How to Adjust and Replace Sprinkler Heads

Repairing sprinklers in your yard can be an easy project you can do yourself in just a few minutes! Watch this video to see the steps to tackle to adjust or replace residential sprinkler heads.

What I Used

Adjust Rotary Sprinkler Pattern

A nice continuity I’ve discovered about sprinklers is all brands adjust mostly in the same manner. For a rotary sprinkler, that you’re likely to have for lawn areas, you’ll want to first adjust the fixed right side. Then adjust how far to the left it rotates with the sprinkler head key.

To do this, you’ll need to pry the center of the sprinkler out of the in-ground housing. Then manually turn the head to see where it stops on the right side. If it needs to be adjusted, grab the lower part of the sprinkler and turn it until the arrow on top is at the furthest point necessary.

Then (this is where the various brands will vary) you will use your sprinkler head key to increase (+) or decrease (-) the rotation. The sprinkler head will not rotate during adjustments. You will turn the hex end of the key a few times, depending on how much adjustment is needed. Then manually rotate the sprinkler head to check how far to the left it turns. Continue adjusting and checking until it stops where you want.

This is such an inexpensive and easy way to make sure your money stays in your yard and not on the street or driveway!

Replacing Pop-Up Sprinkler Heads

As if the paragraphs above don’t make this obvious, I love keeping my water just where I need it and not where I don’t. There are a few pop-up style sprinklers in our yard that are not adjustable. And so they are watering more than just the grass, aka the driveway!!

But for less than $3, you can untwist the old head and replace it with an adjustable one. So that’s what I did! You’ll need a flathead screwdriver to pry up the center of the sprinkler.

Hold tight with one hand while you unscrew the top with the other. Then twist on your new top. Because it’s adjustable, you’ll tighten it onto the sprinkler with the lower of the 2 rings. The upper ring is what you use to adjust the spray pattern.

For me, I went from a half, or 180 degree, sprinkler to a 0-360 fully adjustable head. Just like with the rotary sprinkler, you set the right side and then turn the upper ring to widen the spray pattern or confine it. I found it necessary to run my system for a minute or two while making the adjustments to get it just right.

WiFi Your Life

I’ve also found our WiFi controller* to come in so handy for this type of adjustment! Instead of running back and forth to the controller which is installed in our basement/garage/store room area. I’m able to open the app on my phone and set whichever zone I’m working on for 2 or 3 minutes. Just long enough for me to evaluate and make any adjustments.

It doesn’t hurt that I can also turn on the sprinklers for the kids to run around in while I’m front-porch-sitting. I mean, it’s the little things in life that bring me joy.✨

Hopefully you can see how easy it is to quickly and cheaply adjust your sprinklers so that you’re only watering what you need. And maybe even watering less because of it which means you’re saving money along the way!

Thanks for Checking In! ~Chelsea

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