Sprinkler Systems near you

The easiest time to add sprinklers is before new sod, seeding or paving, when trenches and sleeves under future walkways cost the lawn nothing. Placement decisions made at installation decide how well the system survives mowing, snow clearing and Canadian winters for years afterward.

There are three common ways to winterize. A compressed-air blow-out, the usual choice for in-ground lawn systems, pushes water out one zone at a time. Manual drain valves at the low points let water run out by gravity, which only works when the pipe was laid sloping toward them. Automatic drain valves open when pressure drops, but they can leave water in low spots and fail without anyone noticing. Whatever the method, the irrigation shutoff inside the house is closed and the pipe between it and the backflow preventer is drained.

Blow-outs are best left to a technician. Too much air pressure can crack fittings and blow heads apart, air run too long through an empty zone can overheat plastic pipe, and a pressurized line that comes apart can injure someone. After the spring start-up, keep an eye on the system for the first few weeks.

The backflow preventer keeps lawn water, which can carry fertilizer, pet waste and soil bacteria, from being siphoned back into the house supply and the city's mains. On lawn systems it is usually an above-ground assembly where the sprinkler line branches off, such as a pressure vacuum breaker, a double check valve assembly or a reduced pressure assembly; plumbing codes and municipal by-laws decide which type is required and whether it must be tested. Toronto runs a backflow prevention program with testing by certified cross-connection control specialists, and other cities have programs of their own. Because the device usually sits outdoors, it is often the first part to freeze, so winterization drains it or removes it for the season.

Watering rules then govern how the system runs. Montreal limits automatic systems to 3 to 6 a.m. on even or odd days matching the address, and many other municipalities set their own hours and can ban lawn watering during a drought or heat wave. Reprogram the controller to your city's current rules at every spring start-up.

Most older systems can be upgraded without digging. A rain sensor mounts outdoors and wires to the controller, and a weather-based controller usually replaces the old timer on the same zone wires. Either upgrade pays off only with proper setup, with each zone programmed for its heads, sun and soil, so have the technician do it during a start-up or service visit.

Most sprinkler repairs are small: a head cracked by a mower, a nozzle clogged with grit, a fitting split by frost or a valve fouled by debris. Those are routine even on an old system. Replacing some or all of it starts to make sense when breaks keep returning to the same brittle pipe, when coverage was poor from the start, or when the yard has been redesigned and the old zones no longer fit.

If water won't stop, switch the controller off first. If the zone keeps running, close the irrigation shutoff, usually a valve on the supply pipe inside the basement or utility room where the sprinkler line leaves the house. A burst pipe, or a backflow preventer split by an early frost, calls for the same step, then a technician visit, since water pooling against the foundation can find its way into the basement. Learn where that valve is, and label it, before you ever need it.