Sprinkler systems not properly installed can cause issues. This system on a three-year-old house had an obvious problem, the controllers flooded every time the sprinklers were turned on. This may have been a leak or a poorly located head just out of view of this photo, or both.
There was a crawl space vent behind the cover to the left and the water was draining under the house. Luckily the system only ran for a short period of time, three days a week and damage had not yet developed under the house. Our dry Moses Lake, Washington climate may have been a factor in slowing damage development but the next owner may not be so lucky. The system had more problems; the power to the controller had been installed “less than professionally”. It had been double tapped into an existing breaker, a safety issue, and the romax had not been properly anchored to the floor joists.
Be aware of the water supply to the system, this home was part of a community that had irrigation separate from the city water. The irrigation water came on three times a week for a few hours then shut off. This made the controllers and the way they were set up, more of a nuisance to irrigating than a benefit.
Talk to your installer about the water supply and any other particulars that your home may have. Most of all be sure to have a reputable irrigation contractor install your systems and be aware of some of the potential problems that can be directly related to that installation.
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