Before you begin. This procedure is general reference information, not professional advice. Equipment varies by manufacturer, model, and year. Always follow the documentation supplied with your equipment — where it differs from this page, follow the manufacturer. Verify that you have the tools, the working conditions, and the ability to do this task safely. If anything is unclear, if the equipment is damaged, or if the task exceeds your experience, stop and use a qualified professional. You are responsible for your own safety and for the outcome. This site accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or injury arising from the use of this information.
Specifications marked unverified could not be traced to a manufacturer source. Do not rely on them — obtain the value from your equipment documentation.
Summary
An in-ground irrigation system sits full of trapped water and empty pipe over winter, and both Rain Bird and Hunter Industries publish the same core warning for starting it again: open the supply valve slowly. A valve opened too fast sends a pressure surge, called water hammer, through pipe that has been empty, and both manufacturers say this can burst a pipe or damage a valve. This page walks through a spring start-up in that order — checking that the soil is no longer frozen, checking the valves and the controller, opening the supply valve slowly, checking the water pressure, then checking every sprinkler head one station at a time for the faults EPA's WaterSense program and both manufacturers describe: a head that does not rise fully, a head that leans, a head that is missing, misting from a head, and a head aimed at a path or a driveway instead of the lawn.
This page assumes a residential system fed from a public water supply, with a supply valve, a controller and sprinkler heads. It does not cover a well-fed system, a system with narrow drip tubing and emitters instead of heads, or a repair beyond flagging a fault for a professional — replacing a valve, a backflow preventer or buried pipe is a job for an irrigation professional. If your water pressure reading is far outside the range this page gives, or you find a cracked pipe, valve or backflow preventer body, stop and read Professional boundary before you go any further.
Necessary equipment
| Item | Note |
|---|---|
| Shovel | Use the shovel to look for frost in the soil. |
| Water pressure gauge | Connect the gauge to an outside tap to read the water pressure. |
| Marker flags or tape optional | Use a flag to mark a sprinkler head that needs a repair. |
| Controller backup battery material | Match the battery type and size to your controller. |
Get the system ready
Estimated 7 min to 9 min
- Push a shovel into the soil near a sprinkler head.1mReport a problem with step 1, Get the system ready
- Push it to a depth of 12 inches (30 cm).
- If the soil has frost at this depth, wait one week.<1mReport a problem with step 2, Get the system ready
- Look at the soil again after the week.
- Look at each valve and each pipe for a crack or other damage.2mReport a problem with step 3, Get the system ready
- Look at the filter and the backflow preventer for damage too.
- Replace a cracked or worn sprinkler head or nozzle.
- Replace a cracked or worn valve or pipe too.
- Close each manual drain valve on the system.2mReport a problem with step 4, Get the system ready
- A manual drain valve is a valve that you close by hand.
- Some systems use a drain cap that you screw in by hand instead.
- Reset the program in the irrigation controller for the new season.2mReport a problem with step 5, Get the system ready
- Make sure that the date and the time are correct.
- If the backup battery in the controller is due, replace it.1mReport a problem with step 6, Get the system ready
- Rain Bird states a 6-month replacement interval for this battery.
Restore water to the system
Estimated 4 min to 8 min
Source: Springtime Sprinkler Tune-Up Checklist · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-04
MAKE SURE THAT THE SOIL IS FREE OF FROST BEFORE YOU OPEN THE IRRIGATION SUPPLY VALVE.
Water in a frozen pipe can crack the pipe as it fills.
OPEN THE IRRIGATION SUPPLY VALVE SLOWLY.
A quick change in pressure can burst a pipe or damage a valve.
- Open the irrigation supply valve slowly.1mReport a problem with step 1, Restore water to the system
- Connect a water pressure gauge to an outside tap.1mReport a problem with step 2, Restore water to the system
- Read the pressure on the gauge.<1mReport a problem with step 3, Restore water to the system
- A sprinkler system typically runs at 40 to 65 psi.
- If the pressure is far above this range, read Professional boundary.<1mReport a problem with step 4, Restore water to the system
- Start one station at a time from the irrigation controller.2mReport a problem with step 5, Restore water to the system
- Repeat this step for each station on the controller.
Examine every sprinkler head
Estimated 19 min to 42 min
- Watch each sprinkler head while its station runs.5mReport a problem with step 1, Examine every sprinkler head
- Look at each head for a fault.4mReport a problem with step 2, Examine every sprinkler head
- A head that does not rise fully has a fault.
- A head that leans to one side has a fault.
- A head that is not there has a fault.
- Look for mist around a head while it sprays.2mReport a problem with step 3, Examine every sprinkler head
- Mist around a head can mean that the pressure is too high.
- Look for water on the soil surface between watering cycles.2mReport a problem with step 4, Examine every sprinkler head
- Water on the surface between cycles can mean a leak below it.
- Remove rocks, dirt and other debris from around each head.3mReport a problem with step 5, Examine every sprinkler head
- Aim each head at the lawn.2mReport a problem with step 6, Examine every sprinkler head
- Keep the spray off the path and the drive.
- Record the position of a head that needs a repair.1mReport a problem with step 7, Examine every sprinkler head
- Contact an irrigation professional for a head that you cannot repair yourself.
Reset the controller and record the work
Estimated 2 min
- If your system has a weather sensor, clean it.1mReport a problem with step 1, Reset the controller and record the work
- Write the date of this work in your records.<1mReport a problem with step 2, Reset the controller and record the work
Terminology
This page uses one term for each item and holds it throughout, as ASD-STE100 requires. Equipment sellers and other guides use the names below for the same parts.
- garden irrigation system
- Also called: sprinkler system, in-ground sprinklers, lawn sprinkler system, yard sprinklers, underground sprinklers, irrigation system
- irrigation supply valve
- Also called: main water valve, main sprinkler valve, mainline shut-off valve, master valve, main shutoff, isolation valve
- irrigation controller
- Also called: sprinkler timer, irrigation timer, sprinkler clock, the box that runs the sprinklers
- water hammer
- Also called: pipe knock, pressure surge, banging pipes, hammering pipes
- sprinkler head
- Also called: sprinkler, spray head, pop-up sprinkler, pop-up head, irrigation head
When to use a professional
Stop if you find a crack in a pipe, a valve or the backflow preventer body. A cracked part can fail without warning when water pressure returns. Call a plumber or an irrigation professional before you use the system.
Stop if the water pressure is far above the suggested range and misting comes from a head. High pressure can crack a pipe or split a fitting. Ask an irrigation professional to measure the pressure and fit a regulator.
Stop if a valve leaks after you close it, or if a valve will not turn. Do not force a valve. Call a plumber or an irrigation professional.
Stop if your system uses a well pump or draws from a private water supply. This page assumes a public water supply, not a well pump. Call an irrigation professional to measure pressure and flow for a well-fed system.
Stop if a drain valve or a drain cap from winter is still open. Do not guess at a valve that you do not know. Call an irrigation professional if you are not sure.
Stop if your system has narrow drip tubing and small emitters. This page does not cover a drip system. Read the instructions for your drip system instead.
Common questions
When can I turn my sprinkler system back on in spring?
There is no single calendar date. Rain Bird's own spring guide recommends a physical test instead: push a shovel into the soil near a head and check that it is frost-free to a depth of 12 inches. If the ground still feels solid at that depth, wait a week and test again before you start the system — water in a still-frozen pipe can crack it.
My sprinkler system won't turn on. What should I check first?
Start with what you can see. Rain Bird's guide has you inspect each valve and each drain valve before you restore water, and Hunter Industries has you check that a station's operating pressure is normal rather than low, since low pressure at a station can point to a broken line or a missing sprinkler. If nothing looks obviously wrong and the system still will not run, that points to the controller or the wiring, and an irrigation professional can trace it faster than guesswork.
Why does my sprinkler head not pop up all the way?
EPA's WaterSense program lists this as one of the most common spring faults, alongside a head that leans or one that is missing entirely. Dirt, sand or debris that built up over winter is a frequent cause, so clearing the area around the head is worth trying first. If the head still will not rise fully afterward, flag it for an irrigation professional — WaterSense's own checklist routes a broken or missing sprinkler to a professional rather than a home fix.
What is water hammer, and why does it matter for starting a sprinkler system?
Water hammer is the pressure surge that Rain Bird describes when a valve is opened quickly on a pipe that has been empty all winter. Rain Bird's guide states plainly that this surge can result in pipe bursts and damaged valves, which is why both Rain Bird and Hunter Industries have the reader open the supply valve slowly rather than all at once.
What is a safe water pressure for a sprinkler system?
Rain Bird's own guide gives a typical range of 40 to 65 psi for a residential sprinkler system, checked with a pressure gauge on an outside tap. That is described as a suggested operating range, not a fixed limit for every system, so treat it as a starting point. If your reading sits well outside it, or you see misting at the heads, EPA's WaterSense program and Rain Bird both point to a pressure regulator or an irrigation professional rather than a guess.
Do I need to check every zone separately, or can I just run the whole system at once?
Check one station at a time. Hunter Industries' own start-up checklist has the reader activate each station individually and watch it before moving to the next, and EPA's WaterSense program uses the same approach to catch a head that does not rise, one that leans, or one that sprays a driveway or a path instead of the lawn. Running every zone together makes a single faulty head far harder to spot.
Related procedures
- How to winterize a garden irrigation or sprinkler system before it freezes
- How to keep water pipes from freezing in a cold snap, and what to do if one has already frozen
- How to tell if you have a hidden water leak using your water meter
- How to winterize an outdoor faucet so it does not burst in winter
- How to fix an outside tap that drips or won't shut off by replacing the washer and the packing inside the stem
- How to clean out a sump pump pit and check the check valve so the pump stops cycling
- How to test a sump pump and its float switch before the wet season
Sources
Every specification on this page is traced to one of these sources. Tier 1 is a manufacturer document, a published standard, or a government safety authority. See Standards for the full tiering rule.
- Tier 1Springtime Sprinkler Tune-Up Checklist
- Tier 1Spring Start-Up Checklist
- Tier 1It's Time to Start a Sprinkler Spruce-Up!
- Tier 1Find It, Flag It, Fix It: A Checklist for Your Landscape
Revision history
Current version 1 · updated 2026-08-04 · next review due 2027-08-04
- v1 · 2026-08-04First draft. Sourced to Rain Bird's 'Springtime Sprinkler Tune-Up Checklist' (rainbird.com/homeowners/spring-sprinkler-tune, fetched directly and read in full as rendered HTML) and Hunter Industries' 'Spring Start-Up Checklist' (hunterirrigation.com/node/291, read through the fetch tool after a direct HTTPS GET returned HTTP 403 on this session's own re-check, consistent with the Akamai block already recorded elsewhere in this registry for the same domain), plus two EPA WaterSense PDFs read in full: 'It's Time to Start a Sprinkler Spruce-Up!' (EPA-832-K-19-001) and 'Find It, Flag It, Fix It: A Checklist for Your Landscape' (EPA-832-F-20-004). The water-hammer hazard and the slow-valve-opening instruction come from both manufacturers, who agree. The one safety-critical number on the page, the 40-to-65 psi suggested operating pressure range, is Rain Bird's own figure, marked verified with a source and an access date; the record does not carry a spec_key because no matching entry exists yet in data/specs.json, which this session is not permitted to write. The frost-depth check (12 inches), the 6-month battery interval and the head-fault list are drawn directly from the four sources' own wording but are not safety-critical per config.json and so are not run through the specification-verification machinery. No step instructs closing a backflow preventer's test cocks specifically, because none of the four sources describes that action for a spring start-up; a reader unsure whether a winter drain point is still open is routed to Professional boundary instead of a guessed step. The compressed-air blow-out method, a well-fed system, and a drip-tubing system are all out of scope and are named only in Professional boundary, never instructed.
Corrections to this page are listed in the public corrections log. Reports that are credible and not yet verified are listed in the public errata register, and an open one renders above the step it concerns.
Comments and corrections
Found an error? A correction with a manufacturer source is applied and logged publicly. You can also write to corrections@fixchecklist.com.
Every step above carries its own report control, which tags the report with that step so a correction reaches the right place. For anything about the procedure as a whole — the order of the sections, a step that is missing, something that did not match your equipment — use this: report something about this whole procedure.