Testing your irrigation

You can only test your newly installed or repaired irrigation system on your allocated watering days. If you are doing the test yourself, we encourage you test before 9am or after 6pm, limited to a maximum of 2 minutes per station .

If you need to test your system outside your watering days or during the winter sprinkler switch off, you will need to contact a waterwise garden irrigator to perform the test on your behalf, as doing it yourself would be considered a breach and potentially attract a fine.

When testing your irrigation:

• You must be in the garden where the sprinklers are operating
• Be ready to provide evidence of the repairs or evidence the system has just been installed. If an inspector visits the property they will ask/ look for broken ground, exposed pipes, tools and/or reticulation equipment (e.g. new sprinkler heads).

CHECK YOUR WATERING DAYS

Test your irrigation in 3 easy steps

Step 1

Make sure all your taps and household appliances that use water are off. Also make sure your irrigation manual isolation valve is in the OFF/ closed position. When everything’s off, take a water meter reading (record the black and red numbers on your meter). If you notice the water meter moving, there may be a leak elsewhere in the main house plumbing.

Step 2

To continue checking for leaks in the irrigation, turn the manual isolation valve to the ON/open position. If water is flowing then there is a fault with the master valve and a leak or fault in the system.

No water flowing? Move on to step 3.

Step 3

Turn the master solenoid (the part of the sprinkler that controls water pressure) valve on manually to see if water starts to flow. If water flow is present, then the zone control valves/ solenoids are faulty or there is a leak between the master valve and the zone control valves/ solenoids.

If no water flows, then the leak is down the line and may instead be visible while the system is running, such as through soil erosion, extreme wet patches or flowing elsewhere. Check for broken sprinklers, stuck solenoids and replace any worn nozzles or damaged seals. If you suspect it may be a broken pipe, call a professional waterwise garden irrigator to take a look.

If you have a professional waterwise garden irrigator installing or repairing your irrigation system, they can perform testing on or outside your allocated watering days.

During the winter sprinkler switch off they can also perform the testing on or outside your rostered watering days. Garden irrigators are automatically exempt from performing tests, so they don’t need to advise us in advance of any testing.

When testing your irrigation:

• The garden irrigator must be in attendance in the garden area where the sprinklers are operating
• Display appropriate signage indicating that testing is in progress
• Be ready to provide evidence of the repairs or evidence the system has just been installed . If an inspector visits the property they will ask/ look for broken ground, exposed pipes, tools and/ or reticulation equipment (e.g. new sprinkler heads).

If you live in the metro area, you can only test your irrigation system (for bore maintenance, or a newly installed or repaired system) on your allocated watering days. This applies during and outside the winter sprinkler switch off.

If you need to flush your sprinkler system to maintain your bore, you can do this once a week on one of your allocated watering days, either before 9am or after 6pm for a maximum of 2 minutes per station. Sprinkler rosters and times apply to both scheme and bore users.

Residents in towns north of (and excluding) Kalbarri and Kalgoorlie can use sprinklers every alternate day, watering once either before 9am or after 6pm based on the last digit of their house number. 

Please visit The Department of Water and Environment website to find out more about sprinkler rosters for bore users and the restrictions that apply.

CHECK YOUR WATERING DAYS