The first thing you need to do when you are doing any kind of sprinkler repair is to know where all the components are located. The questions you should have answered are where is the main water shutoff valve, where is the zone valve and what is the plan of action if there is an uncontrollable leak (call the sprinkler repair service!).
Assuming you have those answers, you can then proceed and replace the spinkler head. First, identify the problem. Is the problem in fact the sprinkler head itself or is it the valve or the irrigation control panel? If you have verified that it is the head, you can then make sure that the valve is in the off position and remove the head.
To remove the head, you may have to cut out some of the turf in the shape of a "donut" from around the head (most of the time you don't have to remove any sod, just wrench the head off through the turf with a large adjustable wrench). This will allow you to grip the head from the top. Twist the head left (loose) and very carefully pull it out of the hole. If any debris gets in the hole, it can clog the head (unless you know how to flush the head). With the head out, quickly exchange the old head for new, twisting the new head in place of the old head on the "ELL" pipe at the bottom of the hole.
Adjust the fixed, justified side of the sprinkler pattern: some heads are justified on the right side (Hunter), some on the left (Rain Bird). You will need to be familiar with how the head works in order to properly adjust this first and most crucial adjustment step.
Once the sprinkler head is twisted in to the right degree, you can then turn on the zone manually or by way of the control panel. Once you have water spraying through the sprinkler head, using the proper key for that popup, rotor style head, you can then adjust the spray pattern.
Submitted by: Ashley Brooks, Busy Bee Sprinkler Repair Service, Columbia S.C.
