Winterizing Your Sprinkler System
Sprinkler systems are a bit of a finicky and troublesome part of managing property, be it your own residential location or a commercial space. It’s by far the easiest and most reliable way to keep up with lawn care, but it’s also got some complications, especially as winter draws near and the months begin turning colder.
In Denver, this can happen quite quickly, and if you’re not careful, you’ll be dealing with a big problem. Winterizing your sprinkler system is the only way to protect yourself from this problem, but not everyone understands the concept or importance of this maintenance step.
What Is Winterization?
First, let’s conquer the meaning of the word, and what all this process entails. As you likely already know, frozen pipes in the winter time is a recipe for disaster. Sprinkler system pipes work the exact same way as a faucet inside would, at least in this regard.
Think of it this way. Any leftover water caught in your pipes could freeze, expand, and damage your pipes. When you winterize your pipes, you remove, or “blow out”, all the water left in them, giving them a safe, dry holiday season. The process isn’t too complicated, but if it’s done incorrectly and doesn’t remove all the water, you’ll still risk damaging the pipes.
Dangers Of Neglect
Sprinkler winterization in Denver is extremely important due to the low temperature and rapidly approaching winters. Blowing out a sprinkler system can actually do far more harm than good if you aren’t experienced or you’re reckless. Some of the expensive problems that can occur with a poorly done winterization attempt includes:
- Pressure damage to the sprinkler heads & valves
- Wear and tear on the rotors and backflow
- Left behind water
- Cracked or busted pipes
- Broken sprinkler heads due to frozen water
Trying to winterize on your own or using a poor company will bring more woes once Spring comes back around and you’re dealing with several busted pipes and other damages. These repairs and replacements can be costly, time consuming, and cut into the time your lawn needs to recover from the chill of the winter season.
What Do You Need To Do?
Early Fall is the best time to get started on the winterization process. Many of the most reputable, reliable companies with the tools and expertise to properly blow out your system get very busy starting around October, so make the call as soon as August to schedule your location on their lineup.
The first hard freeze will be too late. You need to blow out your pipes before that happens, as any true Colorado resident knows, the weather is bipolar around Denver. So your most important job? Watch the weather religiously! Don’t let it get too cold before you winterize your sprinkler system.
When you are ready to schedule your sprinkler winterization, Contact Omni Landscape and Sprinklers.
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