Lawn Sprinkler Ispections

Is anyone on this forum performing lawn sprinkler inspections?

Thanks!

What an odd question.

To answer your question, yes. I do, as I’m confident the vast majority of inspectors do.

Now, pray tell, what is it you are hoping to learn?

Uh-huh

If anyone inspects irrigation systems. :stuck_out_tongue:

Not that many in my 21 years of home inspections, pray tell.

I guess it’s the area of the country I live in. It’s quite a chore to keep a lawn alive in Texas by dragging a sprinkler around. Pretty much all all higher-end and new construction homes have irrigation systems, so if you don’t do irrigation system inspections here you would lose out on a ton of work. Same with swimming pools.

Don’t do them never have and never will. It may depend on where you are located and what the other inspectors do in your neck of the woods. I would have to imagine it will add 1/2 an hour to the inspection process and require a lot of running around if you are verify sprinkler heads and drip systems.

I don’t do them because I don’t have any idea what I would be looking for.
How may zones are there (most controls units do not have legends filled out).
Where is each zone?
How many heads in each zone?
Where are the heads located?

Unless there is a print of the system provided to me, I would just be guessing.

I always recommend that the buyer contact a sprinkler company for an inspection.

I don’t do them …and no other low voltage system.

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I have not found these problems to be an impediment to performing a sprinkler system inspection. I have found that my customers are mainly interested in knowing the following:

  1. Is the module working?
  2. Is every area of the yard covered?
  3. Are there any broken heads?
  4. Are there any leaking lines?

All these things are easy to determine by casual observation. The only challenge is learning how to work the various modules one will encounter.

I check for the presence of an anti-backflow devices, proper shut-off valves, etc. I have boilerplate comments prepared for all the common issues.

I do not catalog the number of zones, heads, or their locations, and no one expects me to.

It takes anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes (depending on the size and condition of the system) to perform the inspection and I charge $35 for a system up to 10 zones. A little extra bit of cash, and on a hot day, it can even be refreshing.

I appreciate the info, thank you!

I appreciate all the feedback fella’s, and I feel the same way as most of you. We also have never done them, and there’s really no high demand for the inspection here, and so frankly, why do them… there are more important fish to fry. Thanks again!

William, I am a new inspector in TX and I’m struggling to find any kind of template for sprinkler systems. any advice?