Fixing Sprinkler Heads That Spray the Street, Driveway or House

A sprinkler head that waters the street, the driveway or the side of the house is wasting water every time it runs. It can also stain brick and fences, keep wood trim damp, leave concrete slick with algae and send runoff into the gutter. In Fort Worth, runoff and misaligned heads are both counted as water waste. Most overspray can be fixed with simple adjustments. This article explains how.

Why Heads Get Out of Line

• Heads twist a little each time a mower, foot or pet bumps them.
• Nozzles get replaced with the wrong arc, such as a half circle where a quarter circle belongs.
• Soil shifts and tilts the head.
• New walks, patios or beds change the edges of the lawn but the heads stay where they were.
• Pressure that is higher than the nozzle is made for pushes spray farther than intended.

Step 1: Watch the Zone Run

Run the zone manually and watch every head. Note which ones hit concrete, the house, fences or the street. Mark them with flags. Watching from the street side and then from the house side gives you a better view.

Step 2: Adjust Spray Heads

Turn the head

Most spray heads have a riser that can be turned. With the zone running, or with the riser pulled up by hand, grip the riser and turn it so the spray edge lines up with the edge of the lawn. Some models turn the whole riser; others turn only the nozzle.

Change the arc

Adjustable nozzles have a collar you twist to widen or narrow the arc. Fixed-arc nozzles come in set patterns, such as quarter, half and full circle. If a head near a corner has a half-circle nozzle, swapping it for a quarter circle may be all you need.

Shorten the throw

Most spray nozzles have a small screw on top. Turning it clockwise reduces the throw distance. Only reduce it as much as needed; cutting the throw too far can leave dry spots between heads.

Step 3: Adjust Rotors

Rotors have their own adjustment methods, usually with a small key or flat screwdriver. You can set the left and right edges of the arc and reduce the throw with a radius screw. Directions vary by brand, and they are often printed on the cap.

Step 4: Consider Special Nozzles

• Strip nozzles water narrow rectangles, useful for parkway strips between the sidewalk and street, and side yards.
• Side strip and end strip nozzles fit along one edge of a strip.
• Rotary nozzles throw heavier streams that drift less in wind.

Step 5: Fix Tilted or Low Heads

A head that leans throws water at an angle, often onto hard surfaces. Straighten it and pack soil firmly. A head buried too low may spray into the grass and deflect in odd directions. Our guide on sunken and tilted heads in clay explains how to reset them.

Step 6: Deal With High Pressure

If spray heads mist heavily and throw farther than their rated distance, the pressure may be too high. Pressure-regulating spray bodies, which lower pressure at each head, can help. They cut misting and drift and keep spray on the lawn.

When a Head Needs to Move

Sometimes no adjustment works because the head is in the wrong place. Common examples:

• A new patio or walk was built where lawn used to be.
• A bed was expanded, so a lawn head now sprays into shrubs and against the house.
• A head sits right at the edge of the driveway and cannot spray the lawn without hitting concrete.

Moving a head means digging it up, extending or rerouting the pipe, and reinstalling it in a better spot. Areas next to the house that have been turned into beds are often better served by drip irrigation. Our guide to converting a spray zone to drip explains how.

Why Overspray Matters in Fort Worth

Fort Worth’s watering rules prohibit water waste from runoff and from misaligned or broken sprinkler heads. Water on the street and sidewalk is also water your lawn does not get. On clay, spray that lands on concrete and runs back into the lawn can also cause puddles and soggy areas along edges. Our article on avoiding water waste violations covers the rules.

Overspray Against the House

Keeping the foundation evenly moist is a good idea on expansive clay, but spraying the wall is not the way to do it. Water on siding, brick and window frames can cause staining, rot or other damage over time. Turn heads away from the house and consider a drip line along the foundation. Our article on foundation watering with drip lines explains that approach.

Keeping Heads Aligned

• Recheck alignment each spring during your zone-by-zone system check.
• Check after mowing crews, aeration or yard work.
• Keep grass trimmed around heads so spray is not deflected.

Parkway Strips and Corner Lots

The grass strip between the sidewalk and the street is one of the hardest areas to water without overspray. It is narrow, it is surrounded by concrete on both sides, and it takes the most heat from the pavement. Standard spray nozzles almost always hit the street or the walk. Strip nozzles, or rotary nozzles made for narrow areas, do much better. Corner lots have the same problem on two sides. Some homeowners replace the turf in very narrow strips with mulch, stone or low plants watered by drip, which removes the overspray problem entirely.

When to Call a Technician

If several heads need moving, a zone has pressure problems, or you are not sure which nozzles to use, our sprinkler repair service can adjust, replace or relocate heads to keep water on the lawn.