An irrigation audit follows a sprinkler system from where the water comes in to the last head on the last zone, and writes down everything that is broken, misaligned or watering pavement instead of plants. It is the quickest way to find out why one corner of a lawn is brown while another is soggy, or why the water bill doubled. This template starts at the meter, checks the backflow preventer and the controller, then runs each zone in turn, and ends with the repairs to make and an estimate of the water they will save. Fill it in here and download the PDF without an account, or speak while you walk, and the document writes itself.
Start at the meter
Before you run anything, read the meter and watch it for a minute with every zone off. If it moves, water is going somewhere: a leaking mainline, a valve that will not close, or something inside the building. That one observation tells you whether the rest of the audit is about efficiency or about a leak. Record the reading again at the end, so the water used during the audit is on the record too.
Note the static pressure if you have a gauge. Spray heads are made to work in a fairly narrow pressure band, and pressure well above or below it explains a lot of what you will see at the zones.
Backflow and the controller
The backflow preventer keeps irrigation water, which may carry fertilizer and soil, from being drawn back into the drinking water supply. Most water suppliers require a testable device to be tested on a schedule by a certified tester. This form records the device type, its last test date and when the next one is due — test it as your water supplier or local code requires. An overdue test or a missing record becomes a finding.
At the controller, record the make and model, the programs in use and the start times, and whether a rain, freeze or soil moisture sensor is fitted and actually working. A sensor switched to bypass is one of the most common reasons a system runs in the rain.
Run every zone
Each zone is one entry in a list. Start it from the controller, not by hand at the valve, so you are testing the wiring and the program too. Then walk it: what it waters, what kind of heads it uses, how long it is programmed to run, and what you see — gaps in coverage, heads that are broken, tilted or sunk below the turf, leaks at the valve or along the line, misting from high pressure or weak throw from low pressure, and water landing on walks, walls or the street.
Mixing rotors and spray heads on one zone is worth a note of its own. They put water down at very different rates, so one part of the zone floods while the other stays dry, whatever the run time.
Recommendations and the saving
The audit is only useful if it ends in a list someone can work from: what to repair, on which zone, how urgent, and roughly what it costs. Record schedule changes you made on the day separately, so nobody is surprised by a different watering pattern next week.
The estimated water saving is typed with its basis — for example, a run-time reduction worked out from a catch-can test, or a leak flow measured at the meter. A number with its working shown can be checked against the next water bills; a number without it cannot.
Common questions
Who does an irrigation audit?
Irrigation contractors, landscape managers, facility and HOA managers, and water utility conservation staff. Some water suppliers run rebate programs that ask for an audit by a certified irrigation auditor; this form records the same observations either way.
How long does an irrigation audit take?
For a home system of six to ten zones, about an hour without a catch-can test. A commercial site with dozens of zones, or an audit that includes catch-can testing, can take most of a day.
What is a catch-can test?
Cans are set out in a grid across a zone, the zone is run for a set time, and the water in each can is measured. The results show how evenly the zone waters (distribution uniformity) and how fast it puts water down (precipitation rate), which is what an accurate run time is worked out from. It is optional on this form.
How often does a backflow preventer need testing?
It depends on your water supplier and local code. Many require a test every year by a certified tester, but check the requirement that applies to the property rather than relying on a general rule.
Is this form scored?
No. Each problem that wastes water or risks the supply — a leak, a broken head, a valve that will not close, an overdue backflow test — is listed as a finding in the report instead, with the zone it was found on.