How Do I Take Care Of My Irrigation System For The Winter?

Winter is nigh and preparation for the weather transition needs to be adequate. One way is to take care of your irrigation system as it prevents damage to the system and plants. Your sprinklers have worked throughout the summer, keeping your grass fresh and green, but now is the time to rest. To achieve this, perform a complete sprinkler system winterization by following the steps below. 

Drain the pipes

sprinkler system winterization starts with draining water from all pipes. Draining residual water from the pipes prevents freezing that could lead to pipe damage. A frozen pipe expands and breaks the pipe and could mean replacement for the next summer. The best ways to drain your pipes are compressed air blow-out, manual drain valve, and automatic drain.

To manually drain your pipes, open the valve to empty the water. Then shake the pipes thoroughly to remove the residual water. Manual draining is the best and easiest way and can be done by yourself. 

Blow-Out draining uses only compressed air to drive out residual water. 

Lastly, Automatic draining is programmed to drive out water from the irrigation system and is the easiest, but costliest. Once the piping is less than 10 PSI, your end and the low valve will open, letting out all residual water in your irrigation system.

Automatic draining doesn’t require much training, as the program will execute the necessary tasks, relieving you of stress. So, if draining manually seems hard for you, then install an automatic draining system to get the job done. 

However, in both cases, it is always advisable to seek the assistance of a professional to percent damage to your system. 

Shut off the water supply 

When you’re done draining the water pipes, you should shut off the water supply to your irrigation system completely. You should do this before and after draining. This is deactivating the whole irrigation. Once you have done that, carry all the equipment indoors to keep them safe.

Insulate your underground pipes

If your pipes are not underground, insulate them to protect from the cold weather. Covering the pipes with strong insulation tapes is the best way to have them insulated. 

Hiring professional help is best for achieving proper preparation for your sprinkler system winterization. However, a lot of homeowners prefer towing the path of DIY. While DIY can be great, especially in saving money and working at your own pace, you may end not doing an excellent job. Hence, the need to find an experienced and competent professional to help with the winterization app.