Time to Turn Your Reticulation Back On!
Yes, it’s that time of the year again! Spring is upon us. The grass has been dormant and the reticulation system has been on a well deserved break – so have your wallets! But the time has come to get the retic back up and running. But what are the things to look for? Go around your garden and have a look. The list below should give you some pointers.
- Visually inspect the retic system.
How? First thing first, switch on the reticulation system and find the sprinkler heads that may have issues. Visual inspection is the best way to check what is not working. Let the system run a cycle so that you can see which sprinkler heads are not performing, are blocked, buried or broken and need attention. Check all the stations individually. This way if you need a retic specialist, you can explain where, how many and what’s happening. Your retic expert will do an audit of the system to confirm issues, if you are using one.
- Mark the position of your faulty sprinklers.
Once you’ve located your sprinkler heads, mark them. This way you know exactly where to go to get those problem sprinklers sorted. Some of them can be hard to find or have been buried and harder to say which ones are not working when they are not in action.
So marking the problematic sprinkler heads will be a guide for future repairs either by you or by your reticulation specialist. If done by yourself, then make sure you get the right sprinkler heads as replacement.
- Sprinkler heads replacement
Being constantly battered by harsh weather conditions especially here in Perth, the sprinkler heads can get old very quickly. The easiest way to deal with this is to identify those that require replacement before they break and become useless. The experts and gardening fanatics will know exactly where to look but for the untrained eyes, it maybe a bit harder.
So when the retic is on, check for the heads that don’t seem to be performing the watering properly: they maybe broken, blocked by overgrowth or worn out. They are the ones to be replaced. If you know your retic system, then it’s easy to remove the heads with a hand tool and screw another head back on.
- Clean the sprinkler heads regularly!
Last tip: keep an eye on your sprinkler and this may seem simple but watering issues or erratic watering will usuall suggest that the sprinkler head either need replacing or a clean. Keep you sprinklers clear from grass and as far as possible clear of debris that can clogs the mechanism. This can break your sprinkler head and just by checking them every little while, you can avoid costly replacement.
I would recommend getting a professional who is familiar with the job but you can also try to clean it out. Taking the sprinkler head canister apart can be a tricky and challenging bit of business! Make sure you don’t lose any internal parts. The filter inside will be blocking all the debris and dirt. It should just be an easy cleaning under running water to unclog dirt/mud or debris or use a toothbrush. Then reassemble it all back together and screw the head back on the riser. Test the system to see if it worked and to check for spraying. If it is still having issues then contact the experts in the field!
When in doubt call your friendly, waterwise reticulation professional. We are here to help with no hassle, stress free professional service. You won’t even notice that we were there! But your lawn will thank you for the great service.
