Winterize your Sprinklers

Every year, before the first freeze, the process of getting the sprinkler system ready for winter becomes a priority for those where the frost levels extend well below the installed piping of the irrigation system. Winterization is an integral part of maintaining a properly running irrigation system. Preparing your sprinkler system for winter requires that you drain the water out of it. It is important to get your system ready to avoid potential problems.

If you fail to winterize the system or do not complete it correctly, water may be left in the pipes where it could freeze and burst the lining, causing a leak. Broken sprinklers or pipes will have to be repaired and cost you unnecessary time, money, and effort to fix. Especially if you live in colder climates, winterization is an important step you have to take to minimize the risk of freeze damage to your irrigation system.

Where you live in the US plays a big part in winterization method. Generally speaking, if you live in temperate climates, there are fewer steps involved when winterizing your sprinkler system. There are three common ways of water removal: the manual drain, auto drain, and the blow out procedure.

The manual drain method is used for sprinkler systems minneapolis where the manual valves are located at the end and low points of the irrigation piping. To drain these systems, simply turn off the water supply at the main valve, and open the manual drain valves. Once all the water has been drained off the valves, open the drain and draw off all the remaining water.

The automatic drain method is for sprinkler systems Minneapolis where drain valves are located at the end and low points of the irrigation piping. These will automatically open and drain water if the pressure is less than 10 psi. To activate these, shut off the water supply and relieve the water system pressure to drain the water from the pipeline. Open the boiler drain once water has been drained out of the pipeline.

Finally, the blow out method requires an air compressor. You need to shut off the water supply of such sprinkler systems mn and open the drain on the supply line. Once the line is drained, close it and proceed to connect the air line. Open the compressor very slowly, while the air pressure is constant at 50 psi. Finally, turn off the air compressor when the pipes are dry.