Sarasota Sprinkler Repair
What you should know about Sarasota sprinkler repair
Sarasota has a hot and muggy climate. You would think this would lend it to requiring little in the way of supplemental irrigation. However, given the residents preference for St. Augustine grass,a well designed lawn sprinkler system is required.
That brings us to
Sarasota sprinkler repair
Irrigation systems are comprised of moving parts, all of which will need to be replaced at some point in time. These are:1. Sprinkler heads.
2. Irrigation controller.
3. Lawn sprinkler solenoid valves and control wiring.
There are three basic types of sprinkler heads.
1.Rotors
2.Sprays
3.Low volume, which includes drip emitters and bubblers
Lets take rotors first. As the name implies, "rotors" rotate. In order to provide proper water distribution uniformity, the heads need to turn. The main way that rotors fail is by stopping rotation. So when checking your Sarasota sprinkler system for repairs, pay close attention to make sure all your rotor heads are turning and are adjusted properly.
Spray heads come in the form of pop ups" and stand pipes. Pop ups have a barrel that raises above the plant material when pressurized, and then the barrel retracts when the zone turns off. Stand pipes have a spray nozzle attached to the pipe and are generally used behind taller plant material. Spray heads do not turn. However, a hybrid type of heads has emerged in the last few years which is a "rotating spray nozzle."
The last basic type of "irrigation heads" are drip systems. Drip or low volume irrigation can take many forms. Some of these are bubblers (mainly used on trees or large plant material), in line drip emitters such as Netafim, and bug emitters.
Drip irrigation in Sarasota is too large of a subject to include here, but in very general terms, in line emitters for hedges or closely spaced material, and bug emitters for sparse or random water friendly plants. There is also a type called micro sprays, and like bubblers are considered low volume rather than drip. To see a micro spray system, just visit the Sarasota South County building on state road 41 in Venice Florida. Micro sprays are what they use in their plant beds.
The next Sarasota sprinkler repair problem that you may run into is with your sprinkler timer. With regards to irrigation controllers, there are two main kinds:
1. Mechanical sprinkler timers
2. Digital irrigation controllers.
Note that I make the above distinction between "mechanical timers" and "irrigation controllers." Most mechanical timers lack the functionality of digital controllers. They are less precise in their watering times and ability to use more complicated schedules. Many Florida counties, including Sarasota, no longer allow the installation of mechanical timers. Some highly experienced Sarasota sprinkler repair guys (usually the "lifers" with 30+ years or more in the trenches)will try to tell you "mechanical timers are more durable, less prone to voltage spikes" etc. I also have 30+ years doing sprinkler repair in both Orlando and Sarasota. And from my point of view, they are wrong. I have seen as many mechanical timers get burned by lighting as digital.
A common problem with digital controllers is that a voltage spike may cause the display to "freeze." When this happens, no matter which buttons you push, nothing happens. Nine times out of ten this issue is easily resolved. First unplug the controller from the wall, or turn off the breaker power supply. Next, remove the back up battery. This will remove all current to the controller and the display will go blank. Wait 20 minutes, re-install the battery and turn the power back on to the controller. The irrigation controller will reset to the default program which means you will need to program it again for your watering times and days.
Last but not least of common Sarasota sprinkler repairs are the irrigation valves. Sprinkler valves commonly fail in one of two ways, electrically or mechanically.
Electrical failure can encompass a bad timer (rare), bad field wiring or splices (seldom), or a faulty solenoid (usually the case.) Mechanical failure involves the failing of the valve diaphragm. When a diaphragm fails, the valve will do one of three things: stick open, stick closed, or stick partially open. When a sprinkler valve is stuck partially open, it is called a "weeping valve" because only a tiny amount of water will trickle out of the heads. When having valve problems, it is best to call a Sarasota sprinkler company.
Hopefully you have found this information helpful when dealing with Sarasota sprinkler repair.
