Encyclopedia: Sprinkler Troubleshooting
If your sprinklers do not work, follow the steps below to determine the cause and remedy.
- Is a pipe or head physically broken or leaking? If so, please contact
DLS Associates at (541) 602-1775 or by e-mail at
DLSAssociates@comcast.net. Dave will
arrange for the landscapers to repair the sprinkler.
- Is it only your back sprinklers that aren't working? If so, and you don't have
a front driveway, and you are not in one of the end units, then please talk to your nearest
end-unit neighber... your back sprinklers run off their timer.
- Is your sprinkler controller "alive"? Your controller is in your garage,
and looks like this:
The controller should have something in the LCD display: the word "Off", some numbers, etc. If you have something in the display, go to Step 3.
- Does your controller have power? Is the AC adapter firmly seated in the outlet?
If so, plug a lamp into the outlet and see if it works.
If the lamp works but the controller does not, you probably have a bad controller. Install a new one yourself or have a professional do it; it does not have to be the same brand as the original.
If neither the lamp nor the controller works, there is no power to the outlet. The outlet in the garage is on a GFI (ground fault interrupt) circuit, with a miniature circuit breaker actually in the outlet itself. Find the garage outlet with a reset button between the two plugs, and press the button in. If that does not help, check the main circuit breakers in the metal panel on the garage wall, and/or have an electrician remedy the problem.
- Will your controller turn the sprinklers on manually? Turn the knob to Manual.
Press Next until station 1 is displayed, press the Up Arrow to set a time of 1
minute, and set the knob to Run. Your front sprinklers should come on; if they do
not, repeat this step for all the other stations.
If the sprinklers run this way, you just need to program your controller. Follow the instructions in the manual. (If you have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can view the manual for the Nelson 8100 sprinker timer that originally came with the home.)
If the sprinklers do not run, go on to Step 4.
- Is your sprinkler water turned on? (Our landscape contractors turn off each home's
sprinkler water before the first frost each year, and turn it back on in the spring. The
contractors may not have turned them on yet, or yours may have been missed.) Locate the
sprinkler shutoff valve in your front yard (be sure you find the one associated with your
home, not your neighbor's); this is NOT the same as the house water shutoff on the water
meter!
Remove the lid and locate the shutoff valve. Turn it counterclockwise to open it.
Locate the front sprinkler valve; it will be under a round green cover very close to the sprinkler shutoff valve box. Remove the cover and locate the black valve handle — this is the master flow-rate adjuster for the sprinklers. Gently attempt to turn it clockwise (off); if it moves, that means it is at least partially "on" and some water should be flowing through it; return the valve to its original position. If the valve does not move clockwise, gently turn it one turn counterclockwise to open it.
If the valve had been turned off, repeat step 3 to ensure that the sprinklers will operate electrically, and then reprogram your controller.
- If your sprinklers still do not work, notify DLS Associates.