Outdoor Home Survey

Steps:

1. Find the house shut-off valve. Usually but not always, the house line goes in a straight line from your meter to your house.Turn the valve clockwise as far as it will go. Count the number of turns it takes to shut off. You will use the same number of turns to turn the water back on once you complete the test.

2. After you have turned off the house line shut-off valve and the irrigation main water line is open, start by checking your water meter to see if there is continous movement on the meter. If there isn't movement on the meter, this doesn't necessarily mean there isn't a leak - it's just that the higher water use is likely occurring during the course of the scheduled watering. In this case skip to step 5 and read your meter to determine usage in an irrigation run zone or entire program.

3. If the flow indicator on the meter is spinning, the first step is to locate the main irrigation line shutoff valve and turn it off. If the indicator is still spinning, this means the leak is between the meter and the main shutoff valve. If it's not spinning anymore, go to step 4. 

4. If, after the irrigation mainline has been shut off, and movement on the meter stops, turn the main valve back on. If the meter is back to spinning, this means that you have a mainline leak in the water line between the irrigation shut-off and the irrigation valves. The mainline is pressured 24/7 so that when the controller tells a valve to open, there is on-demand water flow to that zone. If steps 3-4 don't apply, go to outdoor test #2.

5. Read your meter.

Determine water use of a single irrigation zone or multiple irrigation zones (straight meter):

1. With the water off to the indoors, ensure the detector is not spinning. Make note or take a photo of the meter numbers on the dial and where the sweeping hand is. 

2. Turn on a single irrigation zone. Watch meter for one minute and note how many revolutions of the sweeping hand were made.  

3. Each revolution of the sweeping hand represents 7.48 gallons. To calculate how much water is used per minute, multiply the number of revolutions by 7.48 gallons. Ex. Zone 1: 1.5 hand revolutions x 7.48 gallons = 11.22 gallons per minute (gpm).

4. To determine water use for multiple irrigation zones, make sure you have a copy of the program that notes the run time for each zone. Before turning on the program, write down or take a photo of the meter numbers and do the same when the program is complete.

5. To calculate how much water is used per program, subtract the first reading from the second reading. Ex. 548010-548000 = 10 cubic feet. Convert to gallons by multiplying by 7.48 gallons. Ex. 10 cubic feet x 7.48 gallons = 74 gallons.

6. You may need to identify flow rates of your irrigation equipment for comparison to ensure the water used is correct. In addition to manually reading your meter, some smart controllers have flow reading capabilities that can provide similar information.

7. After you have finished reviewing your irrigation system, and making any repairs, turn the house line shut-off valve back on. Be sure to open the valve completely, using the same number of turns as it took to turn it off.

Steps:

1. Review your controller. Further information can be found in the user manual or on the manufacturer's website.

   • Date and time - confirm it is current.

   • Battery - if your controller uses a battery backup to save programming, change as needed.

   • Smart controller weather features - turned on, including the rain sensor.

2. Review your watering schedule. It is important to consider:

   • Watering days - deep, infrequent watering makes plants healthier and better able to withstand drought.

   • Repeat cycles - clay soil cannot absorb water as fast as sprinklers and some drip can apply it. Instead of setting your schedule to water one long cycle per night, set it to water three shorter cycles overnight. This will allow the water to soak in and encourage deeper roots.

   • Microclimate - plants growing in shady areas (north/east side) will generally require 50% less water than the same plants in full sun. Create programs for different types of plants. For example, lawn and trees should be on separate programs.

   • When to water - optimum time to water is during the night or early morning when the sun is down and the temperature is cooler.

   • Every system and every landscape is unique and therefore may need more or less than what is suggested. Take a look at our lawn and landscape watering guide as a reference.

3. If you have a conventional controller, record your irrigation schedule and keep it with your controller or save a photo on your phone. This way you will always know how long and how often each valve or station runs.