How we help
Repair starts with what is not watering, not a guess about the whole lawn.
Orlando West Irrigation is a matching service. We do not climb into valve boxes, dig laterals, or quote a price from this page. A matched local irrigation tech reviews what you describe, confirms what they can fix, and sets their own scope, price, and schedule. That boundary matters: this is not a lawn crew, not Soft Wash, not Pool, not Pest, and not SafeNest home watch.
West Orange and south Lake yards show irrigation problems in familiar patterns. Afternoon storms and mower strikes are hard on plastic heads. New construction in Horizon West and Waterleigh often has mixed spray and rotor zones that drift after the first growing season. Older Winter Garden controllers sit in hot garages. Clermont lots can sit on hills where pressure feels different from zone to zone. None of that is a diagnosis. It just explains why a clear symptom note helps the tech.
How do I know if a sprinkler head is broken?
Think head-level when water reaches the zone but coverage is wrong. A spray head stuck down, sheared at the riser, or buried under thatch leaves a dry doughnut. A rotor that used to throw to the sidewalk may now mist into the wind after a nozzle change or a hit from a mower. Heads clogged with sand or debris throw short. One cracked head can look like "the whole zone died" if it was the only head covering a curb strip.
UF/IFAS Extension's homeowner guidance on irrigation system maintenance lists the same field clues: clogged nozzles cause dry spots, tilted heads throw more water to one side, and heads need to pop up above the grass canopy. Useful notes for the form: which zone number if you know it, whether neighboring heads on the same zone still pop, and a photo of the dry shape. You do not need to buy a bag of heads before matching. The tech confirms part type and pressure on site.
What are the signs of a bad sprinkler valve?
Valve problems feel different from head problems. The controller calls for a zone and nothing happens at the valve box. Or the zone keeps weeping overnight while the clock says it is off. Or zone three is dead while zones one and two sound normal. Opening the valve's manual bleed can change behavior the controller cannot. Solenoids, diaphragms, and wiring faults are common triage categories; you do not need to name the part. Describing "all-or-nothing zone behavior" is enough.
Leaks at fittings, under valve boxes, or along laterals often show as soft spots, mushrooms, bubbling at the base of a head, or a wet strip that does not match the spray pattern. A lateral nicked during landscaping can starve heads further down the line. Say what you see and hear. The matched tech decides whether it is a quick fitting, a valve rebuild, or a longer dig.
Why is one zone dead after a normal run?
A "dead zone" on this page means a zone that should have watered and still left turf brown. It is not a promise of fast results. Common irrigation-side causes: a head that never popped, a valve that never opened, a controller program that skipped the zone, a rain sensor still holding the system off, or a schedule that never restarted after travel. Disease, insects, shade, and dull mower blades can mimic dry zones too. If the brown shape follows a tree canopy or does not line up with spray arcs, Lawn Care may be the better fit than an irrigation lead.
Read dry zone vs soil vs irrigation and head vs valve vs controller before you assume the whole system is finished. For HOA letters, use the HOA dry zones page and send a photo, the zone number if you have it, and the notice.
Could the controller or rain sensor be the real problem?
Sometimes the yard is dry because the clock never ran. Blank displays after storms, the wrong day or time, Wi-Fi schedules that never sync, and rain sensors stuck "wet" after a Florida afternoon storm belong on controller / timer matching. Mention them here if you are unsure and choose "Not sure" or "Controller" on the form. We will not publish a watering-day calendar on a repair page; see watering days and restrictions and the official SJRWMD page for rules that change.
What should I put in the match request?
City or ZIP in our west Orange and south Lake map (Winter Garden, Horizon West, Clermont, and nearby villages).
Service type: Sprinkler repair, Dry zone, Controller, Seasonal start-stop, or Not sure.
Which zones look dry, whether the controller ran, and what you already tried.
Photos, HOA notice timing, gate, pet, and access notes. No street address is required to begin.
The tech confirms scope, price, and schedule. We do not publish a shop address, license number, reviews, or ratings, and we do not promise a fix on a particular day. Local guides: Winter Garden, Horizon West (including Hamlin and Waterleigh), and Clermont.
Repair, maintenance, or seasonal check?
Use this page when something is clearly broken: a cracked head, a valve that never opens, a leak, or a zone that stays dry after a run you watched. If most zones still work but arcs have drifted, nozzles are clogging, or shrubs now block the spray, irrigation maintenance is usually the clearer request. If the system sat off during travel and now needs a wake-up check, use seasonal start / stop.
Not lawn mowing, which is a different match through Lawn Care. Not vacant home watch, which is SafeNest. Not a brand-new permitted irrigation design as a default pitch.
Sprinkler repair FAQs
- Why is one zone dry after the system ran?
- Could be a head, a valve or a controller. The tech confirms.
- Broken head vs bad valve vs dead controller?
- Different fixes. Tell us what you already tried.
- Do rain sensors stop a Florida afternoon storm from flooding the yard?
- A working sensor should skip a cycle after rain. The tech checks it.
- What should I send the tech after an HOA dry-zone notice?
- Photo, zone number if you have it, and the notice.
- Is this lawn care or irrigation?
- Irrigation. Mowing is a different match.
- Do you cover Horizon West and Waterleigh?
- Yes as a match in that map.