How To Drain Sprinkler System Before Winter

June 28, 2020 Post a Comment

Then slowly open one valve at a time until all the water has drained out. Next, open the manual drain.

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As pressure inside the system falls, it will drain water automatically.

How to drain sprinkler system before winter. Shut the valve and open the drain. Each valve box will also have a hose point. A hard freeze is when the outdoor air dips below 0 degrees fahrenheit.

When properly done, the blow out method forces all of the water out of the sprinkler system so there is no chance of freeze damage throughout the winter months. To drain your sprinklers, go to the backflow valve which should be connected to your house’s water source. Open the drain cap between the main valve and the backflow device.

Make sure to wear eye protection before starting. First, shut off the water and then loosen the cap on the backflow to avoid a crack if there is water in it. This will prevent inadvertently running the pumps dry.

Drain down your sprinkler system. Next, you will want to manually drain the water from your sprinkler system. When temperatures start to fall, it's time to consider winterizing your sprinkler system.

Open all the manual drain valves for each zone in the system, and leave them open. Drain the pipes to prep your sprinkler system for winter. All drain cocks must be left open, as water can slowly pool at that point.

This can happen due to the water in the system freezing and causing a build of up ice which will cause the pipes to burst. Make sure the line to the sprinkler system in the basement is shut off completely and that you open the inlet drain valve in your basement. Open all the manual drain valves for each zone in the system, and leave them open so that all the water drains from the pipes and sprinkler heads.

Automatic drain valves turn off the water supply by closing the main valve to the sprinkler system. Then turn off the water supply and set the sprinkler system timer to open just one zone. This allows any water seeping from the sprinkler line.

You do need to remove at least some of the water from the pipes, though, so that it won’t freeze and break the pipe or other components. Get a quality sprinkler system, and that is easily accomplished through winterization services. Lift each sprinkler head to drain out any residual water.

Open your drain valve and be ready to catch the water as it drains out of the sprinkler lines. ← samsung s6 battery life draining fast how to drain sprinkler system before winter → Your lines must be drained or blown out using an air compressor before the first hard freeze.

In temperate areas it is not necessary to remove all the water from the underground pipes, because it doesn’t freeze that deep. If it freezes, the damage may still happen there. Set the compressor air pressure regulator to a maximum of 80 psi for rigid pvc pipe systems, or 50 psi for flexible black polyethylene pipe.

It helps to open up a hose bib to allow the system to drain down easily. If this is your first winter, then here are some quality tips on how you can survive. The more informed you are about winterizing, the longer the duration of the sprinkler system will hold.

If a site didn’t get winterized before the temperatures dropped, you can try to minimize any damage by releasing the system pressure. Turn off the water supply by closing the main valve to the sprinkler system.

How To Winterize Your Sprinkler System Sprinkler