Pooling Water Around Your Sprinkler Head? Here’s What Could Be Wrong

You rely on your home’s in-ground irrigation system to provide your landscape with the right amount of water to keep it looking lush and green. But if you’ve noticed pooling water around your sprinkler head, you may have a bigger problem on your hands that can be detrimental to the health of your lawn.

To help you avoid a costly water bill due to a sprinkler head leaking, you must determine why there is water pooling around the sprinkler head when running and how to resolve it quickly and efficiently.

Here are 5 reasons why your irrigation system is causing pooling water every time you turn on the sprinkler.

1. Damaged Sprinkler Lines Underground

When you think of your sprinkler system, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the sprinkler heads. However, one of the most common problems for irrigation systems has to do with the water lines which are buried underneath the ground!

Although the water lines may seem safe underground, that doesn’t mean they are immune to damage or leaks.

If you notice water pooling around the sprinkler head when running or where you know there are water lines, call a professional who will shut off the water, repair the damaged water lines, and prevent pooling water.

2. Damaged Sprinkler Heads

Although automatic sprinkler systems are designed to have the sprinkler heads rise when turned on and retract into the ground when turned off, that doesn’t always happen.

When this happens, the exposed spray heads are often damaged by lawn mowers or foot traffic, resulting in sprinkler head leaking at base and sprinkler head flooding.

If you notice water flowing from the sprinkler heads incorrectly when you turn on the sprinkler, it may lead to water damage in your yard. As soon as you notice a sprinkler valve leaking that is causing pooled water, it’s time to call in a professional to have them determine if you have an entirely broken sprinkler system or only a few damaged sprinkler heads.

3. Blocked Spray Head

Luckily, not all sprinkler head flooding is a sign of a costly problem. When you notice pooling water around the sprinkler head, the first thing you should do is examine the spray head itself. Has the spray nozzle become blocked or clogged?

Because the sprinkler heads retract into your landscape when turned off, they can easily have grass grow over the top of them or have dirt and other debris get stuck in the nozzle. As a result, the sprinkler head won’t be able to move correctly when you turn on the sprinkler which can lead to the water flowing incorrectly and cause water damage in your yard.

4. Disconnected Sprinkler Valve

No one wants a broken sprinkler system on their hands. One of the most common problems that lead to pooling water is a sprinkler valve leaking.

If you have a faulty valve, your irrigation system may be leaking constant water from the sprinkler heads.

In order to resolve the issue, you need to thoroughly examine the irrigation system and check valves that may be causing the sprinkler leaking. Once the leaking sprinkler valve has been identified, you can determine if it needs to be repaired or replaced.

5. Misplaced Sprinkler Heads

If your irrigation system wasn’t designed specifically with your landscape’s drainage in mind, you may find yourself with sprinkler head flooding.

When installed, each sprinkler head needs to be strategically placed throughout your landscape to ensure proper sprinkler head drainage when you turn on the sprinkler. If there is too much water flowing in one direction, it will begin collecting in the yard and lead to large areas of pooled water that can cause serious water damage.

How to Find Buried Sprinkler Heads

Oftentimes, when water is pooling in your yard it can be due to a buried sprinkler head. This typically happens as seasons shift and silt or debris is transferred around when the snows melt.

If your buried head is surrounded by a pool of water, it should be easy enough to locate, but what if the pool has dried out by the time you’re ready to tackle the problem?

There are a few ways to find buried sprinkler heads (and it’s a topic that will have it’s own separate blog in the near future). Our favorite way is by using an underground wire and sprinkler valve locator, or by simply referring to the installation plan for your system and measuring out from a known head location. There are even those who swear they can find underground sprinkler pipes by simply holding a coat hanger in their hands.

How to Fix Water Pooling Around Your Sprinkler Head

For our DIY readers, we found a great step by step video on how to fix a leaking sprinkler head here. However, if you notice your sprinkler head leaking while running or any of these issues with your home’s irrigation system, we’ll always recommend you call a professional for repair right away.

The longer you wait to fix the problem, the more water damage you may accidentally cause in your backyard!

An experienced irrigation repair technician will be able to diagnose the problem with your sprinklers systems and provide a recommended solution.

If the problem is beyond repair, we may recommend a replacement irrigation system.

Contact our team to schedule professional sprinkler system repair.