Startup Instructions for a Spring Sprinkler System

Screw the spray heads off all the sprinkler housings. If the spray head doesn't come off, remove the nozzles from the spray heads. To remove a nozzle, insert the supplied sprinkler tool into the lift-up slot on the top of the spray head and turn it a quarter or half-turn, until the stem pulls up. Insert the tool into the radius screw on the top of the spray head and twist it to the left until the nozzle loosens on the stem. Pull the nozzle out of its socket.

Lift and remove the lid to the valve manifold box and remove the towels from the valve manifold if they were placed there to help insulate the valves against cold.

Tighten the bleed screws of all the irrigation valves inside the valve manifold. The bleed screw is a small screw on top of the valve just in front of the valve solenoids. Tighten the solenoids of the valves. The solenoids are prominent on top of the irrigation valve and might have wires extending from the top. They can be turned like knobs and must be closed to prevent water from freely flowing through.

Remove any insulation from around the back-flow preventer and lower the levers of the large ball valves on the preventer until they are level with the preventer unit. Screw on the cap to the drain nipple at the bottom elbow of the back-flow preventer. Insert a flat screwdriver into the screws of the test cocks, which are on the side of the preventer, and turn the screws until the grooves are adjacent to the test cocks, closing them.

Close the drain valve inside the home near the irrigation line shutoff valve and open the irrigation line shutoff valve. This is not to be confused with the main line shutoff valve, which should already be open. The drain valve is located in the basement of your home. It's possible that your sprinkler system has no drain valve and that the irrigation line shutoff valve is outside.

Open the front panel of the irrigation controller and press the "Manual Start" button or activate the irrigation system manually through the timer. Water flows through the system and out of the open spray heads. This flushes out debris that might have accumulated inside the system through the winter.

Replace the spray heads or nozzles and program the irrigation controller for spring.