Kennedale Sprinkler Repair: Why Your Lawn is Brown

You look out at your lawn, expecting a lush, green carpet, but instead, you see frustrating brown spots and wilting grass. You’ve invested in a sprinkler system to keep your yard healthy, so what’s going wrong? Many homeowners in Kennedale, Texas, face this same issue, and Mr. Sprinkler Repair is here to help. The North Texas climate, with its intense summer heat and unpredictable rainfall, puts a heavy strain on irrigation systems.

Often, the problem isn’t a lost cause. At Mr. Sprinkler Repair in Kennedale, we’ve found that it’s usually one of a few common sprinkler system issues that can be diagnosed and fixed. Whether it’s too much water, not enough, or physical damage, identifying the root cause is the first step toward reclaiming your beautiful lawn. This guide will walk you through the four most frequent sprinkler problems we see in the Kennedale area, from underwatering to mower damage. We’ll cover the signs, simple checks you can perform, and when it’s time to call in a professional.

1. System Underwatering: The Thirsty Lawn Problem

The most obvious culprit for brown, crunchy grass is a lack of water. But if your system is running, why is your lawn still thirsty? Underwatering is often more complex than just not running the sprinklers long enough. It usually points to a problem with how the water is being delivered.

Signs and Symptoms of Underwatering

Localized Brown Spots: You might notice distinct patches of dry, brown grass, while other areas look fine.
Wilting Grass Blades: The grass blades will look folded or curled.
Lingering Footprints: Walk across your lawn. If your footprints remain visible for a long time, the grass blades don’t have enough water to spring back up.
Dry, Hard Soil: Try pushing a screwdriver into the soil in a brown patch. If it’s difficult to push in, the soil is likely too dry.

Common Causes of Underwatering

In our experience serving Kennedale, Arlington, and Mansfield, underwatering is often caused by distribution issues. The system might be on, but the water isn’t getting where it needs to go.

Low Water Pressure: If the pressure is too low, sprinkler heads won’t pop up fully or throw water the intended distance, leaving gaps in coverage.
Clogged or Dirty Nozzles: Dirt, grass clippings, and mineral deposits from our hard Texas water can easily clog the small openings in sprinkler nozzles, disrupting the spray pattern.
Incorrect Zone Runtimes: Different zones have different needs. A sunny zone with clay soil needs a different watering schedule than a shady zone with sandy loam. A one-size-fits-all schedule often leads to underwatering in some areas.
Obstructed Sprinkler Heads: Heads that are blocked by tall grass, decorations, or overgrown shrubs can’t distribute water evenly.

Simple DIY Checks

Before calling for help, there are a few things you can check yourself. Run a test cycle for each zone and observe:

Watch the Heads: Do all the sprinkler heads pop up completely? Is water spraying out in a consistent, even pattern, or is it sputtering or dribbling?
Check for Clogs: If a head isn’t spraying correctly, you can often unscrew the nozzle and clean it out with a small tool or running water.
Review Your Schedule: Look at your controller settings. Are the runtimes appropriate for each specific zone and the current season? A lawn in Kennedale needs much more water in August than it does in May.

When to Call a Pro & Our Recommended Fixes

If you’ve cleaned the nozzles and your schedule seems right but the problem persists, it’s time for a professional diagnosis. Low pressure, for example, could be caused by a hidden leak in the line or a failing valve.

Our professional solutions include:

Pressure Testing and Regulation: We can identify the source of low pressure and install regulators to ensure optimal performance.
Thorough Nozzle and Filter Cleaning: We go beyond a simple rinse, ensuring every component is clear of debris.
System Audits and Coverage Adjustments: We can adjust sprinkler head locations, change nozzle types for better coverage, and ensure you have head-to-head coverage.
Smart Controller Programming: We can help you set up an efficient watering schedule based on your specific landscape, soil type, and sun exposure.

2. System Overwatering: The Drowning Lawn

More isn’t always better, especially when it comes to watering your lawn. Overwatering is just as damaging as underwatering and creates a perfect environment for fungus and disease. With the heavy clay soils common around Kennedale and Fort Worth, water doesn’t drain quickly, making overwatering a significant risk.

Signs and Symptoms of Overwatering

Mushy or Spongy Ground: If your lawn feels squishy underfoot long after the sprinklers have turned off, it’s holding too much water.
Fungus and Mushrooms: The appearance of mushrooms or visible fungal growth like brown patch disease is a classic sign of excessive moisture.
Water Runoff: Seeing water running off your lawn onto the sidewalk or street means the soil is saturated and can’t absorb any more.
A Weedy Lawn: Many weeds, like nutsedge, thrive in overly wet conditions.

Common Causes of Overwatering

Excessive Runtimes: This is the most common cause. Homeowners often set runtimes too high, thinking it will help during hot weather, but it just drowns the grass roots.
Poor Drainage: Heavy clay soil, common in our region, drains slowly. Watering for long periods on this type of soil leads to standing water and runoff.
Leaking Valves or Heads: A valve that doesn’t shut off completely or a constantly weeping sprinkler head can release a tremendous amount of water over time.
Improper Overlap: Sprinkler heads that are spaced too closely or have incorrect nozzle types can double- or triple-water certain areas.

Simple DIY Checks

Perform a “Tuna Can Test”: Place a few empty, flat-bottomed cans (like tuna or cat food cans) around a zone. Run the sprinklers for 15 minutes. Measure the water in each can. If some have significantly more water than others, your coverage is uneven.
Shorten Runtimes: Try cutting your watering times by 20% and see how your lawn responds over the next week or two.
Check for Leaks: After a cycle, walk your property and look for heads that are still dribbling water or areas of the lawn that are unusually wet.

When to Call a Pro & Our Recommended Fixes

If you suspect a leak or can’t resolve runoff issues, a professional can provide targeted solutions. Ignoring overwatering can lead to costly lawn treatments or replacement.

Our professional solutions include:

Implementing “Cycle and Soak” Watering: We can program your controller to water in shorter, repeated cycles. This allows our dense clay soil to absorb the water fully before runoff occurs.
Installing a Rain Sensor: This simple device automatically pauses your sprinkler system when it’s raining, saving water and preventing over-saturation.
Valve and Leak Repair: We use electronic equipment to locate and repair hidden underground leaks and replace faulty valves that are wasting water.
Drainage Solutions: For severe cases, we can advise on and install drainage systems to handle excess water.

3. Overgrown Grass: The Hidden Obstacle

Sometimes, the problem isn’t with the sprinkler system itself, but with the landscape around it. Your lawn maintenance habits can directly impact your irrigation efficiency. When grass is allowed to grow too tall around sprinkler heads, it acts as a wall, blocking the water from reaching its intended target.

Signs and Symptoms of Blocked Sprinklers

Dry Rings Around Heads: You may see a circle of dry, brown grass right around a sprinkler head, with greener grass farther away.
Uneven Watering Patterns: One side of a sprinkler’s spray area might be green while the other is dry.
Misting Instead of Spraying: If the stream of water hits tall grass right as it leaves the nozzle, it will break up the stream into a fine mist that evaporates or gets blown away.

Common Causes

Infrequent Mowing: Letting the lawn get too shaggy between mows is the primary cause.
Forgetting to Edge: Grass and thatch can creep over pop-up sprinkler bodies, preventing them from rising fully or deflecting their spray.
Sinking Heads: Over time, soil can build up around sprinkler heads, or they can settle deeper into the ground, making them more susceptible to being blocked by even normal-height grass.

Simple DIY Checks

This is one of the easiest issues to manage on your own.

Trim Around Heads: Before you mow, use a string trimmer to carefully clear the grass from around each sprinkler head.
Ensure Full Pop-Up: Run a quick test cycle to make sure every head can pop up fully above the height of the grass.
Dig Out Sunken Heads: If a head seems low, carefully dig out the turf and soil around it to expose the body and ensure it can extend properly.

When to Call a Pro & Our Recommended Fixes

If you’ve trimmed around your heads but they still seem too low to clear the grass, it’s time for a professional adjustment.

Our professional solutions include:

Raising Sprinkler Heads: We can add riser extensions or install taller pop-up bodies to ensure the nozzle clears the turf.
Relocating Obstructed Heads: If a head is poorly placed behind a growing shrub or other feature, we can move it to a better location for optimal coverage.
Installing Protective Donuts: For heads in high-traffic areas, we can install concrete or plastic “donuts” around them. This not only protects them from damage but also makes it easier to trim around them.

4. Mowing Damage: The Preventable Accident

Lawn mowers and sprinkler systems are not friends. Damage from lawn equipment is one of the top reasons we get called for emergency sprinkler repair in Kennedale. A single pass with a mower can crack a head, break a riser, or even damage an underground pipe, leading to geysers and massive water waste.

Signs and Symptoms of Mowing Damage

Sudden Geysers: A broken head or riser will often create a fountain of water in your yard.
Broken or Tilted Heads: You may see a sprinkler head that is visibly cracked, shattered, or leaning at an odd angle after mowing.
Low Pressure in a Zone: If one zone suddenly has very low pressure, it could be due to a broken head or a cracked pipe underground from the weight of a heavy mower.
Wet Spots or Sinkholes: Puddles or sunken areas that appear after mowing can indicate a broken pipe just below the surface.

Common Causes

Mower Blades Hitting Heads: This happens when heads don’t fully retract or are installed too high.
Mower Weight Cracking Pipes: Heavy riding mowers can crack shallowly installed PVC pipes, especially when the ground is soft.
Turning a Mower on a Head: Making a sharp turn with a mower wheel directly on top of a sprinkler head is a common way to break it.

Simple DIY Checks

Mark Your Heads: Use small landscape flags to mark the location of each sprinkler head before you mow. This makes them easy to see and avoid.
Inspect After Mowing: Do a quick walk-through of your lawn after mowing to check for any visible damage to the sprinkler components.

When to Call a Pro & Our Recommended Fixes

Mower damage almost always requires professional repair to ensure it’s done correctly and doesn’t lead to future problems.

Our professional solutions include:

Head and Riser Replacement: We replace broken components with high-quality, durable parts.
Installing Swing Joints: We can add flexible swing joints to the base of your sprinkler heads. This allows them to move slightly if hit by a mower wheel, significantly reducing the risk of breakage.
Pipe Repair: We can quickly locate and repair broken sections of pipe with minimal disruption to your lawn.
System Adjustments: We can adjust head heights to ensure they retract fully below the cutting height of your mower.

A healthy, green lawn in Kennedale is achievable. By understanding these common sprinkler system issues, you can take proactive steps to keep your irrigation system running efficiently. For problems that go beyond a simple DIY fix, Mr. Sprinkler Repair is here to help. Contact us today to schedule a system inspection and get your lawn back on track.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: How often should I water my lawn in North Texas?
A: It depends on the season, your soil type, and sun exposure. In the peak heat of summer (July-August), most lawns need about 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week, delivered over 2-3 deep watering sessions. In the milder spring and fall, once a week is often enough. It’s best to water early in the morning (before 10 a.m.) to reduce evaporation.

Q2: What is “cycle and soak” and why is it recommended for Kennedale?
A: “Cycle and soak” is a watering method where you split a zone’s total runtime into multiple, shorter cycles with a “soak” period in between. For example, instead of watering for 20 minutes straight, you would water for 10 minutes, wait an hour, then water for another 10 minutes. This is highly effective for the heavy clay soils in our area, as it allows the water to absorb deep into the root zone instead of running off the surface.

Q3: My water bill suddenly spiked. Could it be my sprinkler system?
A: Absolutely. A sudden, unexplained increase in your water bill is a classic sign of a hidden leak in your sprinkler system. A single broken head or a cracked underground pipe can waste thousands of gallons of water in a short time. If you suspect a leak, turn off your system at the main valve and call us for a professional leak detection service.