Sprinkler Repair

Start with what the station does when it runs

A sprinkler fault shows itself while the station is running, so repair starts at the controller with one station switched on by hand and someone standing in the yard. Each head should rise fully, sit level and throw far enough to meet the next head; EPA WaterSense calls that head-to-head coverage and lists tilted heads and heads that never pop up among the first things to look for. A head that sprays a wall, the driveway or the street is wasting water on every cycle. A head that bubbles at its base while its neighbours spray normally usually has a broken riser or fitting underneath.

The useful record is short: which station, which heads misbehave, what the spray looks like, and whether water keeps appearing after the station stops. That last detail separates a coverage problem from a leak or a valve that will not close, and it decides whether digging is needed at all.

In Sun City the stray spray often lands beside a fairway or a lake. Lots on the North, South, Lakes West and Lakes East courses and around Viewpoint and Dawn lakes sold at a premium for those views, the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum records.