Irrigation systems are a great way to take some of the hassle out of lawn and garden maintenance. Push a few buttons and your plants and lawn automatically get watered when and how much you want. Seasonally going through a few easy steps can help keep your system running smoothly. Not taking care of your irrigation system can cost you not only in the form of damage to your yard but in increased water bills and potential watering fines.

Step 1: The Box

Power outages and nature happen, time changes twice a year and batteries go dead. Take a few minutes after the bi-annual time change and after any power outages to reset the date and time on your irrigation system box. While you are there, make sure the back-up batteries are still good and that the wires haven’t become weather damaged.

Step 2: Take a Walk

Go for a walk along the areas where your pipes and sprinkler system are laid out. Make sure the sprinkler heads have not sunk into the ground, been buried under dirt and leaves or been knocked cockeyed by the lawn mower. Any of these things can cause water to not reach your plants, reach the wrong plants, or end up watering the sidewalk, and just waste water and your money.

Step 3: While You’re Out There…

While you are checking each of the sprinkler heads, make sure to check the areas between them for waterlogged ground or overly dry areas; both of which could indicate a broken or leaking pipe. If you run across this you may want to dig down to the pipe in that area (carefully so as to not cause more damage) and either patch that section of pipe or replace the broken section.

 How Often Do I Need to Do this?

Ideally you these 3 steps should be taken once a month, but the beginning and middle of each season works too. Checking your irrigation system often allows you to take care of the little problems (like wrong time settings) before they turn into big expensive problems (busted pipes). Frequent check-ups also let you alter the amount of water your plants are getting to correspond with the weather in order to keep you from over or under watering your landscaping.

There you have it, 3 simple steps to a better maintained irrigation system.