7 Signs Your Sprinkler System Needs Repair (Don't Ignore #3)

Is your sprinkler not working right? Brown spots on your lawn, a water bill that's too high, or heads that won't pop up are all signs you need sprinkler repair. Most homeowners ignore these until the lawn looks terrible or the water bill hits $400. Here's what to watch for and what each problem costs to fix.

1. Brown or Dry Patches in an Otherwise Green Lawn

What it looks like: Irregular brown spots, usually in the same area every year. The rest of the lawn looks fine.

What causes it: A clogged nozzle, a head that's sunk below grade, or a head that got bumped and is spraying the wrong direction. Sometimes it's a cracked lateral line that's losing pressure before water reaches the last heads on a zone.

Cost to fix: $50-$150 for nozzle cleaning, head adjustment, or head replacement. $200-$400 if it's a cracked line underground.

2. One or More Heads Won't Pop Up

What it looks like: You run a zone and some heads just sit there. No pop, no spray.

What causes it: Dirt and debris clog the head's riser. Or the spring inside is worn out. On older systems, the diaphragm in the valve might be failing, which kills pressure to the whole zone.

Cost to fix: $15-$30 per head for cleaning or replacement. $100-$200 if the valve needs rebuilding.

3. Your Water Bill Jumped and You Can't Explain Why

What it looks like: Your July water bill is $75-$100 higher than last year but nothing changed. Same schedule, same yard.

What causes it: This is the one people ignore the longest, and it costs them the most. A leak underground can waste thousands of gallons before you notice. A stuck valve that runs a zone all night is another common culprit. Even a single broken head gushing water adds up fast.

Cost to fix: Depends on the source. A stuck valve is $100-$200. An underground leak can be $200-$500 to locate and repair. But every month you wait, you're paying an extra $75-$100 in water.

This is the one you really can't afford to ignore. We've seen homeowners rack up $300-$500 in extra water bills before they call us, on top of the repair cost.

4. Puddles or Soggy Areas That Won't Dry Out

What it looks like: Muddy spots in the lawn, water pooling near heads or valve boxes, or areas that stay spongy even when you haven't watered.

What causes it: A cracked pipe, a leaking valve, or a head that's not sealing shut after the zone turns off. Low spots in the yard can also collect runoff from heads with bad check valves.

Cost to fix: $100-$300 depending on the source. Valve repairs on the lower end, underground pipe repairs on the higher end.

5. Sputtering or Uneven Spray Patterns

What it looks like: Heads that cough, sputter, or spray in weird patterns instead of a clean arc.

What causes it: Debris in the nozzle or filter screen. Can also mean a partially closed valve or low water pressure to that zone. On systems with mixed head types (rotors and sprays on the same zone), pressure mismatches cause erratic performance.

Cost to fix: Usually $0-$50. Cleaning nozzles and filter screens is quick. If it's a pressure issue, adding a pressure regulator runs $75-$150.

6. Water Pressure Drops When a Zone Kicks On

What it looks like: You're running the kitchen sink and a zone starts. The sink pressure drops noticeably. Or one zone runs great but the next one barely trickles.

What causes it: Too many heads on one zone, a partially closed shut-off valve, or a failing backflow preventer. In older Erie and Longmont homes, the original system design sometimes underestimated how many heads a zone could handle with local water pressure.

Cost to fix: $75-$200 for valve work or backflow service. If it's a design issue (too many heads per zone), splitting a zone runs $300-$600.

7. Heads Spraying Onto Sidewalks and Driveways

What it looks like: Half the water from your heads is hitting pavement instead of grass.

What causes it: Heads got bumped by foot traffic, mowers, or plows and now they're aimed wrong. Or the original installation used heads with too much throw for the space. Either way, you're watering concrete and wasting money.

Cost to fix: $0 if you adjust them yourself (see our post on adjusting sprinkler heads). $50-$100 if we come out and dial everything in. If wrong nozzles are installed, $3-6 per head for the right ones.

Quick DIY Check You Can Do Right Now

Before you call anyone, run through your system zone by zone. Walk the yard while each zone runs and look for:

• Heads that don't pop up (mark them with a flag)
• Heads spraying pavement or the neighbor's yard
• Dry spots at the edges of zones
• Puddles forming near heads or valve boxes
• Sputtering heads or uneven spray

Write down which zone number has which problems. This makes any service call faster and cheaper because we don't have to spend 20 minutes figuring out what you already know.

When a Repair Becomes a Replacement

If your system is over 15 years old and you're calling for repairs every season, it might be time to talk about replacing parts of it. Here's a rough guide:

• 1-2 repairs a year: Normal maintenance. Keep fixing.
• 3-4 repairs a year: Something bigger is going on. Worth an evaluation.
• $500+ per year in repairs: Probably cheaper to replace problem zones or rework the system.

Old PVC pipes get brittle. Valves wear out. Wire connections corrode. At some point, fixing one thing just moves the weak point to the next oldest part.

Trailhead Lawn & Irrigation diagnoses and repairs sprinkler systems across Erie, Longmont, Louisville, Lafayette, and Weld County. If your system is showing any of these signs, give us a call. We'll figure out what's going on and tell you straight whether it needs a quick fix or something bigger.