Reticulation SERVICE BOOKING

What’s involved in a Civic Reticulation service?

Check for Leaks

Operate each zone and check for leaks. Leaks can sometimes occur only while the sprinklers are in operation, on the lateral line piping.  Either due to a crack in the PVC piping or at a sprinkler connection joint. You will usually notice water bubbling up from the ground, and puddling, sometimes not near or related to a sprinkler head.  If this occurs, turn the zone minutes down to zero on the controller to effectively skip over this zone until it is repaired.

Check Controller

Make sure the clock is set for the proper day of the week and time of day is correct. Make a list of all the stations and where they water Including type of plant being watered. Place list in the controller for future reference. Some older controllers have a battery backup for the clock, such as a 9 volt. Replace it at the beginning of each watering season.   Newer controllers, including some Rainbird or Hunter models have internal non-volatile memory and do not need battery replacement; they also have a internal rechargeable battery for holding the clock during a power outage. You can check this by unplugging your controller from the wall- Wait a minute then power back up and recheck to see if the clock holds.

Inspect System

Repair or replace broken or worn rotor heads, spray heads, and drip emitters. Make sure all heads pop-up all of the way and fully retract when the water is turned off. If they do not pop down, they will soon be clipped by mowing equipment.

Check for sprinklers blocked by grass, plants or other obstacles.  If the spray is blocked, remove the obstacle or move the sprinkler head. Sprinkler heads can be raised if they are too low or have settled. Make sure sprinklers are vertical and flush with soil grade. Soil should be tightly compacted around the sprinkler. Crooked sprinklers cannot effectively water a lawn.

Check for proper pressure.  Water will stream out of the sprinkler instead of forming a spray if the pressure is too low or mist excessively if it is too high.

Clean or replace clogged nozzles.  If a system has sat unused for a long period of time (Years), it is normal for the need to unclog or replace nozzles.

Make sure all heads direct water to landscape and not to impervious surfaces such as concrete.

Set Schedule

Irrigation controllers are required to be set either before 9am or after 6pm, 2 days per week based on the last digit of your street number.

Determine the maximum run time for each zone before run off starts. This often occurs after about 5-10 minutes for clay soils or after 18 minutes for loamy sand soils.  Decrease these times for slopes.  If runoff is a problem, irrigate more often for shorter periods, waiting at least an hour between watering.

Inspect Your Rain / Freeze Sensor

Make sure the sensor is properly installed, set at one-fourth of an inch or less and not sheltered by walls, shrubs or trees.  If your controller has a sensor switch, Make sure it is always set to “Active” mode, not Bypass.

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