How to Adjust Your Sprinkler System for Fall

Fall is the ideal time to adjust your sprinkler system. Adjusting and regularly maintaining your sprinkler system is necessary for your fall garden. In early fall, you still need to continue watering your lawn, as you do in the summer months. However, as fall advances, your lawn will require less water, and you'll need to adjust your sprinkler settings to accommodate reduced watering needs. Your lawn needs about two inches of water per week during dry summers, while in the fall, it only requires around half an inch per week.

With the changing weather and yard needs, it's essential to learn how to adjust your sprinkler system for fall weather. Proper adjustment and maintenance in the fall can save you expensive repairs in spring, reduce water waste, and let you enjoy a beautiful, thriving lawn after freezing winters.

In this guide, our irrigation experts share tips and crucial steps to help you adjust your sprinkler system to suit the changing weather and ensure your system doesn't get damaged during colder months. Discover the importance of adjusting your system in the fall and learn how to do it effectively.

Why Should You Adjust Your Sprinkler System in the Fall

The first thing is to know its importance and understand why it's necessary. This is an essential task for all homeowners as the overall health of your landscape and irrigation systems depends on it. Many plants become dormant when temperatures drop and require less water to flourish. Decreasing your watering schedule helps avoid overwatering your grass and plants, which can lead to problems like root rot and mildew. Moreover, regulating your sprinkler spray patterns supplies water only in the area where it is required. If fall brings more rainfall to your region, adjusting your system will help avoid overwatering, maintain balanced moisture levels in the soil, and prevent oversaturation of your plants and lawn.

Preparing your sprinkler system for winter is also important to avoid damage to pipes and valves due to freezing. Draining the system fully and properly storing or protecting components will ensure its functionality in the long run. By making necessary adjustments to your watering routine and sprinkler system in the fall, you can adopt a more sustainable and eco-friendly approach to irrigation, leading to a healthy landscape and increasing the efficiency of your system.

Adjusting Your Sprinkler System for Fall

Here are the steps to effectively adjust your sprinkler system for fall. Following these steps ensures that your landscape and irrigation system remain healthy and well-maintained throughout the cooler months.

1. Determine Your Lawn's Watering Needs

The first step in preparing your sprinkler system for fall is to know your lawn's watering needs. At the beginning of the season, temperatures can still resemble summer, meaning your lawn will require about two inches of water per week.

As fall progresses and temperatures drop, your lawn will only need about half an inch of water per week, so adjusting the system in fall is necessary.

2. Change the Watering Schedule

When the temperatures drop, and evaporation rates decrease, it's time to adjust the amount of water you provide to your lawn and garden. If you live in an area that experiences consistent snowfall all winter, stop watering your yard by the end of October. At this time, your lawn can go into dormancy and won't need much moisture. In contrast, if you live in a warmer, humid climate with ample sunshine during winter, you can continue watering your lawn twice a week.

To adjust your irrigation controller for winter, use the seasonal adjustment setting on your timer. If you are unsure how to adjust it, check your controller's manual or hire a professional. Most timers have a setting that allows you to change your watering times and durations.

3. Install a Rain Sensor

When determining your yard's water needs and adjusting the watering schedule, it's important to keep rainfall in mind. Rain can lead to excess moisture and encourage unwanted growth in your lawn. Running your system during rainfall can result in overwatering and disrupt your scheduled watering sessions.

To address this, consider investing in a rain sensor to reduce water and improve your landscape health. A rain sensor will automatically shut off your sprinkler system when it detects sufficient moisture in your lawn, regardless of your watering schedule. This way, you can avoid the risk of over-saturating your lawn and maintain optimal watering conditions.

4. Update Your Spray Patterns

It's important to review your sprinkler spray patterns to ensure they effectively cover the desired watering areas. After inspecting the sprinklers, you can adjust the spray's throw distance and direction as required and ensure that overspray does not reach areas like driveways or sidewalks. This not only conserves water but also avoids excess runoff.

Excess runoff can lead to topsoil erosion, which can expose and weaken the root systems of nearby plants.

5. Know When to Stop Watering Your Lawn

As temperatures drop and days get shorter, grass growth slows down. With less sunlight exposure to evaporate moisture, your lawn will require less water. However, this doesn't mean you should stop watering entirely.

Before winter sets in, deciding when to end your watering sessions is important. Here are some general guidelines for when to stop watering in the fall:

• Regardless of the season, a new or recently reseeded lawn will still need constant watering. Therefore, consider planting new grass in the spring.
• If your yard receives at least an inch of precipitation a week in the fall, you can turn off your sprinkler system.
• Stop watering when the average night temperature drops under 30° degrees.

Remember, just because it's fall and growth slows down, it doesn't mean you should stop watering completely. Stop watering only when there's adequate rainfall.

6. Inspect Your System for Damage Before Winterizing

Inspect your sprinkler system in the fall for signs of damage, leaks, clogged nozzles, and faulty valves or pipes. If you identify any issues during your maintenance fall inspection, make the necessary repairs before freezing temperatures set in.

7. Prepare for Winterization

As you prepare your sprinkler system for fall, you should also think of winterization. Once the ground starts to freeze, it's time to winterize your pipes and insulate exposed irrigation components. Winterization involves shutting down the system and removing all water from pipes to prevent damage from freezing. Ideally, you should winterize your sprinkler system before temperatures drop to avoid any damage.

To determine how much time you have before fully winterizing your sprinkler system, check the first frost date in your area.

Read More: How to Winterize Your Sprinkler System

8. Remove the Water from Your System

Once temperatures drop below 30° degrees, completely drain the water from your pipes, valves, and sprinkler heads. This step is crucial to prevent freezing components, which can cause cracks or even burst valves due to extreme pressure buildup. You can drain your sprinkler manually or blow it out.

Whatever method you choose, the first step is to shut off the water supply to your system. Find the shut-off valve near your water meter and close it tightly to stop the water flow. Then, flush out the remaining water. Here are the three common methods to do so.

1. Manual: This straightforward method involves opening the system's drain valves and removing the drain plugs to release trapped water. Next, manually open each zone valve one at a time to let out any remaining water. Turn on each sprinkler zone to remove water from the sprinkler heads.
2. Automated: This is the easiest and least technical method. Use your automatic timer to start each zone, allowing the sprinklers to run until the line is empty. If you suspect water remains in the pipes after this process, loosen the solenoid to allow air, which will help push out water. Remove the end caps to remove the remaining water.
3. Blow Out: For this method, you'll need an air compressor. Connect the compressor to the main water line and set the pressure between 50 and 80 psi. Using a compressor with a moisture filter can help eliminate excess water. Open one irrigation zone at a time to let compressed air blow out until no water is visible. Repeat this procedure for all zones, then open all zone valves briefly to clear any remaining water.

9. Insulate the Components Above Ground Level

After shutting off the water supply and flushing the system, it is essential to protect the above-ground irrigation components susceptible to cold temperatures.

Cover the backflow preventer, valves, and other exposed parts with insulation material to protect them from harsh winter. Additionally, store any removable components of your sprinkler system in a dry location, such as a shed or garage.

If you live in a warm area, you may not need to drain your system. However, inspecting the system is still a good idea to ensure nothing needs to be fixed or replaced.

The Bottom Line

With cooler temperatures and shorter days, adjusting your sprinkler system for the seasonal change is crucial for your yard and irrigation system. Your sprinkler system is an investment and treating it as such is essential. Adjusting your sprinkler system in the fall ensures your lawn and plants receive the right amount of hydration and helps prepare your lawn and system to withstand freezing winter.

By adjusting the watering frequency, checking for leaks and damage, flushing the system, and properly storing the system components during winter, you can enhance your sprinkler system's efficiency and performance. So, follow the above steps, prepare your system for fall and maintain a thriving landscape throughout the colder months.