Old Stuck Heads

Have you ever noticed some of your sprinkler heads still sticking out of the grass after it waters your grass?  We typically refer to these as “stuck heads”.  It a common issue with old sprinkler systems and sometimes with lawns that are very thick.  Inside of the sprinkler head there is a large spring.  When water enters the head it causes the nozzle to pop up and water the lawn.  When it is through watering the spring is suppose to cause the head to retract back into the sprinkler.  On older systems this spring will sometimes not be strong enough to pull the head back in and causes the nozzle to still stand up.  This can be a real issue when you go to mow the lawn and hit the heads.  We have also seen dogs chew on them and kids kick them while playing outside!  The simple fix would be to just replace the spring but we actually suggest just replacing the entire head.  The cost difference is not enough to pass on up grading the entire head.  Don’t be surprised however if you find yourself replacing several of these at the same time.  If your feeling super ambitious this would also be a good time to consider upgrading your sprinkler system to new MPR nozzles and saving your self money on water use!