Before starting the irrigation system in the spring, the following steps must be taken:
- Clean the sand filter at the water source (if applicable);
- All sprinklers within the irrigation system must be level – check that each sprinkler is vertical (not tilted – to ensure proper watering).
- Reposition drip hoses if they are disturbed from their initial position.
- Clean the nozzle filters of the sprinkler heads;
- Check the watering schedule stored in the controller and adjust it if necessary;
- Manually start the irrigation system, zone by zone, to check if each sprinkler is watering where it should. Make adjustments as needed;
- Run a test program on all zones from the controller to make a final check on how the irrigation system is watering;
- Leave the controller in auto mode to run the programmed irrigation program.
Note:
- During the spring check of the irrigation system, it may be found that due to plant growth, adjustments need to be made to adapt to the current situation. A specialist should be consulted to modify the existing irrigation project, and then the irrigation system should be modified based on the received project.
- It is possible that after winter or a longer interruption in the operation of the irrigation system, the solenoid valves may not function properly. This can have several causes:
a. Dirt accumulated in the solenoid valve – disassemble and clean the solenoid valve.
b. The rubber membrane of the solenoid valve stiffened – disassemble the solenoid valve, remove the membrane, clean, rinse, and reassemble.
c. The coil may be damaged – it should be replaced.
3. For irrigation systems with battery-powered controllers, the batteries (9V) should be changed every year when starting the irrigation system. After changing the batteries, set the current time on the controller and check the stored watering program.