Low Pressure on One Zone?
Check for Leaks or Too Many Heads

If one sprinkler zone has weak pressure but the rest of the system works fine, the issue is usually inside that specific zone. It could be a broken line, a cracked fitting, a bad valve, clogged heads, or too many sprinkler heads running on one zone. This last one is common on newer construction homes across Meridian, Caldwell and Star where systems sometimes have zones that are overloaded from the start.

How to Spot It

Turn the zone on and walk the yard. Look for bubbling water, sunken wet areas, misting heads, or heads that barely pop up. One small underground leak can make the whole zone look weak. If the pressure issue started suddenly rather than gradually, a broken line is usually the cause. If it has always been a little weak, the zone may just have too many heads on it.

• Heads barely pop up or spray a weak mist instead of a full arc
• Bubbling water or wet ground along the zone's lateral line
• Pressure drop happened suddenly after a hard winter or recent digging nearby
• Zone has always been weak since the system was installed
• One head is spraying fine while others on the same zone are weak

Sudden vs Gradual Pressure Loss

The timing matters. A sudden pressure drop on a zone that previously worked fine almost always points to a broken line or fitting. A zone that has been gradually getting weaker over time often means a valve is starting to fail or a clog is building up in one of the heads. Both are fixable and both are common calls we handle across the Treasure Valley every season.