The wintertime can cause a lot of problems for irrigation systems. Water in the pipes in the ground can freeze, expand, and crack or rupture the pipes. When water freezes in the backflow assembly, the internal components of it will be damaged and possibly become cracked as well.
This is why it is important to winterize all sprinkler systems that are going to be in colder climates. The main objective is to get the water out of the pipes. That way there won’t be any water in the pipes to cause any problems for the irrigation system.
There are two main ways to get the water out from the pipes. Water can either be drained out through drain valves fitted on the sprinkler system, or the water can be blown out using an air compressor. Seems easy, right?
Well, there is a little more dedication involved. In colder climates all mainline shut off valves need to be “freeze proof”. That basically means that extra precautions need to be taken to ensure that the shut off valve is protected from freezing so that you can turn off the water when the time comes.
Irrigation and plumbing
Both water removal methods have advantages and disadvantages. Draining water through valves requires valves to be installed at each low point in the piping. If you choose to open the valves manually you will be the one out there in the cold opening each valve and waiting as they all drain.
Automatic drain valves seem like the better deal since the valves open by themselves whenever the pressure drops too low. However, they also have a problem of staying closed if they haven’t had a chance to be opened routinely. This is why most irrigation systems choose to use the blow-out method, using an enormous air compressor, to blow the water out of the pipes.
There are a lot of things that can go wrong with this method. The blow-out method is not a “do-it-yourself” project average homeowners should ever try because one tiny mistake can ruin your entire sprinkler system. If you are considering using the blow-out method for your sprinkler system, call on a professional.
There are many things to be careful of when using the blow-out method. For example, never allow the air pressure in your air compressor get over 80 PSI because it can quickly damage your pipes because it is too powerful. Also, don’t blow air through the backflow preventer or pump because this can quickly damage them and make them useless.
