How to Troubleshoot Shrubbler Irrigation

Follow the length of the Shrubbler lines, looking for kinks or areas of excess moisture that may signal a leak. Release any kinks and tighten up any of the connections by hand or very gently with an adjustable wrench.

Turn the water source spigot open to its full flow capacity. The flow through the Shrubbler system cannot be modulated by restricting the flow of water into the system; it will only cause the system to fail in its basic operation.

Check if the tubing is running up and down over terrain or a wall, causing an air lock at the high points and blocking or restricting the flow of water through the system. Correct for significant height differences by installing a Shrubbler air bleed component in the line.

Consider that you may have too many emitters attached to one line of tubing, causing low flow or the water petering out before it reaches the emitters near the end of the line. Increase the water flow by reducing the number of Shrubbler emitters attached to the line or adjust all of the emitters to a smaller spray footprint. Alternatively, split the same number of emitters in half and install the removed half onto a new secondary tubing line that operates on a different schedule. Additionally, you can replace the water supply line with a larger-diameter line so more water can be carried into the system, such as going from 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch lines.

Inspect the filter at the water intake coupler between the spigot and Shrubbler system to correct low pressure flow. Open the filter joint and look for debris or obstructions and remove any that you find.

Remove the plug at the end of the Shrubbler line while the water source is at full blast and check that there is ample flow of water through the tube. If there is, any persistent or intermittent problem is likely due to one of the emitters. Inspect all of the emitters with the water on full-blast. Clean any Shrubbler emitters that look like they are malfunctioning or clogged with mineral buildup or other debris. Alternatively, turn off the malfunctioning emitter until it can be replaced.