What is included in an irrigation evaluation?

A standard evaluation typically covers zone-by-zone performance and activation, a check for adequate pressure, sprinkler head inspection for damage and alignment, controller settings and rain sensor function, leak detection, and a coverage assessment against how the landscape looks today. The goal is an accurate picture of your system's condition before initial repairs or adjustments are recommended, so the work that gets done actually addresses the right problems.

What's the difference between an irrigation evaluation and irrigation maintenance?

An irrigation evaluation is a diagnostic visit focused on assessing how your system is performing and identifying what needs attention. Irrigation maintenance is ongoing service that keeps a system in good working order once it's been assessed and set up correctly. During an evaluation, your service professional systematically checks each component of the system and documents what they find. It's designed to give you an accurate picture of your system's current condition before any repairs or adjustments are recommended. Maintenance typically includes seasonal startup and shutdown, minor adjustments, routine performance checks, and small repairs as needed throughout the season. The two services work together: an evaluation tells you where things stand, and ongoing maintenance helps keep them there. If you haven't had your system professionally checked in a while or you're noticing new problems, an evaluation is usually the right place to start. Keep in mind that how maintenance and evaluations are structured varies by location. At some franchises, a performance check is included as part of a maintenance visit; at others, they are scheduled separately. Your local team can walk you through how they approach it.

How often should an irrigation system be evaluated?

Depending on your climate and location, your local team may suggest twice a year, seasonally, or monthly visits to keep your system in shape. Older systems or those with recurring issues may need to be seen more frequently. The right frequency comes down to how long your watering season runs and how hard your system works. In northern climates with a clear off-season, two evaluations a year cover spring startup and fall prep. In transition zones or warmer regions where systems run longer or year-round, more frequent visits help catch problems before they compound. If you notice coverage issues, an unexplained increase in your water bill, or any visible signs of system problems during the season, scheduling an evaluation sooner is worthwhile. Catching minor issues early is almost always simpler and less expensive than dealing with the damage they leave behind. Routine irrigation maintenance throughout the season can also help your system stay on track between evaluations. Your local The Grounds Guys team can recommend a service frequency that fits your climate, system age, and property size.

How much does an irrigation evaluation cost?

Costs vary by location and system size, so there isn't a flat rate that applies everywhere. Pricing may also vary by location. Most evaluations involve a service call fee and, in most cases, a diagnostic rate for the time spent assessing the system. If a repair is approved on the same visit, this saves a service call to return at a later date. Factors that can affect the cost include the number of zones, the age and complexity of your system, and whether any repairs or adjustments are needed. Addressing a problem early through an evaluation is generally less expensive than waiting until a minor issue develops into a larger one.

How long does an irrigation evaluation take?

For many systems with nine zones or fewer, the evaluation can often be completed in about an hour. A common approach is running each zone for about two minutes, which means a nine-zone system takes roughly 18 minutes just to cycle through. Time for notes, adjustments, and discussion with you adds to that. Larger properties or systems with active symptoms take longer. If the evaluation uncovers a straightforward repair, it may be possible to handle it on the same visit, which can add time but saves you from scheduling a separate appointment. More involved issues will typically be estimated so you can review your options before any work begins. Your service professional can give you a better estimate of the time involved once they have a sense of your system's layout.

Checking Your Irrigation System

The Grounds Guys service professional kneeling in a planting bed while assessing a residential property during an irrigation evaluation.

Each repair is different, but The Grounds Guys service professionals typically conduct irrigation evaluations to assess your sprinkler system's full performance before recommending any repairs or adjustments, including:

Zone coverage and water pressure by section
Sprinkler head condition, alignment, and output
Controller settings, scheduling, and run times
Leaks, drainage problems, and system-to-landscape fit

The result helps to produce a picture of what your system may need before any work begins.

What Happens During a Professional Irrigation Evaluation

If you've noticed dry patches or soggy spots on your lawn, or you have a zone that just won't cooperate, you’re probably wondering whether your irrigation system needs a simple fix or something more involved is required to resolve the issue. The answer often starts the same way: with an irrigation diagnostic or evaluation.

When a service professional from The Grounds Guys^® visits your property, they're not only checking the one spot that caught your attention. They walk your entire system zone by zone to get a full picture of what's working, what's not, and what your lawn and landscape actually need.

A Professional Assessment of Your Irrigation System

A professional irrigation evaluation is a systematic look at how your sprinkler or drip irrigation system is performing. It's designed to go beyond what you can see from the surface, and may reveal additional problems as the evaluation progresses.

Your service professional will run through each part of your system and document what they find. From water pressure to zone coverage to controller settings, every detail adds up to a clearer picture of your system's overall health.

Evaluation Step	What the Professional Checks	Problems It May Reveal
Zone-by-Zone Performance	Activates each zone to observe water output, coverage, and rotation	Zones that won't activate, coverage gaps, overlapping spray, runoff
Water Pressure	Measures operating pressure against the recommended range for your heads and layout	Low pressure causing poor spray; high pressure causing misting and water waste
Sprinkler Head Condition	Inspects every head for physical damage, clogs, alignment, and nozzle type	Cracked or clogged heads, misaligned spray patterns, wrong nozzle types
Controller and Timer Settings	Reviews the watering schedule, run times, rain sensor function, and programming	Outdated schedules, missing rain sensor, seasonal mismatches, controller errors
Leak Detection	Looks for visible leaks, soft or saturated ground, and drainage issues	Underground leaks, valve and connection leaks, pooling, runoff onto hardscape
Coverage and Landscape Match	Compares the current system layout against how the landscape has grown or changed	Under- or overwatered areas, drip lines not reaching current beds, zone gaps

Zone-by-Zone Performance Check

One of the first things your service professional will do is activate each irrigation zone individually to see how it performs. This involves turning each zone on and watching for:

Zones that won't activate at all
Zones with noticeably low or high water output
Coverage gaps that leave parts of your lawn or planting beds without enough water
Overlapping spray that's oversaturating certain areas
Signs of runoff that may point to pressure issues or misaligned heads

Running zones individually gives your service professional a baseline for how each section of the system is functioning before they look more closely at any problems they notice.

Water Pressure Assessment

Over the years, we have found that water pressure is one of the most common factors behind poor irrigation performance, and it's something you can't always identify on your own.

Low pressure can cause sprinkler heads to pop up but not rotate or spray properly, leaving areas of your lawn without adequate water. High pressure can cause heads to mist or fog, wasting water and producing inconsistent coverage across the yard.

Your service professional will often check whether each zone is receiving adequate pressure. This is a pass/fail observation, not a detailed per-zone PSI report. Heads that won't fully rise, rotate, or spray a complete pattern are the clearest sign that pressure needs attention. In many cases, a simple regulator adjustment is all it takes.

Sprinkler Head Inspection

Each sprinkler head in your system has a specific job to do, and problems with individual heads can create symptoms that look like much larger system issues. During an irrigation evaluation, your service professional will inspect every head for:

Breaks, cracks, or physical damage
Clogged nozzles that restrict water flow
Heads that are tilted, sunken, or raised too high above the turf line
Spray patterns aimed toward driveways, structures, or areas that don't need water
Heads with the wrong nozzle type for the zone's layout or plant types
Multiple types of heads on the same zone

A single head that's off-target can create a dry patch or a consistently soggy area in the lawn. Based on our extensive experience, catching these during the evaluation helps determine whether a simple repair is all that's needed to restore even coverage.

Controller and Timer Settings Review

Your irrigation controller tells the system when to run and for how long. An outdated schedule or misconfigured settings can cause overwatering, underwatering, or watering at the wrong time of day, even when the rest of the system is functioning correctly.

During the evaluation, your service professional will review:

Your current watering schedule and run times for each zone
Whether a rain sensor is installed and functioning correctly
Whether the schedule reflects the right adjustments for the current season
Any programming errors or malfunctions in the controller itself

If your controller is older or doesn't support weather-based adjustments, your service professional may discuss smart irrigation timer options that can help your system run more efficiently. Smart timers adjust watering schedules based on weather and conditions, so your lawn gets the right amount of water without overuse. For homeowners keeping an eye on costs and environmental impact, an efficient system can also mean a measurable reduction in the water use and bill over the course of a season.

Leak Detection and Drainage Review

A common pattern that we have observed is that irrigation leaks aren't always obvious. Some show up as pooling water near a valve box or a wet area that never fully dries out. Others stay hidden underground and only show themselves through a higher water bill or soft, spongy ground without a clear source.

During an evaluation, your service professional will look for:

Visible signs of leaks at sprinkler heads, valves, or connection points
Soft or saturated ground that may indicate an underground line issue
Pooling or runoff that suggests drainage problems in the system layout
Evidence of water running into hardscape areas or off the property entirely

Catching leaks early gives you the chance to address them before they cause more significant lawn or landscape damage. When the source is isolated and the rest of the system is performing well, irrigation repair is often the most practical and cost-effective next step.

Coverage and Landscape Match

An irrigation system designed for your yard several years ago may no longer match your yard today. Trees grow larger, planting beds change, and hardscaping gets added over time. All of these factors can create gaps in coverage that the original system layout didn't account for.

Your service professional will evaluate how well your system's current layout matches what your landscape actually needs. This includes:

Identifying areas receiving too little or too much water
Checking whether drip irrigation lines are reaching current planting beds
Noting where turf areas and planting areas have different water requirements
Flagging zones that may need adjustment based on changes in shade, soil conditions, or plant types

Coverage and landscape matching accounts for how your yard has changed over time and how well the system serves it today.

What Comes Next After the Evaluation

Once your service professional completes the evaluation, they'll walk you through what they found. If a simple repair is needed, it may be possible to address it during the same visit. If the issue is more involved, they'll give you an estimate so you can review your options before any work begins.

Common outcomes from an irrigation evaluation include:

Targeted repairs to sprinkler heads, valves, or wiring
Controller updates or replacement with a smart timer
Adjustments to zone coverage or spray patterns
Recommendations for ongoing irrigation maintenance to keep the system running well through the season
A referral to a more comprehensive assessment when broader system issues are identified

We often see customers struggle with DIY irrigation fixes because not every issue will surface right away, and that’s a normal part of how irrigation systems get properly diagnosed.

“Sprinkler systems can work a bit like a doctor's visit,” shares Luke Alexander, owner of The Grounds Guys of Spokane. “You don’t walk in expecting everything to be found and treated in one appointment. Sometimes the process of fixing one problem is what surfaces the next one.”

The goal of the evaluation is to give you an accurate picture of what your system needs so you can make an informed decision about the next step, whatever that turns out to be.

Schedule an Irrigation Evaluation with The Grounds Guys

If your sprinkler system hasn't been checked in a while, or you've noticed signs that something isn't right, an irrigation evaluation is a practical place to start. The Grounds Guys can walk your system through its paces and give you a clear, honest picture of what's going on and what needs attention.

Many locations offer a seasonal plan to check your system with frequency to help eliminate small concerns from exploding into large issues. This program might be a sprinkler startup in the spring, two or more mid-season checks to evaluate the system and adjust times for the current season, and a sprinkler winterization in the fall.

Contact The Grounds Guys to schedule irrigation service and find out what your system really needs. Every service comes backed by the Neighborly Done Right Promise^®, a commitment to getting every job done right.

This article is intended for general informational purposes only and may not be applicable to every situation. You are responsible for determining the proper course of action for your home and property. The Grounds Guys are not responsible for any damages that occur as a result of this blog content or your actions. For the most accurate guidance, contact The Grounds Guys location nearest you for a comprehensive, on-site assessment.

Frequently Asked Questions About Irrigation Evaluations

As an industry leader, The Grounds Guys are committed to using our 20+ years of landscape knowledge and experience to help bring the vision for their property to life. This includes answering your questions about landscape and lawn care services. Below are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about irrigation evaluations.

A standard evaluation typically covers zone-by-zone performance and activation, a check for adequate pressure, sprinkler head inspection for damage and alignment, controller settings and rain sensor function, leak detection, and a coverage assessment against how the landscape looks today.

The goal is an accurate picture of your system's condition before initial repairs or adjustments are recommended, so the work that gets done actually addresses the right problems.
For many systems with nine zones or fewer, the evaluation can often be completed in about an hour. A common approach is running each zone for about two minutes, which means a nine-zone system takes roughly 18 minutes just to cycle through. Time for notes, adjustments, and discussion with you adds to that. Larger properties or systems with active symptoms take longer.

If the evaluation uncovers a straightforward repair, it may be possible to handle it on the same visit, which can add time but saves you from scheduling a separate appointment. More involved issues will typically be estimated so you can review your options before any work begins.

Your service professional can give you a better estimate of the time involved once they have a sense of your system's layout.
Costs vary by location and system size, so there isn't a flat rate that applies everywhere. Pricing may also vary by location.

Most evaluations involve a service call fee and, in most cases, a diagnostic rate for the time spent assessing the system. If a repair is approved on the same visit, this saves a service call to return at a later date.

Factors that can affect the cost include the number of zones, the age and complexity of your system, and whether any repairs or adjustments are needed. Addressing a problem early through an evaluation is generally less expensive than waiting until a minor issue develops into a larger one.
Depending on your climate and location, your local team may suggest twice a year, seasonally, or monthly visits to keep your system in shape. Older systems or those with recurring issues may need to be seen more frequently.

The right frequency comes down to how long your watering season runs and how hard your system works. In northern climates with a clear off-season, two evaluations a year cover spring startup and fall prep. In transition zones or warmer regions where systems run longer or year-round, more frequent visits help catch problems before they compound.

If you notice coverage issues, an unexplained increase in your water bill, or any visible signs of system problems during the season, scheduling an evaluation sooner is worthwhile. Catching minor issues early is almost always simpler and less expensive than dealing with the damage they leave behind.

Routine irrigation maintenance throughout the season can also help your system stay on track between evaluations. Your local The Grounds Guys team can recommend a service frequency that fits your climate, system age, and property size.
An irrigation evaluation is a diagnostic visit focused on assessing how your system is performing and identifying what needs attention. Irrigation maintenance is ongoing service that keeps a system in good working order once it's been assessed and set up correctly.

During an evaluation, your service professional systematically checks each component of the system and documents what they find. It's designed to give you an accurate picture of your system's current condition before any repairs or adjustments are recommended.

Maintenance typically includes seasonal startup and shutdown, minor adjustments, routine performance checks, and small repairs as needed throughout the season. The two services work together: an evaluation tells you where things stand, and ongoing maintenance helps keep them there.

If you haven't had your system professionally checked in a while or you're noticing new problems, an evaluation is usually the right place to start. Keep in mind that how maintenance and evaluations are structured varies by location. At some franchises, a performance check is included as part of a maintenance visit; at others, they are scheduled separately. Your local team can walk you through how they approach it.

What a Landscaper Checks During an Irrigation Evaluation