You likely don’t think much about your sprinkler system when it’s working well, but most homeowners do. Unfortunately, they overlook that sprinklers talk before they fail. It’s often a delayed response from the human end because those oddly peculiar noises that come from the sprinklers’ valves or heads are anything but natural once the system goes into operation. More often than not, they’re bad signs that something’s wearing down, breaking, or about to become more troublesome than just an annoying noise.
But the problem is, sounds are rarely referenced for what’s typical and what’s not. A little hissing is okay. A lot of hissing isn’t. That click could be harmless, but a controller’s last hurrah sounds like a rapid beep. And by the time you figure it out, you’ve either wasted money on diagnostics and repairs that weren’t necessary or waited too long to bring in a professional and ended up with a flooded yard.
It’s more about learning what matters and diagnosing what’s severe enough to pay for an expert visit. When things are moving through the process smoothly enough, it can wait. But when a sound is evidently worse than expected or expected at all, that’s when a decision needs to happen quickly or with a lag time.
When Valves Make Noise
Normally, there’s no sound when sprinkler valves open and close. But if you’re hearing them halfway across the yard, there’s usually an indication that something’s changing inside.
For example, valves click and chatter to warn that the solenoid is going out. Solenoids are what opens and closes the valve, and if there’s not enough of an electrical signal to keep it properly functioning, it’s going out. Occasionally its debris caught in the way or a loose wire connection. Other times, it’s aging internal parts.
Valves also hammer and bang. That’s water hammer, when water stops too abruptly, creating a shock wave that creates pressure that causes pipes and couplings to rattle together and eventually weaken. Water hammer is when the valve’s shutting too quickly, which can be a pressure problem or an issue with the valve closing too fast. Regardless, it’s a headache that’s better nipped in the bud before fittings break or pipes crack over time.
Valves that hiss indicate leaks. It could be something subtle, like worn diaphragm doing little drips, or it could be water is escaping around the valve body itself. Either way, it’s a sign water’s going somewhere it shouldn’t. Left alone, it wastes water and promotes leaking – big time down the road.
When all else fails or the sounds seem too frequent or confused, bringing in professional sprinkler repair services is paramount to diagnosing what’s truly at fault and whether it’s a quick adjustment of a part replacement or something more extensive. Oftentimes, parts replaced due to what they thought was major are rather easy fixes and what seems like a small problem is truly comprehensive failure of the component.
Sprinkler Head Sounds
Sprinkler heads make their share of weird sounds too, and most of them aren’t good.
For example, if your head whistles or squeals, there’s probably debris stuck inside it, or the nozzle is partially clogged, and it’s forcing water through a smaller opening than necessary. While this isn’t just annoying because of the sound itself, it’s also troublesome because it’s not spraying correctly; therefore, part of your lawn isn’t getting enough water, and you may not even see those brown patches until it’s too late.
The head gurgles when there’s air in the lines. It happens after repairs, at startup at the beginning of the season, or if there’s a leak somewhere allowing air inside instead of just water. A little gurgling is normal; it’s the system getting air out. But if gurgling happens every zone cycle for each consecutive run, which means air’s gone into the line, it’s a problem that needs backflow prevention or potential leak repairs.
Grinding or scraping sounds from pop-up heads usually mean something’s binding. Sand, dirt and mineral buildup can work its way up into the shaft to prevent pieces from moving smoothly through their motions. When the head tries to pop up for watering or retract after watering, grinding against whatever’s stuck in there will quickly wear out parts and eventually leave them stationary.
Controller Noises
Controllers are one of the loudest components as what’s supposed to be brain of the sprinkler system is, more often than not, the last thing making noise before shutting down.
For example, when buzzing is heard from the controller itself, it likely means there’s an electrical power issue going on, something as simple as a dying transformer or short circuit or something more intricate with breakers keeping power from reaching zones. Sometimes buzzing stems from components that have been recently connected and can get traced back to which circuit has issues. Sometimes it’s internal only and warrants more attention at another time.
Controller clicking often comes from turned-on zones relaying sounds; however rapid clicking, or clicking with nothing engaged, means something’s wrong either with the relay system or with programming. It doesn’t take long for things to get crazy once something inside malfunctions, zones run when they shouldn’t or not at all.
What Pressure Sounds Like
Pressure problems create their own noise and they’re among the most beneficial when they sound off early.
For example, whooshing means pressure’s too high, and that’s too bad for a struggling system. High pressure puts extensive energy on valves, pipes, heads and fittings, it can blow out seals away from pipes, crack pipes from stress and cause heads to nozzle mist instead of spray correctly. The noise is too much sound; ultimately it’s stress compounding per day, and per month, and down the road adding up to concern.
On the other hand, low pressure or weak flow creates a sputtering sound, a stop-start effect that’s unlike anything helpful, like turning your car off and then forgetting to fully turn it on again for 15 minutes as you try every new combination of triggers except sitting still. It’s weak; it’s slow; and it drives people crazy when they just want their heads to keep working regardless of what’s going on behind the scenes.
The Sounds You Can Ignore, For Now
While some sounds hold significance other don’t, at least not right away.
Gentle hissing that’s consistent over operation isn’t necessarily common but equally not disconcerting (as long as it doesn’t compound). A gentle gurgle upon startup from air in valves is expected. But age also plays a significant factor in sound, older systems make more noise than newer systems as systems get worn-down and get louder/louder (and less smooth). That doesn’t mean replace everything immediately; instead it suggests that things aren’t new anymore.
When You Should Do Something
Ultimately what’s determined based on what’s heard is important – is it critical enough for immediate attention? Is it worth waiting? Banging sounds/hammers/grind/thunks should happen sooner rather than later, as they’re signs of mechanical stress and damage in process, as are electrical buzzing/rabid controllers.
Hissing/whistling/grumbling should probably wait unless they compound dramatically, but never wait too long, what could have been a minor drip or clog has turned into complete zone failure over time, or worse, a water bill increase that has you wondering if you’ve had an inground mainline break.
It’s unexpected; it sounds funny but it’s still working, so why fix what isn’t broken? Then one day, valve fails, head comes off in your hand or the controller doesn’t respond when everything’s off, and what could have been preventative repairs now turns into emergency calls subjugated by time restrictions as you fight your already distraught neighbors who don’t want any more mudslides into their property.
Sprinklers warn you before they quit working; they make sounds that provide specific understanding to operators if they paid careful attention for their plans. Little weird noises may be nothing but they may also provide that one warning, and chance for effective work, before you get to fix something cheap before it becomes expensive because you couldn’t be bothered to act sooner on sounding matters.
