A broken sprinkler is often just one broken head. A mower wheel or an edger clips a pop-up head, and one patch of lawn gets a fountain while the spot beside it dries out. Replacing it is a simple fix, and you don’t need us for it.
Before you start on any sprinkler repair, make sure the head is actually the problem. A leaking valve or a cracked pipe underground can look the same from the top. Those are different repairs.
Grab a small shovel or trowel, gloves, a few marker flags, and work clothes you don’t mind getting wet. You will get wet.
From the controller, run each zone in daylight and watch it. Most systems run overnight or before sunrise, so a busted head can spray for weeks before anyone notices.
What you’re looking for:
Push a small flag into the ground next to each damaged head as you go. Once the zone shuts off, they’re easy to lose track of.
A leaking head adds up fast. The EPA puts the cost of leaks and broken heads at up to 25,000 gallons of water and $280 over a six-month watering season.
We’ve seen just about every sprinkler problem a yard can have. Some look like a bad head and aren’t, so check these before you buy anything:
Valves, pipes, and timers are a different job. We cover those under When to Call a Pro.
A clogged nozzle gets cleaned. A cracked head, or one that won’t pop up, gets replaced. That’s the whole repair or replace decision.
Match the new head to the old one, same type and same brand. The easy way is to take the old head to the store with you. Home systems use three kinds:
Swap like for like and the zone stays even. Spray heads put down water a lot faster than rotors. Put one in a rotor zone and you get a swamp on one side and a dust bowl on the other.
The pressure range is printed on the old head. If it’s worn off, check your sprinkler system manual.
Besides the new head, have an adjustable riser on hand in case the old riser snapped. A riser extractor is a T-handle tool that grips the inside of a broken riser, and it makes getting one out much easier. A flat-head screwdriver handles the final adjustment.
Shut off the water to the sprinkler system before you dig, or the hole fills up while you work.
Dig around the head with a small shovel, and keep the blade away from the pipe. Once the connection is exposed, unscrew the head counterclockwise. If the riser broke off inside the fitting, back it out with the riser extractor.
Wipe any dirt or grit off the riser threads. Clean threads give the new head a tight seal.
Screw the new head onto the riser until it’s snug. Snug, not tight, because overtightening can crack the pipe.
Use the adjustable riser if you need it, so the top of the head sits at ground level. Then turn the head so the spray pattern lines up with the area it’s supposed to water.
Some new spray heads come with a flush plug where the nozzle goes. Run the zone with the plug in to flush dirt out of the line. Then pull the plug and screw on the nozzle.
Turn the water back on and run the zone. Check the connection for leaks and watch where the spray lands. If you’re watering the sidewalk, you’re paying to grow concrete.
Each head should throw far enough to reach the next one. We call that head-to-head coverage. When you’ve got it, fill in the hole and firm the soil around the head.
Regular checks cut down on repeat repairs. Walk the system a few times a season. Look for heads blocked by debris, heads knocked out of line by mowers or foot traffic, and freeze damage.
When the seasons change, change the run times on the controller, not the heads. Your lawn needs more water in midsummer than in spring or fall, and even coverage in the hottest months keeps dry patches from opening up.
Water left in the lines can freeze and crack heads and pipes over a high desert winter. Our guide on how to winterize your sprinkler system shows how to drain the lines before the cold sets in.
One broken head, you can handle. These are a different story:
Finding a buried leak or a dead valve takes gear most garages don’t have. We bring it.
Every call starts the same way, whether it’s sprinkler repair in Reno or Sparks. We run each zone to see what’s working and what isn’t. You hear what we found before we touch anything. Most home repairs wrap up in one visit.
We don’t install new systems. We fix just about everything else, from leaking valves to broken pipes and timer swaps.
If that broken head turns out to be a stuck valve or a buried leak, that’s our job, not yours. Cory’s Lawn Service has looked after Reno and Sparks yards since 2006. Take your weekend back.
