A red brick Tudor-style house with limestone trim and an arched doorway, sprinklers misting the front lawn at sunrise

Sprinkler Repair Across University Park

From the blocks around SMU to the streets north of Lovers Lane, University Park yards share a few habits that break sprinkler systems. Here is what we see, and how we fix it.

Call 469-902-9800 All services

ZIP 75205
ZIP 75225

Rebuilds and remodels

University Park has seen a steady stream of teardowns and rebuilds. Each one affects the yards around it as well as the lot itself. Construction crews trench for utilities, park heavy equipment on parkways and run over heads along the curb. Sprinkler lines on the property line between two lots are often shared or crossed. If your system started acting up after the house next door was rebuilt, that is usually not a coincidence.

On the new home itself, the old system is almost always removed or cut to pieces. We design a new system around the new footprint, driveway, pool and landscape plan, and we can work with your builder on timing so pipe goes in before the sod.

Parkways and alleys

Most University Park homes have a grass parkway between the sidewalk and the street, and many have an alley in back. Parkway heads get hit by car tires, delivery trucks and trash day. Heads there should spray only the strip of grass, not the street, which wastes water and can bring a notice from the city. In the back, alley-side heads and lines get crushed by bins and service trucks. We set these heads low, use sturdy parts, and adjust them to stay on the grass.

A crushed sprinkler head in the grass strip of a concrete alley behind brick homes, next to two trash carts

Big trees, shady lawns

Mature live oaks, pecans and elms shade many front yards. Shade lawns need less water than lawns in full sun, but they are often on the same zone, so either the shade is soggy or the sun side is brown. Roots also lift and crack pipe over the years. We often split shady and sunny areas onto separate zones and reroute lines around big roots instead of through them.

A shaded lawn under the spreading limbs of an old live oak in front of a brick house, a spray head running in the shade

Homes near SMU

Many homes near Southern Methodist University are rentals. Sprinkler problems can go unnoticed between tenants, and owners hear about them only when the water bill arrives. We work directly with owners and property managers: tell us how to reach the tenant and we will set the visit, explain what we found and send photos.

Snider Plaza area

Around Snider Plaza, lots tend to be smaller and closer together. Overspray onto driveways, walks and the neighbor's yard is the common complaint. Smaller spray nozzles, pressure-regulating heads and drip in beds fix most of it.

Close-up of a black pop-up spray head spraying water across a green lawn, with a brick house blurred behind

University Park watering rules

University Park is its own city and buys its water through the Dallas County Park Cities Municipal Utility District, not from Dallas. Its rules look similar to Dallas but are not the same. Automatic sprinklers may run twice a week all year: Sunday and Thursday for even-numbered addresses, Wednesday and Saturday for odd. From April 1 through October 31, no sprinkler watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Hand watering, drip and soaker hoses are exempt, and the city requires a freeze sensor that stops the system in cold weather. See the City of University Park watering page.

We set your controller to those days. If you just laid new sod, read how to water new sod under Park Cities rules.

Questions people ask us

Do you serve all of University Park?

Yes, every street in University Park, both 75205 and 75225.

My system broke after construction next door. What do I do?

Call us to find and document the damage. We will show you exactly where the line was cut or crushed, take photos and fix it. You can share that with the builder.

Can you coordinate with my tenant?

Yes. Give us the tenant's contact and we will set the time with them and report back to you.

Worth reading before you call

Watering Rules in Dallas, University Park and Highland Park, ExplainedWhich days you can run sprinklers in Dallas, University Park and Highland Park, the daytime limits, what is exempt, and how variances for new…
Spring Sprinkler Start-Up Checklist for Park Cities HomesA zone-by-zone spring check for your sprinkler system in University Park, Highland Park and Dallas, from opening the shut-off to resetting the controller.
Why Your Sprinkler Heads Keep Breaking, and How to Stop ItMowers, edgers, car tires and trash bins break more sprinkler heads than anything else. How to tell what broke yours and how to keep…
Backflow Preventers and Testing: What Texas Rules RequireWhat a sprinkler backflow preventer does, which types Texas allows, when state rules and University Park require a test, and how freezes damage them.

Sprinkler problem? Call and talk to a person.

Tell us what you are seeing: a wet spot, a dead zone, a geyser, a controller that will not turn on. We will tell you what it likely is and set a visit.

Call 469-902-9800