Irrigation Valve, Zone and Controller Record
Find a buried valve again and put a reset controller back exactly as it was. Every program, start time and run time is written down before anything is changed.
GG-22 2 pages
Garden and growing · GG-23
Irrigation Start-Up and Shut-Down Record
A free printable irrigation start-up and shut-down record: zone-by-zone checks of heads, leaks and overspray, walks through the season, and the shut-down.
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2 pages. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Start the season by walking every zone while it runs, and end it with a shut-down on record. Faults are written against their zone, so nothing is forgotten by spring.
Who it is for
Homeowners with sprinkler or drip systems, gardeners, and the contractors who open and close them each year.
How to use it
- Turn the water on slowly at the isolation valve and work through the start-up list.
- Run each zone from the controller, walk it and fill in its line.
- Walk the zones while they run every so often through the season and log what you find.
- At the end of the season, shut the system down as its maker or installer directs and tick the list.
- Write the repairs and parts for next spring in the notes.
What is on the sheet
2 pages, in this order:
Page 1
Printed under the title: The season-start check zone by zone for leaks, heads, coverage and valves, the walks through the season, and the end-of-season shut-down, each with what was found and what was fixed.
Slowly on, carefully off. Turn the water on slowly at the isolation valve so pipes and heads are not hammered. How a system is drained or blown out before frost depends on its make and layout: follow the maker's or installer's instructions, or have it done for you. Whether a backflow device needs a test is a rule to check where you are.
Write-on lines: Property · Season · Controller record kept at
Start-up
Write-on lines: Date · Done by · Backflow test, if required · Tested by
- Water turned on slowly, isolation valve fully open
- Controller date, time and programs checked against your record
- Backup battery checked or replaced
- Rain or soil sensor tested
- Filters and screens cleaned
- Valve boxes opened: dry, nothing cracked
Zone by zone — run each zone from the controller and walk it while it runs
Also printed: Zone · Ran · Heads · Broken · Leaks · On paving · Valve box · Fixed · Flagged · up, upright · or blocked: nos. · joints, pools · or walls · dry · what, with what · for repair
Page 2
Through the season — walk the zones while they run, every so often
Also printed: Date · Zones · Found · Fixed · nos. · head, leak, dry patch, overspray · what, with what
Shut-down
Write-on lines: Date · Done by · Drained or blown out, and how
- Water off at the isolation valve
- System drained or blown out as the maker or installer directs
- Controller set to off or rain mode, programs kept
- Backflow device and exposed pipework drained and lagged
- Valve boxes closed, lids secure
- Outside taps and hose connections drained
- Repairs still due written in the notes below
- Parts to buy before spring written in the notes below
Ruled lines: Notes for next spring: repairs due, parts to buy, heads to move
Questions
Why does the sheet not give an air pressure for blowing out the system?
Because a safe pressure depends on the pipe, the fittings and the heads, and too much can injure someone or damage parts. Follow the maker's or installer's instructions, or have a contractor do it.
Does my backflow device need a test?
That depends on where you are and how the system is connected to the water supply. Check the rules where you are; if a test is needed, the start-up section has room for the date and the tester.
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Sprinkler Catch-Can Audit Worksheet
Set run times from what a zone actually puts down instead of the controller's default. The same test shows up dry corners and heads that need moving.
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Set out what waters what, how, and how often, then keep a dated record through the season alongside the system checks that stop a blocked emitter going unnoticed.
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Emergency Shut-Off Locations Sheet
Make sure anyone in the household can turn off the water, gas or electricity quickly, including people who did not move in with the property.
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