Which Sprinkler Repairs Fort Worth Homeowners Can Handle and Which Need a Pro

Plenty of sprinkler repairs are well within reach for a homeowner with a shovel and a trip to the hardware store. Others take tools, experience or a license that most people do not have. Knowing the difference saves time and keeps a small problem from turning into a bigger one. This article sorts common Fort Worth sprinkler repairs into three groups: jobs most homeowners can do, jobs that are possible but tricky, and jobs that should go to a professional.

Repairs Most Homeowners Can Handle

Cleaning a clogged nozzle

If a spray head throws a weak or broken pattern, grit in the nozzle or filter screen is a common cause. Turn the zone off, unscrew the nozzle, pull the small screen from the riser, and rinse both under a hose. Put them back, run the zone, and check the pattern. This takes a few minutes and costs nothing.

Adjusting spray direction and distance

Most spray nozzles and rotors can be turned to change where they point. Many also have a screw on top that shortens the throw. If a head is watering the sidewalk or the side of the house, adjusting it is usually a quick fix. Our article on heads that spray the street, driveway or house walks through the adjustments.

Straightening a tilted head

Dig around the head, set it straight and level with the soil, and firm the soil back around it. On clay, heads tend to lean again over time, so check them each spring.

Replacing a broken spray head

If the head is cracked or the riser snapped, you can dig it out, unscrew it from the fitting below, and screw on a matching head. Flush the line for a few seconds before you install the new nozzle so dirt does not clog it right away. Match the pop-up height and nozzle type to the heads around it.

Resetting or reprogramming a controller

Replacing a dead backup battery, setting the date and time, and setting the start times and run times are all homeowner tasks. Programming for Fort Worth’s assigned watering days is covered in our controller programming guide.

Repairs That Are Possible but Tricky

Fixing a lateral line leak

Lateral lines are the pipes between a zone valve and its heads. They only hold pressure when the zone runs. If you can find the leak and the pipe is easy to reach, you can cut out the damaged section and splice in a repair coupling. The hard parts are finding the exact leak on clay soil, digging without cutting other pipes or wires, and getting a solid glue joint in a muddy hole.

Replacing a valve solenoid or diaphragm

A zone that will not open or will not close is often caused by a bad solenoid or a worn diaphragm. Replacing either is not hard once you find the valve and shut off the water. Finding the right replacement part for an older valve can be harder than doing the work. Our guide to zones that will not turn off explains how to tell which part has failed.

Tracing wiring faults

With a multimeter you can check whether a solenoid is getting power and whether its coil is good. Finding where a buried wire was cut is harder, especially if the wire runs under a patio or fence line.

Repairs That Should Go to a Professional

Mainline leaks

The mainline stays under pressure all the time. A mainline repair means shutting off the system, locating the break, and making a repair that will hold full static pressure. A bad joint here will leak around the clock.

Backflow preventer replacement or repair

In Fort Worth, any irrigation system connected to the public water supply must have an approved backflow prevention assembly. New installations, replacements and relocations need a city plumbing backflow permit, and the assembly must be tested by a Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester registered with the city. This is not a do-it-yourself job. Our backflow preventer guide explains how the rules work.

Adding zones or major changes

Fort Worth requires a permit for installing or altering an irrigation system, and the work must be done by or under a licensed irrigator. Adding zones or redesigning a large part of an existing system falls into this group.

Problems you cannot diagnose

If several zones fail at once, a valve keeps sticking after you have cleaned it, or water keeps showing up in the same spot with no clear source, a technician can save you a lot of digging.

Safety and Common Mistakes

A few habits keep DIY repairs from causing new problems:

• Call 811 before you dig more than a shallow hole. Gas, electric and cable lines can run close to sprinkler pipe.
• Shut off the water at the irrigation isolation valve before opening any pipe or valve.
• Match parts. Mixing spray heads and rotors on one zone, or mixing nozzle brands with different flow rates, leads to uneven watering.
• Flush before finishing. Dirt in a new pipe or head clogs nozzles within minutes.
• Let glue cure according to the directions on the can before pressurizing a new joint.

A Simple Way to Decide

Ask yourself three questions. Can I see the part that failed? Can I shut the water off to it? Is the repair legal for a homeowner to do? If the answer to all three is yes, the job is probably fine to try. If any answer is no, or if you are not sure, calling a technician is usually the faster route. Many people also like to have the whole system checked once a year. Our zone-by-zone check shows what that inspection covers, and our sprinkler repair page lists what we fix.

For an overview of how the parts of a system fit together, see our homeowner’s guide to common sprinkler problems.