Winterizing Sprinkler Systems

In the fall when it’s starting to turn chilly, one of our most popular services are fall blow outs. Also known as “winterizing,” this is an important task that should be done to sprinkler systems in Lakeville (and anywhere else where temperatures regularly dip below freezing during the winter) on an annual basis. 

Water that is left in your lawn sprinkler system can freeze when the temperatures get below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. When water freezes into ice, it expands and could cause the pipes, fittings, valves and other parts to crack or burst. Sprinkler systems with these types of damages can be expensive to fix. Winterizing sprinkler systems eliminates this problem because we will first drain the water out of your sprinkler system using the manual or automatic drain valves. After that, we used compressed air to blow the remaining water out of the system, which ensures there is none left in there that could potentially freeze and cause problems.

We will then make sure that main drain valve is fully closed, and that will keep the water from flowing back into the system. From there, we look at the timer and/or controller and turn that off as well. That keeps the lawn sprinkler system from running during the winter months, but it does not get rid of any of the programming.

Sprinkler systems usually come with rain and freeze sensors. These devices will detect if there has been a large amount of rain and will automatically readjust the sprinkler system’s programming to compensate for that. It will also detect if temperatures are below freezing and will keep the system from turning on. This is great for added peace of mind if you don’t have your lawn sprinkler system winterized before the winter or if temperatures plummet unexpectedly.

All of these steps ensure sprinkler systems will work as they should when the weather gets warm again and when you want to start watering your yard and landscaping again. A little bit of preventive maintenance this winter can go a long way and can help prevent expensive repairs and replacements for your sprinkler system.

These are just a few reasons you should look into having your sprinkler system winterized.

Would you like more details on sprinkler systems in Lakeville, or do you want to schedule your fall blow out? Call Advanced Irrigation at 612-599-8675, or you can contact us to set up your Free Estimate.