Many homebuyers know to thoroughly inspect a home's foundation, electrical system and plumbing before agreeing to buy a house. But experts say that inspecting what's outside the walls of a home is also important.
For instance, keeping you from waking up to a problem down the road is taking a few steps to inspect a property's sprinkler system. If the sprinkler systems are old or are in ill repair, then they could be vulnerable to a variety of problems such as leaks or blockages. Besides causing serious damage to your yard and landscaping, these problems can also harm the health of your lawn. Dave Johnson, an irrigation expert at Rain Bird, offers these tips to help homeowners avoid buying someone else's outdoor irrigation issues.
Make sure that when you find and check the automatic sprinkler, it should be plugged into an unobstructed and visibly safe power supply in a weather-safe environment. Wreaking havoc on an automatic irrigation system is an improperly placed electrical timer box and it's also more susceptible to an electrical short.
To make sure that each individual sprinkler zone can be turned on manually from the timer itself, test the timer.
After the system has been turned on for a few minutes, stroll around the yard to check for any moisture in unusual spots: exposed pipes that may be prone to cracking, major brown spots around sprinkler heads, saturated turf or soil, sick and diseased plants.
Open and close each individual valve, checking for moisture caused by cracks or broken seals in the pipes or exterior casing. In most valves, they have a knob or a screw that can be easily turned by hand.
Each watering zone should be turned on and check each sprinkler head. You may need to replace any head that does not pop up or otherwise operates improperly. Also, if a sprinkler head doesn't pop up, then it's possible this could be a sign of a problem with the water pressure and it may indicate that there is a leak in the system somewhere.
Test the sensor by first turning on one of the zones and then give the rain sensor a good soaking with a garden hose if the system is connected to a rain sensor. If the irrigation system does not stop, there may be a problem.
Try asking the sellers if they have a receipt or a maintenance record from the last time they had the system winterized by a professional.
Find an area landscape professional to do a routine inspection if you are not uncomfortable conducting an inspection of the sprinkler system yourself.
For instance, keeping you from waking up to a problem down the road is taking a few steps to inspect a property's sprinkler system. If the sprinkler systems are old or are in ill repair, then they could be vulnerable to a variety of problems such as leaks or blockages. Besides causing serious damage to your yard and landscaping, these problems can also harm the health of your lawn. Dave Johnson, an irrigation expert at Rain Bird, offers these tips to help homeowners avoid buying someone else's outdoor irrigation issues.
Make sure that when you find and check the automatic sprinkler, it should be plugged into an unobstructed and visibly safe power supply in a weather-safe environment. Wreaking havoc on an automatic irrigation system is an improperly placed electrical timer box and it's also more susceptible to an electrical short.
To make sure that each individual sprinkler zone can be turned on manually from the timer itself, test the timer.
After the system has been turned on for a few minutes, stroll around the yard to check for any moisture in unusual spots: exposed pipes that may be prone to cracking, major brown spots around sprinkler heads, saturated turf or soil, sick and diseased plants.
Open and close each individual valve, checking for moisture caused by cracks or broken seals in the pipes or exterior casing. In most valves, they have a knob or a screw that can be easily turned by hand.
Each watering zone should be turned on and check each sprinkler head. You may need to replace any head that does not pop up or otherwise operates improperly. Also, if a sprinkler head doesn't pop up, then it's possible this could be a sign of a problem with the water pressure and it may indicate that there is a leak in the system somewhere.
Test the sensor by first turning on one of the zones and then give the rain sensor a good soaking with a garden hose if the system is connected to a rain sensor. If the irrigation system does not stop, there may be a problem.
Try asking the sellers if they have a receipt or a maintenance record from the last time they had the system winterized by a professional.
Find an area landscape professional to do a routine inspection if you are not uncomfortable conducting an inspection of the sprinkler system yourself.
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