When it comes to lawn sprinkler systems, they are great for taking care of your lawn during the hot summer months, but when it comes to the winter months, they can create a large expense, if they aren t drained properly. When it comes to winterizing your lawn sprinkler system, they need to be blown out, in addition to being totally drained.
The reason this is important is that any water that is left trapped in the system can form an ice clog or accumulate into a blockage that will expand and crack the underground pipes, sprinkler heads and cause major leaks at the valve boxes. Even though you turn off the water and drain the system, there is still a great deal of water that is lying in the pipes and this is what causes the majority of damage to most lawn sprinkler systems.
Most homeowners make the mistake of thinking that turning off the water and draining the system is all they have to do, unfortunately, there are pockets of water that can get stuck in the system, if it is not properly blown out. This process is sometimes delegated to a landscaping company and it can cost a couple hundred dollars, but it can be much cheaper that digging up the yard and finding leaks in the underground pipes and fixing them or replacing valve boxes and sprinkler heads.
It is usually advised that the first year that you are faced with having the lawn sprinkler system being drained and blown out that you hire a professional to do it and watch carefully. This can help you find the valve boxes and drainage valves, in addition to seeing how it is done. An air compressor is used to blow out the pipes in each section and then the valves are shut off to keep other sections from draining back into them. As the process moves from section to section, you will be surprised to see how much water is left in the lines after draining.
If your system isn t too large and you know where all of the valves are located, this is a task you can try to do yourself, but you may need to rent an air compressor and be careful with the amount of pressure you send through the pipes and sprinkler heads to prevent damage. If your lawn sprinkler system isn t too complicated, it is possible for a homeowner to do this process on their own. You just need to be sure that you have completed the entire system, section by section.
The important part to consider about winterizing your lawn sprinkler system is that this is not the time to be a penny pincher. If you aren t sure you can do it yourself, then it is best to schedule it done properly to avoid big expenses in repairs when springtime comes. Once you have seen how it is done, chances are that you can tackle it yourself in the future years, so the one time expense can be well worth it.
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