprinkler Heads

This is one of the longest steps in the process and depends heavily on the amount needed to check. If you have a ton of sprinkler heads then this will obviously take a lot of time. You’ll want to inspect the assembly for damage, and if there’s a lot, you might want to have a sprinkler repair professional handle the fix for you. If it’s just a nozzle, make sure you get a replacement and swap. If the nozzle is good, make sure you’re cleaning the old one thoroughly to verify there are no obstructions that could affect the coverage. One tip is to use an old toothbrush to make sure nothing fine might be stuck in the way. Also, unless you’re dealing with the farthest valve from the main water source, you’ll want to make sure the valve to the sprinkler is closed. That valve you’ll want to leave open and remove the sprinkler nozzle for escaping air once the water is turned on. If multiple branches feed off a mainline, do this for each valve and nozzle on the last one in each branch.

SLOWLY Open the Main Valve

This can be expensive if not done correctly, so be warned. Opening the main valve up too quickly will send a rush of water and air through your system creating a “water hammer” that can crack/break pipes/valves and knock sprinkler heads into the air. Open slowly until you hear flowing water, then after several minutes, open more until it’s completely open. Check the far sprinkler valves left open, make sure dirt/debris is flushed out, close the valve, and reattach the nozzle.

Check irrigation zones

Watch a single zone for pressure and water distribution issues. Repair as needed.

If you notice anything out of the ordinary, sometimes it’s worth to have a licensed professional check everything out. If you do not feel comfortable with anything in the process, make sure you’re reaching out to a Lewisville sprinkler repair company that is certified to help you with your repair needs and service.