A healthy sprinkler system is all about sprinkler valves. Keeping your valves healthy is your number one priority when stewarding the investment you’ve made in home irrigation.
The biggest threat to sprinkler valve health is (by far) improper preparation for the cold months. When water isn’t blown out of your pipes, it freezes and that can cause serious damage.
God willing, you’ll turn on your system next year and find it’s ready to go. If that’s the case, here are some simple steps to take to make sure your valves are ticking along smoothly.
A well-sealed solenoid – crucial.
When your solenoid is not properly sealed, you can have problems with the entire system. Short-circuits can occur when water gets in where it’s not supposed to, so ensuring this component is protected from water is critical.
If short-circuits happen, you can be looking at replacement of the solenoid and that will cost you.
Keep your valves clean.
No matter how small, debris in your system can wreak havoc. You may be visualizing objects like rocks or golf balls, but even a little bit of sand can cause you major grief.
Checking your valves thoroughly in the spring and cleaning them all by hand will prevent anything which may have become lodged in them from ruining your sprinkler system.
Check your connections.
The stability of your valve connections is key, unless you want to be watering involuntarily.
When connections deteriorate, you’ll notice a spike in your water bill. But wouldn’t you rather be aware of a problem before that bill arrives? Checking your valves where they connect to the water supply and then feed out to your system zones is an important job that keeps your system from leaking.
Safe housing.
One of the best ways to keep your sprinkler valves healthy is to house them in a shock-resistant box. Taking this step ensures that wires and other components aren’t vulnerable to interference by animals. It also keeps water and debris away from your valves.
Use gravel to create the right conditions for drainage and to prevent the buildup of mud. Using gravel inside the housing also makes repairs much easier, as the housing will remain much cleaner than if you hadn’t used gravel.
Call the experts, at Royal.
In 2016, Royal Irrigation joined forces with Wetscape. We’re a force to be reckoned with in the region and are now known as Wetscape, a Royal Irrigation Company.
From installation to repairs to regular maintenance, we bring you the very best in irrigation services. With decades of collective experience, we offer irrigation expertise you won’t find anywhere else.
Dedicated to outstanding customer service, we treat every customer as though they were our first and every home as though it were our own. Employing only the highest quality, most technologically advanced irrigation solutions, we stand by everything we do.
Sprinkler valves: keeping them healthy, is just one of the many services we provide for those who care about the beauty and integrity of their lawns. Contact us for more information.
