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What’s Wrong Call Email

Diagnostic · free to read · nothing to fill in

What is actually
wrong with it?

Pick what you are seeing. We will give you the honest list of what causes it, in the order we would check them, with what each one costs to fix set against what it costs to leave alone. Where the answer is a ten-dollar part and twenty minutes, it says so.

What are you seeing?

Every symptom and every cause is written out below.

Why is there a brown patch when the sprinklers are running?

A brown or dying patch

The patch is where the water is not arriving. That is almost never where the fault is.

Most common

The zone is losing pressure somewhere upstream

A leak, a partly open valve or a blockage between the valve and the head means the far end of the run never gets what it was designed for. The heads nearest the valve look fine. The last one on the line mists or dribbles.

How to tell Run the zone and walk it from the valve outward. If the throw gets visibly weaker the further you go, it is pressure, not the head.

What we do We run the zone, measure at the head rather than guess, and find where the pressure is going.

Usually Option 02 · Fix It & Check the Rest — priced after we walk it, in writing before work starts

What it costs to leave alone

8,400–25,200 gallons over a season

≈ $14–$41 at $1.22 per CCF

40–120 gallons a day × 210 days ÷ 748 gallons per CCF × $1.22. Assumes a zone run 20 minutes three times a week while a fault bleeds off part of the flow.

Common

A head is blocked, sunk or aimed at nothing

Turf grows over a pop-up, a mower clips it, or it settles below grade and sprays into the thatch instead of over it.

How to tell Run the zone and watch that head come up. If it does not clear the grass, or the arc stops short of the brown, that is your answer.

You can do this one yourself · about $10 and twenty minutes

Pop-up bodies are sold at any hardware store. Unscrew the old one off the riser by hand, screw the new one on, run the zone and set the arc. Match the nozzle to the ones either side of it or you will create the next dry patch.

We will still do it if you would rather not — we would just rather you knew.

What we do We will do it while we are there, and check the rest of the zone matches, which is the part that usually gets skipped.

Usually Option 01 · Fix It — priced after we walk it, in writing before work starts

What it costs to leave alone

3,150–12,600 gallons over a season

≈ $5–$21 at $1.22 per CCF

15–60 gallons a day × 210 days ÷ 748 gallons per CCF × $1.22. Assumes a head watering thatch or pavement instead of root zone, three cycles a week.

Less common, worth ruling out

The soil is shedding water rather than taking it

Compacted or hydrophobic soil sends water sideways. The zone is delivering, the ground is refusing.

How to tell Water for five minutes, wait an hour, then push a screwdriver in. If it stops at an inch, the water never got down.

You can do this one yourself · free to try

Split the run time into two shorter cycles an hour apart and see whether the patch recovers over a fortnight. Cycle-and-soak fixes more brown patches than any part does.

We will still do it if you would rather not — we would just rather you knew.

What we do We would rather tell you to try this first. If it works you did not need us.

Why did my water bill go up when nothing changed?

The summer bill jumped

Something is running that you are not watching. The bill is usually the last symptom to appear and the first one anyone notices.

Most common

A valve is not closing all the way

Grit under the diaphragm, a worn seat, or a solenoid that never quite seats. The zone still runs when told to, so nothing looks broken. Between cycles it passes water continuously, day and night, all year.

How to tell Turn the controller off entirely for a day. If the meter still creeps, or one part of the yard stays soft, something downstream of the main is passing.

What we do Finding which valve is the work. We isolate zone by zone rather than replacing the manifold and hoping.

Usually Option 02 · Fix It & Check the Rest — priced after we walk it, in writing before work starts

What it costs to leave alone

52,560–262,800 gallons over a year

≈ $86–$429 at $1.22 per CCF

144–720 gallons a day × 365 days ÷ 748 gallons per CCF × $1.22. Assumes a valve passing between 0.1 and 0.5 gallons a minute, continuously, every day of the year.

Most common

The controller is watering far more than the city allows

A schedule nobody has looked at since it was set. Daily watering where twice a week is the rule multiplies everything by three or more.

How to tell Open the controller and write down the days and the run times. Then check them against your actual provider, which is probably not the one you assume.

You can do this one yourself · free

Set it to your provider’s assigned days and water before 10am or after 7pm. Our service-area pages carry the rule for each district with its source. This is the single cheapest fix on this whole page.

We will still do it if you would rather not — we would just rather you knew.

What we do We set it to the real rule and leave the schedule written on the door of the box.

Usually Option 01 · Fix It — priced after we walk it, in writing before work starts

What it costs to leave alone

42,000–189,000 gallons over a season

≈ $69–$308 at $1.22 per CCF

200–900 gallons a day × 210 days ÷ 748 gallons per CCF × $1.22. Assumes the difference between watering daily and watering on assigned days, on a six-zone system.

Common

A lateral line has split underground

A cracked pipe between the valve and the heads. It only flows while the zone runs, but it flows hard, and every gallon goes straight down.

How to tell A soft or sunken patch that stays wet longer than everywhere else, often nowhere near the heads that look wrong.

What we do Locating it is the job. Digging the whole run is what happens when nobody does.

Usually Option 02 · Fix It & Check the Rest — priced after we walk it, in writing before work starts

What it costs to leave alone

52,500–189,000 gallons over a season

≈ $86–$308 at $1.22 per CCF

250–900 gallons a day × 210 days ÷ 748 gallons per CCF × $1.22. Assumes a split lateral passing 5 to 20 gallons a minute while its zone runs, 20 minutes three times a week.

Why are my sprinklers misting instead of spraying?

Misting or weak spray

Misting and starving are the same problem wearing two different faces. One end of the system has too much pressure, the other has too little.

Most common

System pressure is too high for the nozzles

Above roughly 45 PSI at the nozzle, spray heads atomise. The fog drifts, evaporates and lands somewhere other than your lawn. It looks like the system is working harder. It is working worse.

How to tell Fine fog rather than droplets, and a visible haze in a breeze.

What we do Pressure tested at the source, then regulated — either at the valve or with pressure-regulating heads. This is Option 03 work because it changes what the system costs to run, not just whether it runs.

Usually Option 03 · Fix It & Use Less — priced after we walk it, in writing before work starts

What it costs to leave alone

12,600–37,800 gallons over a season

≈ $21–$62 at $1.22 per CCF

60–180 gallons a day × 210 days ÷ 748 gallons per CCF × $1.22. Assumes roughly a quarter of applied water lost to drift and evaporation on a six-head zone, three cycles a week.

Common

Mismatched nozzles on one zone

Heads replaced one at a time over years, each with whatever nozzle was in the drawer. Different heads now apply water at different rates on the same run time, so half the zone is drowning and half is dry.

How to tell Look along one zone. If the spray patterns do not match each other, they are not delivering at the same rate.

You can do this one yourself · about $3 a nozzle

Nozzles unscrew from the stem by hand with the zone running. Matching them across a zone is genuinely worth doing yourself if you are willing to be methodical about it.

We will still do it if you would rather not — we would just rather you knew.

What we do We match by zone and set the run time to the resulting rate, which is the half people skip.

Usually Option 03 · Fix It & Use Less — priced after we walk it, in writing before work starts

What it costs to leave alone

8,400–29,400 gallons over a season

≈ $14–$48 at $1.22 per CCF

40–140 gallons a day × 210 days ÷ 748 gallons per CCF × $1.22. Assumes overwatering half a zone to keep the underwatered half alive.

Less common, worth ruling out

A clogged filter screen at the head

Grit collects in the small screen under the nozzle, usually after mains work somewhere on the street.

How to tell One head weak, everything either side of it fine.

You can do this one yourself · free

With the zone off, hold the stem up, unscrew the nozzle, lift the screen out and rinse it. Two minutes a head.

We will still do it if you would rather not — we would just rather you knew.

What we do We would tell you to try this before booking anything.

Why will one sprinkler zone not turn on?

A zone will not turn on

Three things can stop a zone: the controller is not sending, the wire is not carrying, or the valve is not opening. They are cheap to tell apart and expensive to guess at.

Most common

The valve solenoid has failed

The coil that lifts the valve open has burned out or corroded. Everything upstream is fine.

How to tell Turn the solenoid a quarter turn by hand at the valve. If the zone runs, the valve body is fine and the solenoid is the fault.

You can do this one yourself · about $15

Solenoids unscrew from the valve body and the two wires join with waterproof connectors. If you are comfortable finding the valve box and the water is off, this is a fair job to take on.

We will still do it if you would rather not — we would just rather you knew.

What we do Fifteen minutes if the box is findable. We will also check why it failed, because a solenoid that cooked usually had help.

Usually Option 01 · Fix It — priced after we walk it, in writing before work starts

Common

A broken or corroded wire

A nicked wire, a rotted splice, or a connection that was never waterproofed. Common after any digging on the property.

How to tell If other zones work and this one is dead at the controller and at the valve, the wire between them is the suspect.

What we do This is what a locator is for. Tracing a wire fault is skilled work and it is the clearest case on this page for paying somebody.

Usually Option 02 · Fix It & Check the Rest — priced after we walk it, in writing before work starts

Less common, worth ruling out

The controller output is dead

One station terminal has failed, or the common wire has come loose.

How to tell Move the wire to a spare station and run that station instead. If it works, the terminal is the fault, not the valve.

You can do this one yourself · free to test

The test above costs nothing and rules out the most expensive possible diagnosis in about a minute. Do it before you call anyone, including us.

We will still do it if you would rather not — we would just rather you knew.

What we do If the controller is genuinely dead we will say so and price a replacement honestly.

Usually Option 01 · Fix It — priced after we walk it, in writing before work starts

Why is one part of my yard always wet?

Water pooling or a soggy patch

Standing water in a dry month is the only irrigation symptom that is visible from the street. It is also the one most likely to be mistaken for a drainage problem.

Most common

A valve is passing water between cycles

The manifold seeps continuously and the ground beside the box takes it. The grass there is often the best-looking on the property, which is why nobody investigates that end.

How to tell Shut the controller off for two days in summer. If the wet patch stays wet, it is not the schedule.

What we do We isolate zone by zone to find which one, then rebuild or replace only that valve.

Usually Option 02 · Fix It & Check the Rest — priced after we walk it, in writing before work starts

What it costs to leave alone

52,560–262,800 gallons over a year

≈ $86–$429 at $1.22 per CCF

144–720 gallons a day × 365 days ÷ 748 gallons per CCF × $1.22. Assumes a valve passing between 0.1 and 0.5 gallons a minute, continuously.

Common

A split lateral line

A cracked pipe underground. It flows only when that zone runs, but it flows hard enough to make a lake, and the water surfaces wherever the ground lets it — which is almost never above the break.

How to tell The wet area appears during or just after one specific zone, and it is not centred on any head.

What we do Finding it is the whole job, and the reason the diagnosis is worth buying before the repair.

Usually Option 02 · Fix It & Check the Rest — priced after we walk it, in writing before work starts

What it costs to leave alone

52,500–189,000 gallons over a season

≈ $86–$308 at $1.22 per CCF

250–900 gallons a day × 210 days ÷ 748 gallons per CCF × $1.22. Assumes a split lateral passing 5 to 20 gallons a minute while its zone runs, 20 minutes three times a week.

Common, and cheap

A low head draining the whole line

Every time the zone shuts off, the water left in the pipe runs out of the lowest head on the run. Same puddle, same place, after every cycle.

How to tell The puddle appears right after the zone stops rather than while it runs, and always at the lowest point.

You can do this one yourself · about $12

Check-valve heads hold the line. Swap the lowest head on the run for one and the puddle usually goes. Cheapest real fix on this page.

We will still do it if you would rather not — we would just rather you knew.

What we do Happy to do it, and we will check whether the whole run wants them rather than just the one.

Usually Option 01 · Fix It — priced after we walk it, in writing before work starts

What it costs to leave alone

2,100–8,400 gallons over a season

≈ $3–$14 at $1.22 per CCF

10–40 gallons a day × 210 days ÷ 748 gallons per CCF × $1.22. Assumes the pipe volume in one run draining out after each of three cycles a week.

Why are my sprinklers watering the pavement?

Heads spraying the fence or driveway

The cheapest problem on this page, and the one most likely to be someone else’s fault. Half of these you can fix standing up.

Most common

The arc has been knocked out of adjustment

A mower, a car door or a foot. The head still works perfectly, it is just pointed somewhere useless.

How to tell Watch the zone run. It will be obvious within thirty seconds.

You can do this one yourself · free

Most spray heads adjust by turning the nozzle collar by hand while the zone runs. Rotors usually need a small key that comes with the head. This is a ten-minute job and you do not need us for it.

We will still do it if you would rather not — we would just rather you knew.

What we do We will straighten every head on the property as part of any visit, not as a line item.

What it costs to leave alone

4,200–18,900 gallons over a season

≈ $7–$31 at $1.22 per CCF

20–90 gallons a day × 210 days ÷ 748 gallons per CCF × $1.22. Assumes a head putting a fifth of its output on concrete, three cycles a week.

Common

The wrong head for the space

A strip of lawn two feet wide being watered by a head designed to throw fifteen. No adjustment fixes geometry.

How to tell The head is correctly aimed and still overshoots. That is a specification problem, not an alignment one.

You can do this one yourself · about $4 a nozzle

Strip nozzles exist for exactly this and drop straight into the same body. Worth doing yourself if you can identify the head brand.

We will still do it if you would rather not — we would just rather you knew.

What we do We match the nozzle to the shape of the planting and reset the run time to suit.

Usually Option 01 · Fix It — priced after we walk it, in writing before work starts

What it costs to leave alone

8,400–27,300 gallons over a season

≈ $14–$45 at $1.22 per CCF

40–130 gallons a day × 210 days ÷ 748 gallons per CCF × $1.22. Assumes a third of a zone’s output landing off the planting, three cycles a week.

Less common, worth ruling out

Pressure pushing the throw past the bed

High pressure extends the radius beyond what the head was set for. Adjusting the arc does not help because the problem is distance, not direction.

How to tell Every head on the zone overshoots, not just one.

What we do Regulated at the valve. Same fix as the misting above, and usually the same visit.

Usually Option 03 · Fix It & Use Less — priced after we walk it, in writing before work starts

What it costs to leave alone

12,600–37,800 gallons over a season

≈ $21–$62 at $1.22 per CCF

60–180 gallons a day × 210 days ÷ 748 gallons per CCF × $1.22. Assumes a quarter of a zone’s output landing outside the planting.

About the water figures

The gallons are the real number — they do not change with your provider. The dollars are those gallons priced at $1.22 per CCF, from Sacramento Suburban Water District tier 1 (0–15 CCF), rates effective 1 January 2026.

Every provider on our map prices water differently, and four of them we have not verified. Treat the dollars as an order of magnitude and the gallons as the real number — the gallons do not change with your provider. If you are on an unmetered flat rate, a leak costs you nothing on the bill at all, which is exactly why it is allowed to run for years.

Book a System Check Call (916) 550-8140

Two more things worth knowing

The two faults that cost the most and show the least.

The controller

The schedule nobody set.

Fifteen minutes, every zone, every day — what it does on clay, in gallons and dollars, and why the right number is a field job.

 The valve

One valve that never quite closes.

A weep too small to hear, all night, all season. What it costs and the twenty-dollar fix.
Henderson’s Landscape Services is not licensed by the Contractors State License Board. Work is performed under California’s minor work exemption (Business & Professions Code §7048): every project totals less than $1,000 including labor, materials and all other items, requires no building permit, and is performed by the owner without employees. Jobs that exceed that limit, require a permit, or need more than one person on site are referred to a licensed contractor. The System Check price is fixed by area. Repair and property-care work is priced after we have walked the property and confirmed in writing before any work begins; nothing on this site is a quote.