Prepare for cold weather and prevent damage to pipes with our guide to winterizing a sprinkler system.
The water lines run underground to evenly spaced sprinkler heads, making it easy to water the yard.
Additionally, some sprinkler systems pair with an automatic timer for a set-it-and-forget-it operation.
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To ensure your irrigation system is properly prepared for winter, follow this guide to winterize a sprinkler system.
Automatic Draining
This can only be done with sprinkler systems that have an automatic drain function.
Automatic draining then begins to dump the pipe of excess water.
Credit: Laurie Black
Manual Draining
This is an option if your irrigation system is equipped with a manual drain valve.
Also, double-check to drain the backflow machine.
Turn off the water supply and connect the air compressor to the sprinkler system after the backflow preventer.
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check that the air pressure does not exceed the pressure specification of the irrigation system.
Continue to add air to the system until water starts coming through the sprinkler head.
Wait until temperatures consistently dip down to between 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit to winterize a sprinkler system.
Check inside the home for an isolation valve on the water line leading to the sprinkler system.
Turn off the valve to stop the flow of water into the irrigation system.
Rain mode essentially allows you to power down the timer without losing any programmed information or configs.
Its also important to verify you drain the backflow gadget.
When the water stops spraying out, initiate the next sprinkler head and exit the previous one.
Repeat this process with each sprinkler head until the entire system has been blown out.
Finally, close all of the valves on the irrigation system to prevent water from entering the lines.
Wrap these components with foam pipe covers or insulation tape.
Just verify that you dont block any air vents or drain outlets during this process.
