Johnson Irrigation: Montreal, Certified, Irrigation

Many yards have plants with different water requirements (i.e., lawns that require everyday watering, shrubs that only require watering every other day, etc.). Therefore, the lawn stations can be assigned to a different program than the shrubs. With a single program timer, all stations would have to water on the same days. Multiple programs are like having multiple controllers.
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Q: Water seeps from one sprinkler. Is the system not turning off?

No. Water may drain through the lowest sprinkler until the pipe empties. Sprinklers can be equipped with check valves that can hold this water in the pipes. If the seepage never stops, the problem is with the valve that controls that sprinkler zone. The problem could be as simple as a small piece of debris inside the valve preventing it from closing properly. Warning: Shut off the water supply before disassembling the valve.
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Q: One zone continues to water after the cycle is complete. Is the controller broken?

Probably not, but to make sure, pull the power cord from the wall, removing power from the controller. If the water continues to run, the problem is with the zone valve. If the water stops, the controller is at fault. Double-check the programming.
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Q: Should I change my battery in the spring?

Probably, but it depends on whether your controller recharges the battery automatically. If you have a controller that is capable of recharging batteries, ensure this option is selected and that you are using a rechargeable battery. For those who do not have this feature and are using alkaline batteries, it really depends how often the controller runs on battery power.
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Q: My system is not starting when it is scheduled. Why?

The following are possible:
1) controller is/was on battery power at the scheduled start time.
2) the rain sensor has overridden the schedule.
3) the controller has lost the program,
4) the controller is faulty/damaged.
5) the master valve is faulty/damaged.
6) the wiring is faulty/damaged.
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Q: Can I override the rain sensor?

It depends on your controller and wiring. Newer controllers have a dedicated port where the rain sensor may be connected. If the sensor is wired into this port you should be able to override it. If the port is not used or is not present then the sensor has been hard wired to the system. If this is the case, the only way to override the sensor is to manually bypass it outside at the sensor.
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Q: It rained last night and my system still came on. Why?

Your rain sensor is set to stop watering only when an accumulated amount of water has been sensed. If the amount of rainfall was insufficient to reach this set level than the system will still operate. If you feel the setting is undesirable, it can be easily changed.
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Q: It rained 3 days ago and my system still has not started. Why?

The rain sensor is designed to absorb and evaporate at approximately the same rate as your lawn. If there had been a heavy downpour or your rain sensor setting is very low. It may take some time for the sensor to dry out sufficiently to allow watering to continue.
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Q: How long should I run a zone of rotors?

There are many variables that determine how long to run a zone of sprinklers. It depends on plant species, root depth, soil type, time of year, slope of the ground and the precipitation rate.

Generally, rotors will deliver a precipitation rate of about 0.3 to 0.6 inches of water per hour. The system design and efficiency can lower these amounts further. Using these numbers you can than calculate how long to run the zone to apply the amount of water you require. Generally 15 to 45 minutes depending on how frequently you water.
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Q: How long should I run a zone of spray heads?

There are many variables that determine how long to run a zone of sprinklers. It depends on plant species, root depth, soil type, time of year, slope of the ground and the precipitation rate.

Generally, spray heads will deliver a precipitation rate of about 1.2 to 2.0 inches of water per hour. The system design and efficiency can lower these amounts further. Using these numbers you can than calculate how long to run the zone to apply the amount of water you require. Generally 3 to 15 minutes depending on how frequently you water.
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Q: How long should I run a zone of drip?

There are many variables that determine how long to run a zone of drip. It depends on plant species, root depth, soil type, time of year, slope of the ground and the precipitation rate.

Generally, drip pipe will deliver about 0.5 to 1.0 inches of water per hour. The spacing of the emitters on the pipe range from 12 to 24 inches. The system design and efficiency can lower these amounts further. Using these numbers you can than calculate how long to run the zone to apply the amount of water you require. Generally 60 to 180 minutes depending on how frequently you water.
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Q: How often should I run a program?

How often you water depends mostly on the soil type and root depth. Vegetation with longer roots can last longer than those without. If your roots are around an inch long you may need to water every day. The ability of the soil to hold moisture and the amount of soil the vegetation is able extract water from (root depth) is the determining factor. A general rule of thumb is to water your lawn whenever you walk across your lawn and you leave footprints because the grass does not spring back up.

As you can see, there is no simple answer for every system. Contact us for more information if you need help.
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Q: How do I know when to water?

No matter how often or for how long you need to water, the best time to water is early in the morning.
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Q: Can you program the controller more efficiently?

Yes. We can do this in two manners.

One, we can install an automated controller that actually downloads daily atmospheric data and adjusts the controller daily to manage your irrigation. Or we offer a service where we will take soil samples of your lawn, measure root depth and calculate exact precipitation rates. This information is then used in conjunction with historical evapotranspiration data to determine a truly efficient system.

On residential properties we are often able to save about $100-$250 a year.

On commercial properties we are often able to save about $500-$2000 a year.
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Q: Can you save me water by programming my system differently?

Yes. We can do this in two manners.

On residential properties we are often able to save about $100-$250 a year.

On commercial properties we are often able to save about $500-$2000 a year.
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Q: My timer runs continuously or repeats an additional watering cycle?

There are overlapping start times programmed. Clear all start times and then enter only one start time. If you would like to water more than once a day, enter the next start time for later in the day.

A start time is the initial time of day when the timer will begin to water. Each station or zone will then water in sequence according to its chosen duration. Multiple start times allow you to water all stations more than once in the same watering day.
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Q: When programming my controller, may I enter a start time for each station or zone to water at different times during the same watering day?

Q: I need help programming my timer.

Programming instructions are included with each timer. These instructions are available online. Johnson Irrigation also offers online copies of your operation manual on our web site.

A watering program requires three basic instructions to operate automatically:

What days to water - called watering days
When to water - called a program start time
How long to water - called station run time

Q: What is the difference between "Start Time" and "Run Time" on my timer?

A sprinkler timer generally requires 3 important settings before it will operate: Start Time, Run Time, and Days to Water. Since they are all necessary, let’s look at all three.

Start Time refers to the time of day that the first zone will come on. The first zone is not necessarily Zone #1 on your timer. If Zone #1 is not programmed to come on that day (either set to "OFF" or set on a different programming schedule (Program A, B, etc.)), then the timer will bypass that zone until it comes to one that is programmed to run that day. Once this first zone has finished watering, the remaining programmed zones will follow in sequential order. This is called a complete Cycle. The Start Time is the point in time that the Cycle starts.

Run Time is the length of time that each zone will run. You set this time for each zone, such as- Zone 1: 10 Minutes; Zone 2: 15 Minutes; Zone 3: 30 Minutes; etc....

Days to Water refers to the days of the week that your system will run. Some timers enable you to choose specific days of the week, such as Monday/ Wednesday/ Friday, while with others you choose Every Day/ Every Other Day/ Every Third Day, etc.
To sum it all up, on the programmed Days To Water, at the programmed Start Time, the timer will start a watering Cycle, running each programmed zone for its appropriate Run Time.
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Controller manuals

If you have lost your controllers manual?

You can find them here.

Can't find an answer

In the event that you can't find an answer to your question in our 'frequently asked question' list, please don't hesitate to contact us.

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