Winterizing Your Lawn Sprinkler System
Your sprinkler system is a complex web of pipes, fittings, valves, and other essential components. The ice weather can seriously harm the entire system if not adequately prepared for the chilly winter. Your pipes, sprinkler heads, and manifold may fracture and burst as a result of water that is not blown out by your sprinkler system. This could lead to highly expensive repairs and replacement.
Your irrigation system must be winterized if you want to keep it secure during the chilly months of the year. Here are some reasons why winterizing your sprinkler system is essential.
Frozen Water Causes Pipes To Crack Or Burst
Water lingers in your pipes after you’ve used your irrigation system. Any water left in your pipes after you fail to blow them out will freeze. Your pipes will fracture and break in significant portions because there won’t be enough space for the frozen water to expand. Because they are completely underground, frozen pipes are expensive to repair or replace. Digging and re-piping the complete irrigation system are required to repair broken irrigation pipes. The best way to prevent this damage and an expensive repair is to remove as much water as you can from the lines before they freeze and burst.
Avoid Sprinkler Head Damage
Inside the sprinkler heads itself, water can and frequently does become trapped. Your sprinkler heads may pop off or break when this water freezes because it expands under pressure. Additionally, water might freeze inside the sprinkler body, causing it to break and burst. Your sprinkler heads may become permanently trapped in the ground if the internal mechanism that controls when they rise during operation freezes and cracks.
Repairs Are Costly
Known as a manifold, your sprinkler system has a regulator. The manifold, which regulates the water flow from the main line to the rest of the irrigation system, is akin to the sprinkler system’s beating heart. The primary pipe and various associated valves make up this structure. If water in the main pipe is allowed to freeze, it may shatter the plastic and harm the associated valves. One of the most costly and time-consuming sprinkler system repairs is replacing or repairing a damaged manifold. Deep underground, a complicated system of pipelines and valves surrounds the manifold. An inexpensive solution to avert this damage and avoid expensive repairs is to winterize your pipes.
The Winterization Process
Before the first hard freeze, lines must be drained and blown out using an air compressor. Winterizing your system at least a week before the first anticipated freeze is the general rule to follow. You have two options for draining your system: manually or by blowing it out. You can simply turn off the water supply and open all of the manual valves to allow the leftover water drain away if your irrigation system has manual valves at the low points and ends of the system. To remove extra water, utilize an air compressor if your system is more complicated. To ensure that all the water is correctly removed, our team of skilled irrigation professionals can help with this procedure.
Winterize Your Irrigation System
At Image Irrigation, we offer qualified irrigation system winterization services in the Twin Cities and North Metro communities. Our team is skilled and competent in system winterization. To prepare your irrigation system for the winter and prevent damage, call us at (651) 674-5530 right away!