HE DIDN'T KNOW THE PIPE WAS THERE	Everyone wants to know what maintenance is required for a sprinkler system. There is very little maintenance that is required or that can even be done. In Houston the freeze line is only a couple of inches down and hopefully your pipes are buried below that. The pressure vacuum breaker can freeze in a real cold spell and wrapping a blanket around it wouldn't hurt. The most common cause of premature failure of a system is shutting it off for extended periods. This can cause valves to quit operating correctly. Following are the four most common problems and how to diagnose them.
NOTHING IS WORKING. What you notice are the plants turning brown or no water on the grass or plants when you go outside in the morning. You check the controller and it appears to be operating properly but no water comes out of any of the heads. This is usually a minor problem. One of three things is usually the cause. The rain sensor has the system shut down, the PVB has been shut off, or a wire has been cut by someone digging in the yard.	THE WATER WON'T SHUT OFF-As a temporary fix go the PVB and turn either handle. You either see a zone going full blast or maybe one head just seeping and you have gone to the controller and turned it off and even unplugged it but it doesn't stop the water. This is normally a valve problem. There can be one of two problems with a valve. The solenoid (where the wires are) is broken or the rubber part inside the valve has failed. In eihter case the valve must be located and normally replaced. The locating of these valves usually requires a specific piece of equipment made just for that job.
LEAKS This can take one of two forms. A leak that is constant or one that happens only when a particular zone is operating. When the leak is constant you can go to your PVB and turn it off to stop the leak. Leaks in the pipes are fairly rare. The pipe is pretty tough and normally just won't break on its own. A shovel will break the pipe or over extended time tree roots can break the pipe also. Many times a leak is no more than natural drainage.	BROKEN HEADS There are two types of heads -Rotating and fixed. If a fixed head is broken you normally see water shooting straight up. The common problem with rotating heads is they quit rotating. The heads will need to be replaced.