This Is The Process We Go Through To Winterize Irrigation Systems For Our Clients In Hancock County, Lucas County, And Wood County, Ohio
Winterizing your irrigation system is a very important part of irrigation maintenance, and it’s great you’re looking up how it’s done!
In this post, you can find out how we shut down irrigation systems for winter. You can also discover what can’t be done, irrigation system winterization costs, and what can change those costs.
We Can’t Let It Freeze
“Do we need to do something for our sprinkler system?” asks Sarah.
James frowns in thought. “What do you mean?” Sarah sits down on the couch next to him. “I mean winter’s coming up, so don’t we need to turn off our irrigation system?”
James blinks. “Wow, I totally forgot about that; yes, you’re right. I can look up how to blow out sprinklers before winter. Maybe we can DIY it.”
Sarah shrugs. “Maybe we can winterize our own irrigation system. We sure need to, or we might have to look up irrigation repair costs.”
James nods. “Good point. Let’s go ahead and look it up so we can stay ahead of this.” Sarah nods as she picks up her phone and types her question into Google search.
Here’s what she and James find out:
How To Shut Down An Irrigation System For Winter
- Turn off the irrigation system
- Find the blowout port or ports, remove the cap, and open the faucet or insert the quick coupler key
- Connect the hose from the compressor to the winterization port
- Turn on the compressor, starting with Zone 1, and blow out the water
- Blow each zone until only vapor comes out of the heads
- Turn off the compressor
- Once all air has left the system, shut off the controller, disconnect the hose, and stow it
- Check the water meter to ensure there are no leaks or leave the BO spigot in the open position to allow any drips to escape the pipe (depends on the client)
- Open any drain back in the basement, if installed, into a bucket or container and dispose of any water in the lawn
*We use a high CFM air compressor to remove all the water from your irrigation system. We keep the pressure between 55 and 65 PSI. This helps us avoid damaging the irrigation valves, pipes, and heads.
What Can’t Be Done During Winter Shutdown
Replacing the indoor shutoff valve. A licensed plumber must perform this service
during this season.
Replacing heads that aren’t off the line. This is a springtime service.
Winterizing frozen lines. Frozen lines make blowing out sprinklers for winter almost impossible.
The Cost To Winterize An Irrigation System
Irrigation system winterization costs start around $165 for up to 12 zones. It’s about $195 if you have 13 to 18 zones.
The price can increase if your system operates on pumps or wells, has additional controllers, or we agree on additional work before the service.
These add time and labor to shutting down your sprinklers for the winter, which increases the cost.
You May Also Like To Know
“Well, I won’t say I can DIY it, but at least we know the process now,” says James. Sarah nods. “Oh well, maybe next time. Right now, though, I’m curious what other irrigation system info we need. Let’s see if this blog can tell us.”