Winterizing Your Sprinklers

Written by April Reinhardt (last updated September 2, 2022)

If you live in a region where winter temperatures dip below 32° for extended periods of time, then it is wise to take measures to remove all of the water from the piping in your water sprinkling system. If you don't remove all of the water, it can freeze, expand, and then crack or burst the pipe and fixtures. This ends up resulting in high repair costs the following spring, if you're lucky. For those really unlucky individuals, this could result in astronomical emergency repairs.

So, how do you winterize your sprinklers and rid the pipes of water? There are three methods for draining water from your sprinkling system, and they are; manual draining, automatic draining and blowing out the system. Newer models of automatic sprinkler systems include manual valves that you can open and close. Follow these steps to manually drain water from your sprinkler:

  1. At the main valve, turn off the water supply and open the drain valves.
  2. If you have an automatic system, turn off the timer controller.
  3. Allow the water to drain from the backflow preventer and then store it away.
  4. Remove the water from the risers and then cap them.
  5. When you've drained all of the water, close the manual valves.

The only difference between the manual and automatic drain methods is, well...the automation. With the manual method, you do all of the work opening and closing valve. With an automatic drain, the system has a set point at which the valves open when the pressure in the pipes are at or below a preset threshold. Follow these steps and you can use the automatic draining method to the greatest advantage when draining water from your sprinkler:

  1. Turn off the water supply at the main valve.
  2. Once the water drains from the main line, open the boiler drain, allowing the water to flow from between the shut-off valve and backflow preventer.
  3. Allow the automatic system, and gravity, to do the rest.

The last technique for completely removing water from your sprinkler system is the blowout method. Most experts agree that this is a method homeowners should not try since the procedure involves using air under high pressure. An inexperienced homeowner could easily set the pressure too high and wind up damaging the entire sprinkler system. Instead, hire a professional to blowout the pipes and deal with the air compressor and high pressure.

Author Bio

April Reinhardt

An admin­istrator for a mutual fund man­age­ment firm, April deals with the writ­ten word daily. She loves to write and plans to author a memoir in the near future. April attend­ed More­head State Uni­ver­sity to pursue a BA degree in Ele­men­tary Edu­ca­tion. ...

MORE FROM APRIL

Cleaning a Pistol

Cleaning your pistol will keep it in proper firing condition. When cleaning your handgun, remember to keep oil away from ...

Discover More

Getting a Professional Perm

Before considering getting a professional perm, your hair must be in good condition. Although a professional perm is ...

Discover More

Using a Power Tiller

Using a power tiller is the most efficient and quickest way to cultivate your soil. Not only used for gardens, power ...

Discover More

Cordless, Compact, and Powerful! DeWalt's 18-volt drill-driver kit packs a big punch in a small package, with a powerful high-performance motor tucked away inside a compact design. A great addition to the tool chest of any professional or DIYer! Check out DeWalt 18-Volt Drill/Driver Kit today!

More Home Improvement Tips

Chimney Repair

Chimney repair doesn't necessarily need to be anything big or drawn out. In fact, often times all it may mean is that ...

Discover More

Exterior Lighting

The next time you have a summertime backyard party, consider hanging string lighting to enhance the festivities. Exterior ...

Discover More

Preparing Your Home for Spring Weather

Whenever the seasons roll around it's time to do a little bit of work around your home, and springtime is no different. ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is one less than 9?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)