Helpful Hints and Tips from Sand Deigo's Friendliest Landsace Designers
The Garden Path
Sprinkler System Maintenance
Nozzle adjustments
We recommend you adjust your spray nozzles every few months. Sprays can be inadvertently damaged or moved by children and animals. Turn on each station one at a time, and go look at how the sprays are covering the area to be watered. If the area is mainly shrubs, some of the plants may have grown up to block the water from reaching some of the intended area. In this case, we recommend increasing the height of the risers. This can be done using a threaded coupling and another short riser, or dig out the old short one and replace it with a new longer riser. |
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Remember, a nozzle is not intended to water the plants which are located nearby. Systems should be designed with overlapping coverage, so the head(s) that are a bit further away will spray on the plant.
In addition to nozzle height, there are two simple adjustments you can check: direction and throw. To adjust nozzle direction, simply grab the riser or spray head with pliers and rotate to the desired position.
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Always check for leaks in case the rotation has removed enough thread from the adjacent fitting to allow water to pass by. To adjust the throw (the distance water is thrown from the nozzle), turn the adjusting screw in the top center of the nozzle with a small flat screwdriver. Turning clockwise will reduce throw. Turn it counter-clockwise to increase throw. |
Don’t worry about removing the screw by too much turning; the actual head of the screw is inside the nozzle and won’t allow you to remove it from the top. Throw adjustments will only be possible if the nozzle filter is installed properly. If the throw is still incorrect, you can change the throw by selecting a different nozzle. Nozzles are marked with code numbers and letters indicating the spread (angular coverage) and throw. |
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For instance, a nozzle marked “10F” is intended to throw about 10 foot radius in a full circle pattern. If you try and adjust this nozzle to less than about 5 feet throw, the flow will be interrupted and uneven. Best to change it to a 5F nozzle. |
Pop-Up Heads
Pop-Up type heads are usually found in lawns and along walkways, where they can remain level with the surface for mowing and walking. Since they are located mostly underground, they have a tendency to collect dirt and roots, which can affect their performance. Check them at least once a year.
First remove any soil or sod from around the top face. Unscrew the top face cap and remove the spring assembly. Take everything apart and rinse in clean water, removing roots and grit. |
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Check the operation of the spring to ensure full retraction. Inspect the Pop-Up body and remove any foreign material. If the sprinkler was shooting water into the air, it’s time to change the riser seal, which was probably damaged by grit. Put everything back together and check the height.
Pop-ups tend to sink into the soil, or will seem to as the turf grows higher around them. If it is too high, you run the risk of accidentally breaking it off. Too low, and it will collect grit much more readily. Ideally, the nozzle height should be slightly below the mown level for lawns, and be at or barely below traffic level near walkways. There are two ways to adjust the height, depending on how the head was initially installed. If installed on a rigid riser, simply change the riser to one of a more appropriate length. Be careful to dig completely below the threaded fitting and clean thoroughly before unscrewing the old riser. You want to prevent any soil intrusion into your piping system. If installed on a flexible riser, you need to dig enough to allow the fittings to move as intended for adjustment.
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Move up or down as desired and backfill carefully, ensuring your head stays in the new position. |