I cant get my photos to download. I did an inspection on a Friends house and from what I can tell it Passed.
Atmospheric Vacuum Breaker was 6in above heads, all zones worked in sync with Clock. No signs of leaks
I leaned how to inspect a irrigation system and what to look for to find faulty systems. How to maintain systems and what to do to winterize systems. All parts and compnets for the irrigation systems. This was a good course.
A damaged Irrigation manifold was observed. Cracked/broken electrical control valves were observed. Advise further review by a qualified landscaping contractor.
Note: We do not evaluate landscape sprinklers or irrigation systems which are beyond the scope of the inspection and they should be demonstrated to be functional prior to the end of your contingency period.
Landscaping sprinklers in zone 2 and 3 were observed to not cover head to head. Several bare areas were observed. Zone 4 has a very green area, ponding was observed and soil is very soft. While it is beyond the scope of a home inspection to determine the efficiency of irrigation systems. We advise further review by a qualified landscape contractor.
The function of the solenoid zone valve is to control water flow to each of sprinkler head. The common problems causing the valve fail is that the water leaks from the valve. The most common reason for the leaking is that there is debris obstructing the valve diaphragm.
Backflow is the undesirable of the flow of water get into the distribution pipes of the portable water system. For lawn sprinkler system, in order to prevent the contaminating water flow back to the water supply system, back-flow-preventer must be installed prior to the irrigation manifold.
It is picture it ahows an admitter push entirely to low into the ground. Accordimg to the video, when such things happen. One of the reasons are the water pressure is to low. Causing the system to drip rather than spray. Not just spray but cover enough ground.
Too much pressure along with too little pressure is not good for lawn irrigation. There are different psi’ s for lawns and for plants. In a homeowners garage usually its an irrigation clock, which determines what zone gets attention. The clock should be up to date along with the admitters not being cracked or preased to low in the ground. This is just some of the factors needed for an successful lawn irrigation system.
This is an example of a properly place irrigation system. The grass is nice and full all over. Also uniform in color and thickness. You can tell a poor installation will have patches of dead grass and patches of healthy grass.
Planting trees and shrubs can help protect your house and lower energy bills. Trees and shrubs need water to remain healthy, and an irrigation system can remedy this without you having to constantly go out in the heat and water them.
My inspection on my last inspection revealed the rain/freeze sensor had not been installed. The sensor was later discovered on the garage floor. The controller box was also loos eon the wall. Also there were multiple heads that needed directional flow adjustments.
I typically conduct a sprinkler inspection rapidly. I’ve learned that some underground leaks may not occur until running the zone for several minutes. I now run each zone for a couple minutes to verify if there are no underground leaks.
Sprinkler vacuum break is damaged and missing cap. Unable to test sprinkler system. Recommend replacing unit and insulating exterior plumbing to prevent pipe breakage. A Recommendation is to winterize system after replacement of the vacuum break assembly. Unable to test sprinkler system.
After taking the sprinkler training course, I now realize how critical it is to maintain all components of a sprinkler system. Primarily the safety related components such as any vacuum break units. Also of importance is the sprinkler spray patterns and determining if there are any underground leaks.
Lawn irrigation is an inspection that can be added to your list of extra services. One of the most important things to consider is the location and depth of the sprinkler heads, to avoid freeze damage and adequate amount of water on all of the lawn.
To keep an irrigation system working correctly water pressure is vital to successful operations. To little can lead to uneven watering and to high of pressure can lead to misting. Clients need to be informed that the type and conditions of soil is important as the type of sprinkler system.
The following photo of a pop-up sprayer was taken at a recent home inspection. As discussed during this session, we found numerous pop-up sprayers tilted. One sprayer never came up. Additionally, each irrigation zone had it’s own valve box and cover. There were 5 valve boxes and 5 zones.
Since this is a new home, I assume this may be a new practice. Also, of the 5 individual zones, I could only remove the cover to one of them. Very frustrating.
I recently performed an inspection on a new home. The builder had a irrigation system installed. Even on a new home, numerous problems were encountered. Many of the sprayer heads were not perpendicular to the grade. One pop-up sprayer was covered by new grass rectangle. Another sprayer was tilted up toward a window and a pop-up sprayer was found on the other side of the property cedar fence. The potential buyer was appreciative of my findings.
Irrigation systems are not part of the standards of practice but can be inspected by a qualified home inspector. The inspection will involve using the clock to activate each zone of the system to check if water is discharging from the different heads correctly. Each zone should be shut off and the system set back to auto or off based on the homeowners prior use of the system. Manifolds should be checked for cracks and a double check valve should be in place to prevent back drafting of water into the residence.
When building a deck it would be important to make sure that no irrigation heads are present under the deck or in any location that puts water directly on the girders and posts of the deck. This will lead to wood rot in the deck and decrease the safety, strength and lifespan of the deck.