Irrigation System, Fault Finding / Trouble Shooting

There are many things that can prevent an irrigation system from functioning efficiently and effectively. However, good maintenance practices will reduce the likelihood of system failures and faults arising, as well as reducing wasted water and reducing unnecessary and unplanned costs.

Being able to identify problems and locate faults quickly helps to more readily get the irrigation system back to functioning properly and optimally. Examples of faults and possible solutions include:
1. Leaking sprinkler. Check the seals and washers and ensure all fixings are tightened correctly. Clean and replace as necessary.
2. A nozzle is contaminated with soil, especially coarse sand particles which affects the spray pattern. This can usually be solved by dismantling the nozzle from the head and cleaning it thoroughly to ensure that water flows without interruption before being reconnected to the sprinkler head.
3. The sprinkler head is damaged, for example being visually cracked. This would need to be replaced with a new head fitting.
4. Misaligned sprinkler heads which could be due to ground settling, being run over by machinery. Excavate from around the sprinkler then realign the body to an upright position, backfill and firm.
5. Sprinkler head projecting and exposed, presenting a potential trip hazard to players and being liable to damage from machinery. Excavate from around the sprinkler, backfill and firm.
6. Sprinkler not ejecting water uniformly, proving a poor coverage. This could be due to a number of reasons, including a blockage, leaking seals, low pressure, faulty pump, damaged sprinkler head, nozzle, blocked filters, valves are not stuck or leaking, leaks from damaged pipes, degraded pipe joins, and more. So, for fault finding this particular issue it would be identifying the easiest and most likely options first and gradually working through them.
7. Valve control box has sunk or ground around the box has sunk. The same action as for the sprinkler head, excavating and infilling and ensuring the finish blends in smoothly with the surrounds.
8. Wet areas are present along lines of buried sprinkler pipe. Excavate ground in the centre of the wet area along a pipe run and identify a likely damaged pipe or degraded pipe join and refix or renew as required.
9. Sprinkler head is not returning to its correct position when not in use. Contamination from soil, sand, organic matter will most likely have collected around the head / riser preventing full retraction. This will need to be cleaned and checked to ensure the head is seated smoothly back in place.
10. Water pump is making a buzzing noise which indicates that an electronic component is likely to be deteriorating and will need replacing, so call in a qualified irrigation electrician.
11. The grass appears stressed when it shouldn’t be. Check control panel timings, sprinkler distribution patterns, any signs of leaks, weather conditions as high winds may have forced sprayed water away from the intended area, nozzle application rates, any sensors which may be installed to ensure they are functioning correctly. Whilst the assumption might be that the system had been programmed correctly, there are many factors which can go wrong yet sometimes simple corrections are all that are needed. For example, someone may have accidentally altered the irrigation settings so that little if any water is being applied at the assumed time (typically overnight).