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Don’t Forget to Prepare Your Sprinkler for Winter!

Why is it necessary to correctly do a Sprinkler Blow out in Shawnee Kansas? In order to eliminate costly repairs and replacements in the spring when you start up your irrigation system, you need to make sure you Winterize it correctly in the fall. It is necessary to expel all the water from your sprinkler system before the water freezes. Like in your home, frozen pipes will burst. Fittings, valves, sprinkler heads, pumps, and other system components will be damaged if you don’t get all the water out.

When most things get cold, such as plastic, they contract or get smaller. Water, on the other hand, expands when it freezes into its pretty little crystalline pattern. So as the pipes contrast, the remaining water expands setting up a disaster; an expensive disaster at that.

What does it take to do a Sprinkler Blow out in Shawnee Kansas? If you have manual or automatic driven valves, the system relies on gravity to get the water out. However, pipes have a tendency to shift in the ground over time, creating depressions in the pipe where water can remain. The only way to guarantee all the water is out is to use compressed air to force the water out. If your system only has electric valves, you must use compressed air to get the water out, it cannot be done manually.

How do you know if you’ve got the right amount of air pressure to get the water out? That varies with each system. A combination of the correct air pressure and the correct air volume is critical. Not enough air volume causes air to go over the water, leaving some water in the system. Too much air pressure and the excessive pressure can cause the sprinkler nozzles to blow, damaging the system. The best way to avoid the pitfalls of preparing your system for winter is to call R&S Lawn and Sprinkler today to set up an appointment!