Be A Sprinkler Detective, Find Leaks

When you get a sky-high water bill, finding leaks is often the first thing to consider. But how do you know for sure? Some leaks are easy to spot, while others can be much trickier. Here are a few tips to help you identify if your sprinkler system has a leak:

Excess water:

Run each zone for a few minutes and look for obvious signs such as small geysers or fountains of water, or bubbling around sprinkler heads.

Low pressure:

Watch for sprinkler heads that:

Don’t pop up fully
Have a weak water stream
Fail to spray far enough
Don’t rotate as they should
Spray dirty or discolored water

Erosion or sunken areas

Look for holes around heads and sunken ground along sprinkler lines
You may see excessive water pooling in these areas
The ground may be mushy or feel like you’re walking on a waterbed

If you’re comfortable with more advanced troubleshooting, you can also read your water meter while opening and closing different irrigation valves to help pinpoint leaks.

For step-by-step instructions, check out this video from Ewing Outdoor Supply: Using a Water Meter to Detect Irrigation Leaks.