Your Complete Guide to Sprinkler System Care: Inspections and Watering Schedules

Why Your Sprinkler System Deserves Your Attention

Let's be honest—you invested in your sprinkler system to make your life easier and your landscape more beautiful. But like any worthwhile investment, it requires some attention to deliver the results you're looking for. As your landscape care partner, I want to help you understand not just what to do with your system, but why these maintenance practices matter for your specific situation.

Inspection Schedules: Catching Problems Before They Cost You

Professional Inspections: Your Annual Insurance Policy

You wouldn't drive your car for years without an oil change, and your sprinkler system deserves the same level of care. At minimum, schedule a professional inspection once yearly, ideally in early spring. Here's what we look for during these crucial check-ups:

• Controller programming: Is your timer still set correctly after power outages or seasonal changes?
• Valve function: Are your valves opening and closing properly, or showing signs of sticking?
• Pressure regulation: Is water pressure optimal throughout your system, or are there zones struggling with too much or too little pressure?
• Head alignment: Have any sprinkler heads shifted due to soil settling, lawn mowing, or foot traffic?
• Coverage mapping: Are there dry spots or areas of overlap causing wasted water?
• Leak detection: Could small, hidden leaks be slowly increasing your water bill?
• Backflow prevention: Is your drinking water properly protected from potential contamination?

During your annual inspection, we'll also recalibrate your system to account for any landscape changes you've made. Added a new garden bed? Extended your patio? These changes affect your watering needs more than you might realize.

DIY Inspections: Your Eyes Are Valuable Tools

Between professional visits, you're our best partner in keeping your system running smoothly. Here's a straightforward inspection routine I recommend to all my clients:

• Monthly quick-scan (15 minutes): Walk your property while the system runs through each zone. Look for geysers from broken heads, misting from excessive pressure, or heads that aren't popping up properly.
• Quarterly deep-check (30 minutes): Examine your controller settings, check for wet spots that might indicate underground leaks, and clear any debris from sprinkler heads. Test your rain sensor by wetting it to confirm the system shuts down.
• Seasonal transition inspection (45 minutes): As you move from spring to summer and summer to fall, take time to adjust run times and check that all components are functioning for the changing demands. Before winter, ensure your system is properly winterized if you live in a freezing climate.

Mrs. Rodriguez, one of my clients in the Madison neighborhood, discovered a small leak during her monthly inspection that had been silently adding $30toherwaterbill.Thatsimple15-minutewalksavedherover$300 annually.

Special Circumstance Inspections: When Your System Needs Extra Attention

Certain events should trigger an immediate system check:

• After landscape construction: Did the landscaper's equipment damage any underground lines?
• Following severe weather: Did high winds move sprinkler heads or did lightning affect your controller?
• When buying a new home: Is the existing system configured correctly for your landscape?
• After unexpected water bill increases: Could a hidden leak be the culprit?

Tom and Sarah Jenkins moved into their new home last year and assumed the previous owner's watering schedule was appropriate. After our inspection, we discovered they were overwatering by nearly 40%—their gorgeous oak trees needed far less water than the previous owner's vegetable garden in the same zone.

Running Schedules: Giving Your Landscape Exactly What It Needs

The perfect watering schedule isn't one-size-fits-all—it's customized to your specific landscape, soil, and local climate. Here's how we'll determine what's right for your property:

Tailoring to Your Unique Landscape Zones

Most properties have multiple "hydrozones" with different watering needs:

• Your front lawn might need water 2-3 times weekly during summer.
• Those shade-loving hostas under your maple tree might need water just once weekly.
• Your vegetable garden could require daily light watering during fruiting.
• Your native plant garden might thrive with rainfall alone once established.

When we set up your schedule, we'll program each zone independently based on these specific needs rather than watering everything on the same schedule.

Seasonal Adjustments: The Calendar Matters

Your landscape's water needs change dramatically throughout the year:

Spring (March-May)

During those first warm days, it's tempting to start watering heavily, but your soil is likely still holding moisture from winter precipitation. We typically recommend:

• Starting with just once-weekly watering, often 50-60% of summer run times
• Gradually increasing frequency as temperatures rise
• Morning watering only (5-9 AM) to prevent fungal issues as nighttime temperatures may still be cool

Summer (June-August)

Peak growing season means peak water needs, especially during heatwaves:

• Established lawns typically need water every 2-3 days in most regions
• Deep watering (putting down 1-1.5 inches per session) encourages deeper root growth
• Split watering times into two shorter cycles with a 30-minute break between ("cycle and soak") to prevent runoff on slopes or clay soils
• Consider hand-watering particularly vulnerable plants during extreme heat rather than increasing your entire system's output

Fall (September-November)

As days shorten and temperatures drop, your landscape's water requirements decrease:

• Reduce frequency to once every 3-5 days in early fall
• By late fall, once weekly watering is typically sufficient
• If you have newly planted fall additions, they'll need more frequent attention than established plants

Winter (December-February)

Depending on your climate:

• In mild regions without freezing temperatures, run your system once every 1-2 weeks on warmer days
• In freezing climates, your system should be professionally winterized to prevent costly freeze damage

Soil Type: The Foundation of Your Watering Schedule

Your soil's composition dramatically affects how often you should water:

• If you have sandy soil like my clients in the Riverside development, water will drain quickly. Your system might need to run more frequently (every 2-3 days) but for shorter durations (perhaps 10-15 minutes per zone).
• If you have heavy clay soil like most properties in the Westridge area, water penetrates slowly but is retained longer. Your ideal schedule might be once every 4-7 days, but with longer run times or multiple short cycles with soaking time between.
• If you have loamy soil, you've got the best of both worlds with good drainage and retention. Your system will likely perform best on a moderate schedule of every 3-4 days during peak summer.

We can perform a simple soil test during your inspection to determine your specific soil profile and adjust your schedule accordingly.

Weather Responsiveness: Nature Doesn't Follow a Calendar

The most efficient systems respond to actual weather conditions, not just the calendar:

• Smart controllers can automatically adjust your schedule based on local weather data, reducing water usage by 15-30% annually.
• Rain sensors can be retrofitted to most existing systems and will prevent your system from running during or after significant rainfall.
• Soil moisture sensors provide the most precise control, measuring actual moisture at the root zone and watering only when truly needed.

The Thompson family saved nearly 40% on their summer water bill after we installed a smart controller last year. The system automatically adjusted during an unusually rainy July, skipping several scheduled waterings while they were on vacation.

The Intersection of Inspection and Operation: Maximizing Efficiency

A well-inspected system ensures every drop of water reaches its intended destination during your scheduled watering times. Here's how these two aspects of maintenance work together:

• Regular inspections confirm that your carefully planned watering schedule isn't being undermined by clogged nozzles or misaligned heads.
• Proper scheduling prevents both drought stress and overwatering, both of which can damage your landscape investment.
• Seasonal adjustments to both inspection routines and watering schedules ensure your system adapts to changing conditions throughout the year.
• Documentation of both inspections and schedule changes helps track patterns over time, identifying potential issues before they become costly problems.

Your Season-by-Season Sprinkler System Care Calendar

Let me give you a concrete example of how this might look throughout the year:

Early Spring (March)

• Schedule professional inspection and system activation
• Check controller battery and reprogram after winter
• Set initial watering schedule (typically once weekly, early morning)
• Clear debris from winter around sprinkler heads

Late Spring (April-May)

• Increase watering frequency as temperatures rise and growth accelerates
• Perform monthly visual inspection
• Adjust heads for any new spring growth
• Consider adjusting zones for spring plantings

Summer (June-August)

• Maintain peak watering schedule (typically every 2-3 days for lawns)
• Check system monthly during operation
• Make heat wave adjustments as needed
• Look for signs of water stress between cycles

Early Fall (September-October)

• Reduce watering frequency as temperatures cool
• Perform monthly inspection with focus on changes needed for fall plantings
• Check that system is draining properly in preparation for winter
• Adjust for shorter days and reduced evaporation

Late Fall (November)

• Schedule winterization in freezing climates
• Reduce to minimal watering in non-freezing climates
• Back up controller programs before winter shutdown
• Document any issues to address in spring

Winter (December-February)

• System dormant in freezing climates
• Minimal operation (every 7-14 days) in non-freezing climates
• Protect exposed components during freezes
• Plan for any spring system upgrades

Making the Investment in Proper Maintenance

The care you provide to your sprinkler system directly affects three things you value:

1. Your landscape's health and beauty: Proper watering is the foundation of a thriving landscape.
2. Your water bill: An optimized system can reduce water usage by 20-50% compared to an improperly maintained one.
3. Your system's lifespan: Regular maintenance can double or triple the life expectancy of your irrigation investment.

When the Wilsons moved into their home, they inherited a 15-year-old system that was still functioning perfectly—because the previous owner had maintained it meticulously with seasonal inspections and proper scheduling. Meanwhile, their neighbor's 5-year-old system already needed significant repairs due to neglected maintenance.

Your Next Steps

As your partner in landscape care, I recommend:

1. Schedule your professional inspection now if it's been more than a year since your last one.
2. Review your controller settings to ensure they match the current season.
3. Perform a quick system test by running each zone for two minutes to check for obvious issues.
4. Consider upgrading to a smart controller if you haven't already—the water savings typically pay for the investment within 1-2 seasons.

I'm here to answer any questions you might have about your specific system or to schedule that professional inspection we've discussed. Together, we'll ensure your sprinkler system provides years of reliable service while keeping your landscape looking its absolute best—efficiently, effectively, and economically.