Football pitch, golf course, cricket ground – whatever your turf, effective irrigation is essential if you want healthy grass or to affect playability, whether that’s a slick, fast-paced game or a heavier, slower game. 

Yet, when it comes to good housekeeping, quite often irrigation doesn’t attract the same attention as specialist machinery that’s used for cutting grass. Paying close attention to the upkeep and efficiency of machinery ensures an optimal cut while also extending machinery life cycles.

Similarly, giving the same attention to irrigation and sprinkler systems can help identify problems due to faults or poor maintenance, allowing you to counteract them and gain maximal results. Still, many persevere with problems.

Why are routine irrigation system inspections important?

Routine irrigation inspections are as important as all other aspects of professional turf maintenance because they allow you to take control of any potential issues and correct them before they turn into bigger, more costly problems. 

Failing to carry out regular maintenance of your system can have a detrimental impact on your turf; consequences can vary from a component having to be replaced prematurely to extended periods of downtime and having to renovate or refit the entire system before you’d normally need to, although this would be a worse-case scenario.

How to make an irrigation maintenance and inspection checklist

In my experience, writing a checklist that easily breaks down what could otherwise be a big job is an effective way to ensure best practice for irrigation. 

Having a note of all the aspects requiring careful and consistent monitoring, and ticking them off as you go, not only makes the task more manageable, but also incorporates irrigation maintenance into your routine. 

Here’s a list you can use, which I’ve compiled over my 20 years of experience in turfcare.

Implement regular visual checks to identify early warning signs

It’s best to look at the overall performance of an irrigation system throughout the season on a weekly basis. However, this can be a big job – so it’s one best shared with grounds/greens teams, who can check turf while they mow, take pictures, and report any issues. 

The first signs that an irrigation system is experiencing problems are typically visual. So look out for dry patches, soggy turf, run-off, and areas of pooling, for example. 

A few years ago, I visited a golf club that thought it had sprinkler performance issues. When I arrived, though, I noticed there was a green stripe of turf running along where the course’s mainline would be, with brown surrounding areas. The problem wasn’t the sprinklers, this showed, but rather there was a leak in the pipework!

Flushing your irrigation system ahead of summer

An important part of regular maintenance servicing, flushing involves opening valves in the mainline, sub-main line, or laterals while under pressure. With the increase in water flow velocity, pollutants are pushed out of the system, which prevents clogging and reduces the accumulation of stagnant water, sand, and soil. 

Irrigation systems should be flushed at regular intervals, though your frequency will depend on water quality and the age of your system. In all cases, I’d aim to flush systems at the start of spring after the cold weather, so you’re ready for the new season.

Establish the integrity of your pipework

The best way to find out if you’ve got a leaking pipe is to perform a pressure test on the mains. Switch everything off and pressurise the mains network to see how long the pressure lasts in the system. And if there’s a leak or serious fracture you’ll see the pressure drop quickly. 

For those with a non-pressurised system, where sprinklers are not performing as well as you’d expect, even though the pumps are working flat-out, this is also indicative of a problem. If you’ve had a burst pipe fixed, it’s important to flush that section of the pipework extensively to prevent any pollutants travelling through the system and potentially causing further blockages. 

Similarly, if you have a new system, flushing before operating will eliminate any installation remnants and shavings from the pipework.

Gain confidence in your equipment with seasonal checks

With an irrigation system, it’s easy to fall into the trap of being out of sight out of mind; but regular maintenance and routine checks are important for the longevity and ‘health’ of your system.

Seasonal checks are the equivalent to putting your irrigation system through a good MOT, giving you the confidence that your system is fit for purpose.

Remember to check wall mounted controllers

When it comes to wall mounted controllers, check their displays. If incorrect information is showing, that could identify a power surge or outage, while no display at all indicates a problem with the wiring or a blown fuse, for instance.

Meanwhile, if the system keeps ramping up, with the pumps switching on and off, or pressure keeps dropping in an older system, this generally indicates a leak or burst– and then speed is of the essence to get it fixed and minimise expense. 

The energy cost of the system continuously bringing in the pumps, plus paying for wasted water at, say, £1.75 per cubic metre will soon add up.

Troubleshooting wall mounted controllers

It might be the case you’ve been alerted to an issue because the water cycle is repeating, the lawn isn’t watered, one zone doesn’t function, or there’s no water coming to one or all zones. 

How to ensure sprinkler systems are working properly

Your sprinkler system is only as good as its control valves, which is why they are often likened to the heart of the system. 

It’s important to check they’re opening and closing properly as the controller activates and deactivates them. Problems such as opening too quickly or slowly can be down to high or low pressure.

Issues with sprinklers are important to resolve. Depending on the system you have, a problem with one sprinkler can affect all of those in the cable zone, stopping others from working. 

Checking spray patterns, adjusting the flow control at the valve, and cleaning pop-up heads, including dirty filters, will prevent rotary heads from sticking and ensure a smooth rotation. Whereas checking the seals and rotation of the sprinkler risers will prevent water damage to surrounding turf. 

Troubleshooting your sprinkler system

Not popping up, ‘sticking up’ after watering, flooding from the sprinkler, water not spraying from the nozzle properly – most of these are caused by damage, clogging, missing parts, or pressure problems. 

The solutions are usually straightforward once the issue is identified. The figures below provide a run through of the most commonly found problems, causes, and solutions with sprinklers.

Diagnosing rotation flaws in your sprinkler system

Rotation flaws are likely an indication of debris in the sprinkler head, a pressure problem, or an improperly adjusted flow-control valve. Damage or normal wear and tear could also be possible culprits.

A wider range of possible causes and solutions are indicated on the figures below:

How to easily improve sprinkler efficiencies

Being exposed as they are, sprinklers are subject to a great deal of wear and it’s recommended they are replaced every few years. 

With nozzles costing on average just £15 per head, this can be a highly cost-effective way of improving your system and it’s a job easily handled by greens/grounds teams. Plus, by taking control of your irrigation system, you won’t need to bring in a contractor at extra cost. 

Again, this comes back to my first point: view irrigation as you would machinery. 

You need to be able to identify a problem before finding a solution. But a rapid decline in performance and consistent problems should have the input from a consultant; their diagnosis will better help you decide whether to carry out remedial work to salvage an ailing system or bite the bullet and invest in a new one.

Routine maintenance: the simplest way to optimise your irrigation system performance?

Overall daily, weekly, and seasonal checks should become part of the routine, with a service engineer and contractor doing what they do best – an annual full system check, control system/electrical issues, or advising on refits.

Properly maintaining your irrigation system doesn’t have to be costly or time-consuming. Identifying problems and taking control of your club’s irrigation maintenance will improve efficiencies and keep costs low, making it one of the simplest ways to optimise your system.