Should I Add a Sprinkler System Inspection to My Home Inspection?

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4. Should I Add a Sprinkler System Inspection to My Home Inspection?

Is a sprinkler system part of a standard home inspection?

No. The TREC Standards of Practice treat lawn irrigation as an optional system, in the same category as pools, spas and outbuildings. A standard Texas home inspection covers the structure, roof, electrical, HVAC, plumbing and appliances, and the inspector is not required to touch the sprinkler controller unless the client has asked for the irrigation system to be inspected.

That surprises a lot of buyers, because the sprinklers feel like part of the plumbing. In practice, the irrigation system is its own network of valves, pipes, wiring and heads with its own controller and its own backflow device, and it takes real time to test properly. Our inspectors treat it as a system in its own right.

The Smart Inspector offers the sprinkler and irrigation inspection as an add-on on the booking form. It is performed by your home inspector during the same visit, and the findings appear in the optional systems section of the same-day report, with photos and a plain-language explanation of what needs attention.

What the sprinkler system inspection covers

A sprinkler system inspection is an operational test. The inspector runs the system from the controller, one zone at a time, and walks the property while each zone is running. Here is what gets checked.

• Controller: whether it powers on, whether it runs each zone on command, and the condition of the wiring and rain sensor where present
• Zones: every zone is cycled so the inspector can see each one operate and note any that do not respond
• Valves: leaking, weeping or stuck valves, and valve boxes that are flooded or buried
• Heads: broken, missing, clogged, sunken or tilted heads, and heads that spray the house, fence, sidewalk or street
• Coverage: dry areas with no coverage, overlapping zones, and rotors or sprays mixed on the same zone
• Leaks: water surfacing between heads, soggy spots along lateral lines, and geysers from broken risers
• Backflow device: visible condition, whether it is present, leaking, damaged by freezing, or missing its test cocks and shutoffs
• Drip zones and beds: emitters, tubing and pressure where a drip zone is present

Each problem is photographed while the zone is running, which is the only time most sprinkler defects are visible. The report then tells you which items are a quick repair, such as a broken head, and which point to something larger, such as a zone that does not run at all or a backflow device that has split from a freeze.

Why sprinklers matter more in North Texas

In much of the country a sprinkler system is a convenience. In Dallas-Fort Worth it is closer to a maintenance item for the house itself. Most of the Metroplex sits on expansive clay soil that swells when it is wet and shrinks when it dries. When one side of a lot dries out faster than the other, the soil under that part of the foundation shrinks and the slab or piers can move with it.

Homeowners here are often advised to keep the soil around the foundation evenly moist, and an irrigation system is how most of them do it. A system with a dead zone along one side of the house, or heads that were never installed near the foundation, can leave the soil on that side dry all summer. A leaking zone can do the opposite and keep one corner saturated. Either one is a foundation concern, not just a lawn concern.

There is also the plain economics of it. Lots in newer DFW subdivisions and older suburbs can be large, summers are long and hot, and a leaking or badly aimed system pushes a lot of water into the street. A repaired system pays for itself on the water bill, but you can only fix what you know about.

Common problems found during a DFW sprinkler inspection

Some findings come up over and over on North Texas properties. The table below shows what our inspectors most often report, what it looks like during the test, and why it belongs in your negotiation or your first-month to-do list.

Most of these are inexpensive to correct, which is exactly why they are worth documenting. A seller is far more likely to fix a photographed list of broken heads and a dead zone than to respond to a general comment that the sprinklers seem off.

What the sprinkler inspection does not include

Like the rest of a TREC inspection, the irrigation inspection is visual and operational on the day of the appointment. A few things fall outside it.

It does not include a certified backflow prevention test. That test is performed by a licensed backflow tester with calibrated gauges and produces its own certificate. Our inspectors report on the device’s visible condition and whether it is leaking or damaged, which is often enough to know a tester or a replacement is needed, but the inspection is not a substitute for the certified test.

It does not locate underground pipes, pressure test the lines, evaluate whether the system was designed with adequate coverage for the lot, or verify compliance with any code or water district rule. It also cannot test a system that has been winterized and shut off at the backflow, or a controller with no power. In those cases the report marks the system Not Inspected and explains why, so you can ask the seller to have it running before the appointment.

What it costs and how to add it

The sprinkler inspection is one of the lower-cost add-ons on our booking form and one of the most useful for the price.

1. Open the booking form. Enter the property details and choose your inspection type on the booking page.
2. Select Irrigation / Sprinkler Inspection. It is listed at $50, with the form’s note about larger homes.
3. Add anything else you need. Pool, sewer scope, termite and foundation-level add-ons are on the same form.
4. Confirm the system will be on. Ask your agent to make sure the controller has power and the backflow valve is open.
5. Attend the walkthrough. Your inspector can show you the controller and the problem heads in person.

The base inspection price depends on the home’s square footage, age and add-ons. For a total, use the Get a Quote form or call (817) 842-0330. The general factors are explained on home inspection cost in DFW.

Sprinklers, drainage and your foundation

Buyers who add the sprinkler inspection usually do it for the lawn, and end up valuing it for the foundation. That is because irrigation is one of the three things that control how wet the soil around a North Texas house stays, along with rainfall runoff and the trees on the lot. The report brings all three together.

Your inspector will note how water leaves the roof and where the downspouts discharge, whether the grade slopes toward or away from the walls, and where the sprinkler zones put water relative to the slab. When the report also includes foundation observations, and especially when you add the Measure Foundation Level option described on foundation inspection in DFW, you get a complete picture of what the soil is doing and why.

Once you own the house, the same information becomes a watering plan. Knowing which zones cover the foundation perimeter, which ones were dead on inspection day and where the dry corners are lets you set the controller with a purpose instead of guessing. That is a small add-on doing a lot of work.

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