Your sprinkler systems keep your lawn and garden well-watered all year long. It is important to maintain your sprinkler system just like you would any other tool. Sprinkler winterization will keep it working properly so that your plants, lawn, and garden get the moisture they need to thrive. Seasonal care, like the process to winterize your sprinkler system, is especially important during the cold months to prevent frozen pipes from bursting.
Nothing is worse than dealing with busted pipes in the middle of winter or finding out during a heatwave that your sprinkler system no longer works.
Why You Should Winterize Your Sprinkler System?
The best way to care for your watering system ahead of the cold season is with sprinkler winterization performed by a trusted Omaha sprinkler maintenance professional.
What is Sprinkler Winterization?
Sprinkler winterization is the proper way to prepare the pipes in your sprinkler system for cold weather. To do so, all the water will need to be flushed from the lines and the sprinkler heads using an air compressor. This will keep frozen water from damaging your pipes or sprinkler systems.
As far as sprinkler system maintenance goes, winterization is one of the most important seasonal tasks. Forgetting to prepare your system for freezing temperatures can result in damaged valves, cracked or broken pipes, damage to the backflow preventer, or even broken sprinkler heads.
Why Do You Need To Protect Your Sprinkler System From Cold?
Sprinkler systems may be installed underground, but they are not immune to the effects of colder temperatures. In fact, in many areas of the country, the ground may be prone to freezing several months out of the year. Frost that settles on top of the ground will seep into the deeper levels the longer the weather remains cold. That means that frost can and will reach the pipes/valves of your sprinkler system during the winter months.
Freezing Pipes
Just like pipes that are above ground, those below ground will also freeze if there is water inside of them when a cold snap hits. When water freezes it expands, which can cause even the strongest metal to bend or crack.
Burst or cracked pipes under the ground are not only hard to identify, but they are also costly to replace. In many cases, it is hard to know that there is a problem with a burst or cracked pipe in your irrigation system until well into the next season. Small cracks in sprinkler pipes may go unnoticed for months or even years if the leak is small enough.
Sinkholes and Underground Leaks
Cracks in sprinkler pipes not only waste water but can also cause low spots and sinkholes in your yard. Left unchecked, small cracks can grow into large breaks that turn into underground leaks. These leaks may even run back to your home’s foundation wall. Constant thawing and freezing place pressure on your sprinkler system, but failing to drain the water each winter can cause your sprinkler parts to fail.
Protecting Above Ground Sprinkler Components
As much as we talk about the importance of protecting your underground pipes, it is also important to winterize your above-ground components. Most sprinkler systems use a backflow preventer. While backflow preventers can be installed underground, they are most often left above the surface.
Sprinkler components that are above ground are more susceptible to freezing and the damage that is caused by winter frost. In most cases, a sprinkler system will have to have a backflow device to be in compliance with city regulations. If yours happens to get damaged due to frost or freezing, it will be expensive to repair.
How To Winterize Your Sprinkler System
The best way to ensure that your sprinkler system is properly prepared for the cold weather is to call in an Omaha sprinkler maintenance professional. Lawn care specialists are able to professionally winterize your sprinkler system correctly and affordably.
The process will involve checking the whole sprinkler system to ensure that there are no current leaks or problems. Professionals will then shut down the water flow system. Next, the sprinkler controller will be shut down before flooding the sprinkler system with compressed air. This will be done zone by zone to ensure there is no water left behind that can freeze.
The best time to winterize your sprinkler system is about a week or two before the first freeze of the season sets in.
Pioneer Underground Lawn Sprinklers | Omaha’s Best Commercial & Residential Sprinkler Systems | Omaha Sprinkler Maintenance
Contact Pioneer Underground Lawn Sprinklers to schedule a free estimate on a system install or to find out what you can do to make your existing system more efficient. We welcome commercial and residential clients. And remember, whether you need our services now… or later in the season, Your Healthy Lawn is Our Passion and we are only a phone call away! Call 402-934-7900 to schedule your service.
