Winterizing your sprinkler system during the winters will keep it running better and for a more extended period. Whenever the frost level drops during the winter season, the water left in your irrigation system’s pipes can freeze and cause damage. It is essential to learn the ways to winterize a sprinkler system to prevent any damage to your irrigation. With proper winterization, you can help your irrigation system from warding off or freezing down. There are many basic steps and methods that you can use for winterizing your sprinkler system.
The method and steps to use gradually depend upon the type of irrigation system you have at your place. This article will help you by providing basic techniques for winterizing your sprinkler system in full detail. If you are not sure that you will be able to do good work, it is better to contact the professional rather than damaging any system. Below listed are some of the basic tips and methods of winterizing.
Tips to winterizing your sprinkler system:
Manual valves
Many irrigation systems are equipped with manual drainage that allows you to remove excess water from your system by only opening a valve. If you have such a system installed at your place, you have to cut your water supply to that system and look for the manual valve and low point of those piping. Open the valves and drain out all the water from your system, including the water from backflow devices as well. Some sprinklers have an additional wall installed to them called check valves. If your system has a check valve installed, it will allow your water to flow in one direction. With check valves installed, you only need to raise the head of your sprinkler to drain out all the excess water from your system. Close all the valves after draining out the excess water from your system.
Automatic valves
Many irrigation systems have automatic valves installed on them. This automatic valve automatically drains the excess water from your system if the pressure falls in a certain number. These valves can also be activated by cutting off the water supply to the system and running the sprinkler’s head to relieve the water pressure in your system. Apart from this, you may also require to drain the water from backflow pipes and shut off valves. If your system has additional check valves installed in them, you may have to remove the water from them separately.