How To Handle Frozen Sprinkler Systems
Every year in springtime, many homeowners discover that during the winter their sprinkler system pipes were frozen and damaged. These plumbing systems can be severely damaged from frozen water. The water freezes and expands. This expansion can cause holes and cracks in the pipes. When the ice melts, water will escape the system resulting in some pretty expensive water bills, other moisture damage and insufficient irrigation. So in order for you to have a lush green lawn in the summer, you need to know how to deal with a frozen irrigation system. The following article has some excellent tips on how to handle a frozen sprinkler system.
When the weather begins to cool, that is when you should start thinking about how to protect your irrigation system from the cold. If you can protect them before they freeze is an excellent way to ensure that you do not have frozen piping. The first part of this is draining through the backflow system. The backflow prevention system is an expensive part of your sprinkler system, so not only are you protecting your piping; you are protecting it as well. After draining the system, wrap it with a towel and rotate the valve to a 45 degree angle and seal with a bag. Make sure all of the equipment is covered and the openings are weather tight. You do not want water to condense in this equipment and cause damage over the winter.
If you do not think that you can fully handle getting your sprinkler system ready for winter or frozen pipes, you might want to think about having a professional maintain the system for you. If you try to fix the damage yourself, you could end up making the problem worse. Repairs are not only repairing the pipes. Repairs also involve knowing how to fix the automatic controls, other electrical components and all of the other pieces of the system without causing damage to the rest of the system. If you get in touch with a professional, they can either guide help you assess what is wrong and what needs to be fixed or they could just do the work for you.
If you are going to maintain your sprinklers plumbing yourself, you should try to make the work as easy as possible and always have your system easily accessible. When it snows, keep the hydrants and valves clear so they can be inspected on a regular basis. Have a map of your system and keep some spare parts like additional valves and piping handy. These valves and other parts are not very expensive and really come in handy in a pinch. If something breaks, you can replace it in minutes.
Keeping your irrigation system safe from freezing is not a difficult task. Prevention is easy and takes less than an hour, while repairing frozen pipes and other components of an irrigation system is extremely time consuming. So save yourself some time and money and prepare your irrigation systems plumbing for winter.
