Is an audit worth it if nothing looks broken?

Often, yes. EPA WaterSense estimates a broken system can waste up to 25,000 gallons over a six-month season, and slow losses such as a seeping valve or misting heads rarely look dramatic. An audit finds them by measurement rather than by waiting for a dead plant or a high bill.

Irrigation System Efficiency Audit

Measure where the water actually goes, zone by zone, and turn the findings into repairs and a schedule worth keeping.

Request an estimate(623) 288-0259

Measure before recommending anything

An efficiency audit answers one question: how much of the water the system uses reaches the plants that need it. It starts with the meter, read with the system off to rule out a standing leak, and then read again while individual stations run, so each zone's flow is known. Every station is run and walked. Spray zones are checked for head-to-head coverage, misting from high pressure, heads that do not rise and spray landing on walls or paving; EPA WaterSense estimates that a broken system can waste up to 25,000 gallons over a six-month watering season. Drip zones are checked for missing emitters, emitters too close to the trunk, and filters that choke the flow.

Soil moisture is checked with a probe after a cycle, because a wet surface over a dry root zone and a soggy root zone under a dry surface both look wrong in different ways.

In Sun City an audit can be checked against the utility: EPCOR's Sun City tariff offers customers a self-audit kit and, on request, help with the audit and a meter accuracy check.

Turn the findings into a plan

The audit report lists each zone with what it waters, its flow, what was found and what is recommended, in priority order. Leaks and stuck valves come first because they waste water continuously. Coverage fixes and nozzle matching come next. Schedule changes come last, set from the measured output rather than from habit, with seasonal adjustments written in.

Where it helps, the report notes options such as splitting a mixed zone, converting a narrow turf strip to drip, or fitting a weather-based controller, each with the reason and the zone it applies to. Nothing is replaced simply because it is old. A homeowner can then decide what to do now and what to plan for. Faults found during the audit are handled under sprinkler repair, irrigation leak detection or the seasonal tune-up.

Source: US EPA WaterSense, Sprinkler Spruce-Up, Checked Oct 1, 2026