If you own a garden in your property, the winter can indeed turn out to be a difficult time. To make sure that your garden does not suffer any damages due to the freezing weather conditions. Besides winterizing the plants to protect your vegetation, you also need to get your sprinkler system ready for the winter. Not taking the necessary steps can result in severe damages to the system, and in turn, expensive repairs and replacements. Our professionals at DNS Landscaping can always help you winterize your sprinkler system. We offer a wide range of sprinkler system solutions that you may benefit from.
What does the winterization of a sprinkler system involve?
During winter, the freezing temperatures cause the water inside a sprinkler system to turn into ice. Thus, winterizing a sprinkler system primarily involves draining out all the water from the system and keeping it that way throughout the cold months. Water can potentially freeze inside various parts of a sprinkler system, such as:
- The pipes
- The manifold
- The plastic body
- The supply tube
- The sprinkler heads
If water freezing inside any of these components does not have enough space to expand, it would force its way out by cracking or bursting the sprinkler. This can lead to severe damages to the system. For instance, burst sprinkler pipes are quite expensive to repair and you end up needing complete replacements. Apart from keeping water out of the system, you also need to protect the components that stay above ground from the low temperatures.
How can you winterize your sprinkler system?
As described above, keeping your sprinkler system is crucial in order to prevent expensive damages. Here are three tips on how you can go about it:
- Shut off the water supply and timer
Quite naturally, the first step in winterizing your sprinkler system would be to shut off the water supply. If your sprinkler system has an automated timer that you generally use, turn it off or switch to rain mode.
- Drain water out of the system
You may have turned off the water supply, but the water that had previously entered the sprinkler system would remain stuck inside and can freeze. You can empty the system in three methods: manual draining, blowout, and automatic draining.
- Insulate components that stay above the surface
Your sprinkler system also consists of various aboveground components. You would have to insulate them properly to protect them from the freezing temperatures. These include backflow preventers, main shut-off valves, and exposed pipes.
How can professional sprinkler services be helpful?
Draining out a sprinkler and insulating the system is no easy task. If you aren’t sure if you can do it right, consider roping in professionals. A reputed company that carries out installation, maintenance, and repairs for sprinkler systems should be able to get your system ready for the winter. If you are installing a new sprinkler system, try to get one with advanced features that make it easier to drain the system and keep it empty. To hire our sprinkler system winterization services, simply call us at (210) 765-8667 or fill up this form.