Blog

The dark, cold days of winter are almost over! And we’re starting to see signs that Spring is on the way!

A few months ago, when cold temperatures were coming, you may have winterized your irrigation system. Now that the danger of freezing is about to pass, you may be wondering how to turn your sprinkler system on again.

If you’re like most people, you are probably ready to get back outside and enjoy some sunshine again. You might even be anxious to start planting flowers and digging in the garden a little. If you’re in charge of an apartment complex or an HOA, you may be ready to get some color back out in front of your property.

Not so fast, though!

In and around the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Winter can be sneaky. Somewhere around the beginning of March, we get a few warm days and evening temperatures in the 40s and think “Spring is here!”

But don’t let it fool you. We’ve had some pretty late freezes before, and you never really know what the weather is going to do. So keep reading to find out when it’s safe to turn on your irrigation system and get ready for all those flowers!

If you’re interested in just learning more about how an irrigation system works, check out this helpful PDF, “Homeowners Guide to Sprinkler Systems”, from Texas A&M’s AgriLife Research team.

When to Turn on Sprinklers

According to the National Weather Service data for earliest and latest freezes, the average date for our last freeze is March 12.

Typically, our area is frost-free sometime during the first week of March. (If you happen to live further north in Texas, you can check the Farmer’s Almanac to find out your frost dates.)

Notice, we said that March 12 is the “average” last freeze date. Always double-check the extended forecast for your area before turning the water on. After the middle of March, though, you can most likely power up your sprinkler system again.

A good way to know if your specific property is ready to have the water turned on is to see if the ground is still frozen or not.

Even though the air temperature is above freezing and there are no signs of frost on the surface, it’s still possible for the ground to be frozen down where the pipes are. Introducing water there too soon could quickly lead to quite a bit of damage!

Dig down 12-18” with a shovel in an out-of-the-way area of your lawn. If you encounter any frozen ground, it’s too early to restart your irrigation. Plan to wait several more weeks in order to give the ground plenty of time to thaw.

Now, let’s take a look at how to turn on an irrigation system and wake it up from hibernation.

How to Turn on an Irrigation System

Most irrigation systems are fully automated. Once there is water pressure in the lines, the control panel runs a preset program. And in a perfect world, you’d never have to touch it again until it’s time to turn it off again at the end of the season.

But before you can run your irrigation, you first need to pressurize it with water again.

An irrigation system is made up of mainline and lateral pipes that carry the water throughout your property. The mainline is the larger pipe that stays under constant pressure. Each lateral line is connected to the mainline and pressurized as needed by valves based on whatever schedule you’ve chosen. On the other end of each lateral line are the various sprinkler heads that make up the sprinkler zones.

All of this begins at what is referred to as a “Point of Connection” (POC). This is where your system makes contact with a municipal water supply, well, pond, or whatever you’re using as your water source. Most apartment communities and HOAs in and around Dallas/Fort Worth have their irrigation connected to a public water supply.

1. Open the Main Valve. When you find the master valve that connects your system to the water supply, open it slowly to prevent damage to the rest of your system. Water hitting fittings and connectors too fast can cause them to crack or separate, or a phenomenon known as “water hammering” can occur.
   • In order to avoid unnecessary repairs before you can use your system, make sure you introduce water slowly and build up the pressure gradually. 
   • When you first open the main valve, only open it a quarter-turn to keep the water from rushing in. Plan on allowing an hour or two for larger systems to fully pressurize. Once the system is full of water, you won’t be able to hear the rushing water at the main valve anymore. At that point, it’s ok to fully open the main valve.
2. Inspect Sprinkler Heads. Before you push water to each zone, it’s best to visually inspect every sprinkler head you can. (Those that pop up out of the ground will be hard to find, so you’ll probably have to check them with the next step.) This is a good time to replace any that are damaged or clearly not pointed in the right direction…or make a note of it for later.
   • Unscrew each one you can find and either clean the filter underneath with an old toothbrush or replace it with a new one.
3. Run Each Zone. Once the mainline of your system is fully pressurized, open each of the lateral valves. This is easily done from your main control panel. You’ll probably see a setting that allows you to manually run your programmed schedule.
   • If you don’t want to run a full schedule, you can set it to only run each zone for 5 minutes. That’s usually plenty of time for the lateral line to fill up and for you to notice any problems at the sprinkler heads. (It’s a good idea to walk through your property as the zones are running and note any issues that you’ll need to have fixed later.)
   • Before you run each zone, remove the sprinkler head that is last in line (furthest away from the valve). That will allow trapped air to escape easily. You can screw it back in place once the valve closes and shuts the zone off again.

We’ve Got Your Irrigation Services Covered

If you own or manage a large property (commercial, HOA, etc.) or run into problems that will need to be repaired, you’ll want to call in a good irrigation company.

Our team at LH Services has over 20 years of experience providing professional irrigation services in Dallas, Fort Worth, and surrounding areas. We understand how important good water coverage is, and we have what it takes to keep your property looking great.

Contact us today to schedule a free estimate or to make sure your irrigation system gets turned on the right way!

Contact Us