Green Guru Blog
Surface-water irrigation often looks great in spring—then coverage weakens mid-season. This is the service-first checklist we use to confirm intake restriction before chasing heads and programming.
Intake restriction usually comes first. As algae and organics increase, upstream flow drops and downstream zones appear to "mysteriously" weaken.
| Symptom Chasing | Intake-First Workflow |
|---|---|
| Swap heads, tweak schedules repeatedly | Confirm upstream flow constraints first |
| Coverage remains inconsistent | Flow/pressure root cause addressed |
| Longer troubleshooting loops | Faster triage and cleaner fix path |
| Higher seasonal callback risk | Better mid-season reliability control |
Accuracy
When flow drops upstream, heads and schedules look “wrong” even if the controller is fine.
Speed
A repeatable intake checklist turns “mystery low coverage” into a clearer fix path.
Prevention
Right-sizing intake filtration can reduce the clean-out cycle during algae spikes.
Lake and pond irrigation often looks great in spring-then fails mid-season. Coverage weakens, zones recover slowly, and heads clog more often. In many cases, the controller is doing its job. The problem is upstream: intake restriction as algae and organics ramp up.
Intake restriction from algae and organics commonly reduces available flow and pressure during peak season.
Check intake loading and suction-side conditions before replacing heads or changing controller schedules.
Yes. Reduced upstream flow can mimic scheduling or zone faults even when control settings are correct.
Larger intake/filter capacity often tolerates algae spikes better and can extend clean-out intervals.
Use a repeatable intake-first triage workflow: inspect loading, confirm placement, check suction leaks, and verify real flow.
Use these pages to move from issue diagnosis to durable service scope and implementation.
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