There’s something so magical about seeing a sprinkler head pop up above the grass and douse your yard with water. It’s like watching a secret fountain spring to life in your backyard. Unless you live in an area prone to wildfires, that is. Because in many places, especially those prone to wildfire, it’s illegal to have sprinkler systems that are activated by timers or sensors. Luckily, there are ways you can trick a sprinkler head into thinking it’s not safe to activate without detection. You may also want to turn off your sprinkler system for other reasons cost, noise, drought restrictions, and more. Thankfully, turning off and on your sprinkler system is relatively easy as long as you know what you’re doing. Keep reading to learn the best tips and tricks for turning off a sprinkler head.
How To Turn Off A Sprinkler Head?
1. Turn off the Water
The first step to turning off a sprinkler head is to turn off the water. Turn it off at the source, whether that’s at a shut-off valve or the main line valve. If you’re not sure where your water shut-off valve is, you can usually find it under or around your house near the main water supply line. You may have to dig around in the grass or follow a small pipe to find it. If you can’t turn off your water supply, call a plumber to help you out.
2. Try an Irrigation Valve Key
If you don’t want to turn off your water supply and are trying to figure out how to turn off an irrigation system without doing so, try using an irrigation valve key instead. This tool allows you to open and close irrigation valves without having access to the main shut-off valve or turning it completely off. This will allow you some control over your sprinkler system even when there is no way for you to get inside and manually switch valves on and off.
3. Find Your Sprinkler Head
Once your water source has been turned off, finding where the sprinkler head is and turning it on or off becomes incredibly easy because there won’t be any running water getting in the way of your efforts! Most sprinklers are located in areas of high traffic such as near driveways, patios, sidewalks, etc. You should be able to find your sprinkler head by following the water supply line until you find a small hole in the grass or dirt. If you can’t find it, check around near where you believe the sprinkler head to be. You may have to dig around with a shovel or stick. Once you’ve found your sprinkler head, here are some ways to turn it off a sprinkler head.
4. Use Tape
If your lawn is small and there are only a few sprinkler heads in an area, it may not be worth investing in an irrigation valve key to controlling them all. In this case, try using duct tape instead. Duct tape is incredibly sticky and will hold up for several days of weather so long as it stays dry. By wrapping duct tape around your sprinkler head’s nozzle, you can prevent water from flowing out of it and keep your lawn green even when your timer isn’t watering it regularly.
5. Use a Water Timer Instead
If there aren’t many areas in your yard where you need to turn off a sprinkler head, consider installing a water timer instead of wasting money on an irrigation valve key or duct tape or having access to the main shut-off valve that controls all of the water in your house, which could lead to flooding if you accidentally left it turned on when trying to turn off one specific area of the system! A water timer is specifically designed for this purpose and will allow you to set up your sprinkler system to water for a specific amount of time at specific intervals.
Check The Timing Of Your Sprinkler System
- Turn off the water at the main valve. This can be done in two ways: pulling the valve handle up and turning it clockwise or using a wrench to remove the valve cover and turning it counterclockwise until it stops.
- Locate your sprinkler head shutoff valve. This is usually located near where your sprinkler system’s water supply enters your yard, near a sprinkler head, or at an outdoor faucet. The shutoff valves are usually labeled “Water Supply” or “Water Line” and have a handle with a red handle cap on them that you can turn clockwise to close, shutting off water flow to that part of your system.
- Turn the shutoff valve counterclockwise until you hear a click. This will stop your water supply from going to that part of your system so you can work on turning off individual sprinklers without worrying about flooding your yard or damaging anything else in your system while doing so.
- Find an area that has access to underground pipes and open one of them up by digging around three inches down, which will reveal one pipe coming into the ground and another pipe heading out of the ground with a sprinkler head attached to it — this is where you want to begin working on shutting off individual sprinklers by turning their heads completely around so they face away from the center of their arc pattern — this way, they won’t spray any water when activated by timers or sensors.
- Turn the sprinkler head back around, being sure to put it in the same position it was in before you turned it to shut off the water flow. This is important because you don’t want the sprinkler head to face a different direction than it did before or your system will not work properly when you turn your water supply back on.
- Repeat this process for each sprinkler head on your system until all sprinklers are shut off. Be sure to test that each one works properly by turning your water supply back on and verifying that each sprinkler head is facing away from where they normally would have sprayed if they were activated by timers or sensors if they are facing the right way, then your system should be properly shut down and ready for maintenance or repair work without causing any damage or flooding to your yard or home!
- Turn your water supply back on by turning the main valve clockwise until it stops and making sure no leaks appear anywhere in your yard if everything looks good, then congratulations! Your sprinkler system has been successfully turned off!
Use A Sticky Hook
- If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to turn off a sprinkler head, grab a sticky hook. Sticky hooks are little metal hooks that you can wrap around the stem of the sprinkler head to hold it in place. The hook essentially makes the sprinkler head think that it’s hitting something solid so it doesn’t pop up above the grass. It’s not the most ideal solution, but if you want to quickly turn off your sprinklers for a few days, this is a great option.
- You can also use zip ties or twist ties to hold down your sprinkler heads instead of using an actual hook. This is especially useful if you don’t have any sticky hooks on hand and need something quick and easy to turn off your sprinklers right away.
- If you have a lot of different kinds of sprinklers across your lawn, you may want to consider investing in an adjustable number of different kinds of hooks or zip ties so that you can use one tool for all kinds of situations when turning off your sprinklers.
- If you have underground drip systems on your lawn, make sure that they are turned off as well when turning off individual sprinklers on top of the ground because they will still be watering your lawn even if there aren’t any visible heads above ground level. You can either dig up each drip-irrigation line and turn them off individually or just shut down the main valve for the whole system.
- Be careful when using sticky hooks or zip ties because you don’t want to accidentally damage your sprinkler head if you have to remove the hook later on.
- If you’re planning on turning off your sprinklers for an extended period of time, make sure to keep an eye on your lawn and check it regularly for signs of water stress. This can help prevent any serious water damage from occurring while you’re away from home.
- You can also use a push pin or a nail to turn off your sprinkler heads, but be aware that this method is more likely to cause some damage over time because the pin will need to be pushed in and out repeatedly as water pressure changes during seasons and weather patterns change. You can also use a screwdriver or drill bit if you have one handy, but these are less likely than push pins or nails to cause long-term damage to your sprinklers over time.
Conclusion
Sprinkler systems are great for watering your lawn, but what do you do if you need to turn it off? Luckily, it’s not a difficult process. Simply follow these tips and you’ll be able to turn off your sprinkler system in no time. Just remember to keep your sprinkler system safe and legal by following these tips. Now that you know how to turn off a sprinkler head, you can save water, money, and time. Plus, you’ll be protecting your lawn and helping to prevent wildfires. So go ahead and get those sprinklers shut off. Your lawn will thank you.