Have you seen pooling water around your sprinkler heads? Small pools of water near the sprinkler heads are a sign of one kind of small leak or another. This problem can slowly undermine the health of your lawn, not to mention cost you a fortune in wasted water. So, it’s crucial to fix this problem as soon as you can. Here are the three likely causes of pooling water around your sprinkler head and what you can do about them.
1. Leaky Zone Valve
If you notice that there are pools of water around all of the sprinkler heads in one zone or multiple zones, the most likely cause is a leaky zone valve or two. This kind of leak can be a tiny trickle, but it ever stops, even hours after the sprinklers were supposed to turn off.
The zone valve controls the flow of water into the zone. It is supposed to close when the sprinklers need to turn off, preventing your water from flowing down to the sprinkler heads. However, if there is debris in the valve, it may not close fully, which may allow a slow trickle of water to the sprinkler heads. The solution is to ask a professional to dig up any effected valves and clean them.
2. Drainage from the Sprinkler Head
What if you only have pooling water from only one or two sprinkler heads, the ones that are lowest in the system? And the leaking only lasts for minutes or hours after the sprinklers have turned off? Typically, this kind of leak is from an elevation change.
When the sprinkler system turns off, there is still some water left in the sprinkler lines. This water may slowly drain out of the sprinkler heads that are lower in the system. Once the water had drained, the leak stops. Even an elevation change of less than a foot can cause this problem. The solution is to have your sprinkler professional install check valves on the effected sprinkler heads. Check valves stop water from leaving the line.
3. A Leak in the Line
The third cause of pooling water is the least likely. If there is a leak in the line supplying the sprinkler heads, it can create a bubble of water in the lawn. When you step on that bubble, the water has to go somewhere, and it often pops up as a puddle near the sprinkler head. This kind of leak may seem very inconsistent, but it can quickly become a severe problem that wastes a lot of water and damages your lawn. In this case, the only solution is to have a professional find and fix the leak.
The Impact of Sprinkler Head Pooling
Are small puddles of water near your sprinkler head a real problem? It may seem small, but these puddles waste a lot of water, which harms the environment and costs you money. They may also cause moisture problems on the lawn, including dead grass and fungal infections. We suggest that you get these puddles fixed as soon as possible.
