Can I just drain my sprinkler system for winter?
Luckily, you can avoid frozen and burst irrigation pipes. To keep your investment functional, make it an annual habit to winterize your irrigation system. Simply drain the system and shut it down when you’re done watering for the year.
Can I blow out my own sprinkler system?
Compressor set-up With a basic quick-connect coupling, you can use your air compressor to clear water from your sprinkler system for the winter. Just be aware that even the largest home compressor isn’t powerful enough to blow out the entire system at once. But you can probably blow it out zone by zone.
When should you blow out sprinklers?
For those of you that have an in-ground irrigation system, late October and early November is the ideal time to winterize. Failing to check this off your Fall to-do list could result in expensive and extensive damage to your irrigation system.
What PSI blows sprinklers?
50 pounds per square inch
Air pressure must not exceed 50 pounds per square inch (psi) during the blow out procedure. A pressure-regulating valve must be used to avoid over pressurization of the system. Air volume should be high and air pressure low.
How cold does it have to be for a sprinkler pipe to freeze?
32 degrees Fahrenheit
While you may be eager to get your lawn back to its pristine green state, it is important to remember that temperatures of 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower put your sprinkler system at risk of freezing.
How do I winterize my sprinkler system without a blowout?
Not all systems need to have the water blown out of them. You can winterize a sprinkler system without an air compressor if all of your irrigation lines are buried at a slight downhill slope. Simply shut off the main water supply to your system and open the drain valves at the end of each zone.
How big of a compressor do I need to blow out sprinklers?
The minimum volume an air compressor must be able to provide to properly blowout an irrigation system is 20 cubic feet per meter (CFM). Still, many professionals recommend up to 50 CFM at under 50 PSI for optimal performance, assuming the water lines are less than an inch in diameter.
What month winterize sprinklers?
October 1st thru December 15th (temperature permitting) is the optimal time window to winterize your irrigation system! While the weather plays quite a big role each year in determining when clients want to winterize their system, we strongly recommend winterizing your system during this time frame.
Can pipes freeze at 27 degrees?
There is no simple answer. Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, but indoor pipes are somewhat protected from outdoor temperature extremes, even in unheated areas of the house like in the attic or garage. As a general rule, temperatures outside must drop to at least 20 degrees or lower to cause pipes to freeze.
What air compressor do I need to blow out sprinklers?
The Porter air compressor stands out as the best air compressor for blowing out the sprinkler system. It is highly durable and comes with all features in need to achieve the best possible operation. Six-gallon tank is big enough to hold enough pressurized air for the sprinkler blowout process.
How do you blow out an irrigation system?
To blow out and repair an irrigation system, you will need to force compressed air through the pipes. The compressed air pressure will remove any remaining water. If you own an air compressor or can rent one from a local store, you can blow out your sprinkler irrigation system yourself.
How do you blow out irrigation lines?
If you have an irrigation controller, you need to manually cycle through the active zones to blow them all out. To prevent freeze-related breaks in drip irrigation lines and valves, blow out as much water from them as possible. Use several cycles from the compressor for each line if necessary.