How To Prepare Your Irrigation System For Fall And Winter

Welcome To Fall!

With the kids all back in school, vacations fulfilled and that slight chill in the air, here in Colorado we all know what lies ahead over the next several months! The leaves will be falling very soon, and yes, those first few snow flakes will be whispering that Old Man Winter is just around the corner.

While we still have many beautiful warm days of autumn to enjoy, it is truly important to begin to prepare your landscape and irrigation system for its final rest for the season. Preparing now will provide you peace of mind when the temperatures plummet and the ice and snow begin to mount. Your landscape will thank you come next spring when it will emerge healthy and ready for a new growing season. Tending to your irrigation system now can save you costly repairs both to your system as well as potential damage to your home should a burst pipe cause extensive water damage.

Irrigation Winterization/Blowout…

For the Denver and surrounding community area we typically begin our irrigation winterization/blowouts around the middle of October. It is very important to note that fall watering is very important for your landscape so shutting your system down too early has its drawbacks. In the Denver and surrounding areas, we can have periodic temperature drops below freezing prior to mid-October. In order to protect your irrigation system during these fluctuations, we suggest you review the following “Temporary Cold Weather Irrigation Shutdown” outline in order that you understand how simple this procedure can be while at the same time potentially saving you a costly irrigation repair yet this fall!

Temporary Cold Weather Irrigation Shutdown

We all know that weather here in Denver, Colorado can change dramatically within hours. If you have not professionally already had your irrigation system fully winterized which includes blowing out the system, an unexpected freeze can cause a fair amount of damage to your above ground systems components. These few steps can be accomplished in only a few moments of your time should an unexpected freeze be looming after a beautiful 80 degree afternoon here in Denver!

While following our outline is not a guarantee that damage will not occur, these temporary procedures will seriously reduce the risk of damage occurring.

Step 1-Turn The Water Off To Your Irrigation System-The shutoff valve which can be either a ballvalve with a handle or a spigot style shutoff similar to your outside garden hose connecting point. If it is a ball valve style, simply turn the handle so that it is perpendicular to the pipe (parallel to the pipe allows water to flow). There is usually a stop to prevent it from being turned too far. One word of caution is that you do not wish to turn the water off to the entire home. That is a separate valve that may be located close by. By following the plumbing lines, you should be able to tell which valve you are to close.

Step 2-Proceed Outdoors To The Backflow Preventer-Typically this unit will be located on the side of most homes and is comprised of brass and copper components. It will typically have two small brass ballvalves with handles (a much smaller version of what you found inside you home).

Step 3-Turn The Handles On The Ball Valves On The Backflow Preventer-Turn each handle approximately 45 degrees which will set the ball valve halfway open/shut.

Step 4-Open The Two Brass Petcocks Located On The Backflow Preventer-Pry off the rubber protective caps if present. Then,using a small flat blade screwdriver, slowly turn each of the petcocks/bleeder valves until the water stops flowing. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO LOOK INTO THE END OF THE PETCOCK OPENINGS AS THE WATER IS STILL UNDER PRESSURE AND COULD CAUSE INJURY!

Step 5-Proceed Back Indoors To Your Irrigation Shutoff Valve Area To Open The Small Drain-While you may very well have a small drain on the exterior backflow preventer that can be opened in order to drain the water, most systems will have the small drain inside your home located near the irrigation shut off valve area. Using a small container such as a bucket remove the small brass cap being careful not to loose the small rubber “O” ring that will be inside. Allow the water to drain completely from the pipe. For this temporary cold weather irrigation shutdown, it is best to reinstall the cap being sure that the “O” ring is seated inside. Simply snug the small cap securely but do not over tighten.

Taking only approximately 15 minutes in most case, this simple procedure will permit you to water your landscape well into the fall. Once soil temperatures begin to drop to near freezing, it will be important to perform a thorough long term winterization of your irrigation system.

The process for performing a professional and thorough winterizing of your irrigation system for the winter will consist of…

• Utilizing an air compressor that is adjusted properly so as not to damage your irrigation components to blow the water from all your lines. Each zone will be serviced appropriately.
• If your system has special cross handled drains at each locations they will remain open. If there is no such drain, the valves themselves will be left opened should water need to drain.
• Your backflow preventer will be drained with the two drain valve handles being left in a 45 degree position and the two petcocks left in the open position.
• Your inside irrigation shutoff valve will be left closed.
• The small drain (discussed in Step 5) will be left opened and should have the bucket left below in order to capture any water that may drain through the winter. Be sure to store the small drain cap and “O” ring where it cannot become lost prior to your spring irrigation startup.

So let the cold winds blow and the snow begin! You can now relax with a cup of hot cocoa knowing your homes landscape irrigation system will be safe from winters ravages!

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