New Routine, Same Routine Maintenance: Ensuring Irrigation System Health
May 14, 2020
Calsense Is Here for You
In the last two months, we have all experienced firsthand how life can rapidly change without warning. Practically everything has been put on hold due to COVID-19 – from events, to closed restaurants, and even closed outdoor recreation sites, like beaches and parks. This is the first time many of us have experienced anything like this. Although this time has been extremely challenging, we will see it through together, even if that means that our normal habits and routines change.
Calsense is here for you during this time of transition. As parks, schools and businesses start to open again, we have tips to ensure that your return to irrigation scheduling and routine maintenance is as smooth as possible.
New Routine, Same Routine Maintenance
Maintenance is always an important aspect of your irrigation system, but now it is more important due to many systems having been shut off completely for a longer period of time. To check that all valves are working properly, a station inspection should be done. You can conduct this walk-through of your system using the CS3000 controller, which will run a test of all specified sprinklers. This is a wellness check that opens all indicated valves so that you can spot any malfunctions. Since they have been out of use, it is important to check the system’s health before running the normal irrigation schedule.
Performing a Walk-Through With the CS3000
On the controller navigate to Manual & Test from the Main Menu. Then select Walk-Through. On this page you can select a start time for the test, set how long the test will run, and set the station order in which you want the walk-thru to proceed. The start time can be set for however long it will take you to physically get to the valve. The recommended run time for each station is at least two minutes to give you enough time to evaluate any problems that may occur. Lastly, you will want to make sure that the stations have been ordered correctly based on the location of where they are on your landscape/property.
This manual walk-thru is a great way to inspect the area and note any errors that may occur.
Some common issues that may arise include:
- Clogged sprinkler head
- Valve not opening
- Skewed spray- the angle of the sprinkler head is amiss
- Stuck valve
- Slow closing valve
- Broken sprinkler head
This can be done at any time and is a great starting point to make sure your irrigation stations are all running well!
