CIT - Certified Irrigation Technician Certified Irrigation Technician System Maintenance and Repair 1

Question 1

A technician notices that one zone has significantly reduced flow and some heads are not fully popping up. After ruling out a broken lateral line, what is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

A partially closed or malfunctioning zone valve is restricting flow

Answer

The controller timer is set too short for that zone

Answer

The sprinkler heads are installed at too steep an angle

Answer

The backflow preventer on an adjacent zone is faulty

Question 2

When inspecting a drip irrigation system, a technician finds emitters that are discharging inconsistently — some clogged, others weeping at the base. The first corrective action should be:

Accepted Answer

Flush the mainline and clean or replace clogged emitters

Answer

Replace all emitters with a higher-GPH rating

Answer

Increase system pressure to force debris through

Answer

Install a pressure regulator downstream of each emitter

Question 3

A backflow preventer on an irrigation system is dripping from the relief valve port during normal operation. This most commonly indicates:

Accepted Answer

A worn or fouled check valve seat inside the backflow preventer

Answer

The inlet shutoff ball valve is fully open

Answer

Excessively low system pressure

Answer

The irrigation controller is sending voltage spikes to the solenoid

Question 4

After repairing a broken mainline pipe, the technician should perform which of the following before returning the system to automatic operation?

Accepted Answer

Manually activate each zone at full pressure to check for leaks at the repair site and downstream fittings

Answer

Immediately re-program the controller and run the next scheduled cycle to test

Answer

Apply additional pipe dope to all downstream fittings as a precaution

Answer

Flush the controller's memory and re-enter all zone run times

Question 5

A rotor head is rotating in only one direction instead of oscillating back and forth across its arc. The technician should first:

Accepted Answer

Check and clean the internal reversing mechanism and ensure the arc adjustment collar is not stuck

Answer

Replace the entire rotor body

Answer

Increase the zone pressure to at least 60 PSI

Answer

Adjust the controller run time to compensate for incomplete coverage

Question 6

A technician is troubleshooting a zone that activates on its own when no other zones are running and the controller is in the 'off' position. The most probable cause is:

Accepted Answer

Debris holding the zone valve's diaphragm open

Answer

A shorted solenoid coil allowing constant current flow

Answer

A faulty rain sensor overriding the controller output

Answer

Cross-wiring between two zone terminals at the controller