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This is my first winter in my new home and also my first winter in an area that has a real winter. Wanted to make sure draining my sprinkler system so the pipes don't freeze is as simple as it would seem: I was shown where the shut off valve is for the sprinklers when we were about to close on the house. So I turn that to off (the knob will be perpendicular to the pipe instead of parellel) and then turn on the sprinklers briefly to drain them? Is there more to it than that? Thank you.
If you live in area where the ground "freezes hard" I recommend...
...hiring a professional underground sprinkler service company to bring their high volume compressor to fully "blow the lines".
If you were to rent one of those very large compressors (the kind that have motors the size of car and have to be towed like a trailer) it would cost more than a service call.
Normal compressors are geared toward air tools and do not supply the volume of air needed to dry out the system.
When the ground freezes hard any water left in the pipes or heads will lead to damages.
...hiring a professional underground sprinkler service company to bring their high volume compressor to fully "blow the lines".
I don't live in an area where I think it qualifies as freezing hard. It dips below freezing maybe 20? days total in winter and usually only for a few days at a time. We're due for a cold snap so the newspeople are freaking out and telling people to protect their pipes.
I would get someone to blow them out for you. It`s relatively cheap to get someone to do this. It wouldn`t be worth it to take a chance because weather is unpredictable.
The price for having someone come out and pnuematically blow the lines out is probably between 40-75 dollars.If you have the mechanical aptitude,buy a small air compressor,hose fittings to go on drain line,and download instructions of a DIY website for blowing them out.Payback will be about 3-4 years,plus you will have the compressor around for other chores.If this seems complicated,just hire someone.
I live in NC, where the ground doesn't freeze in winter. Some people still blow out their lines as a precaution, but I would say the majority don't. All I do is remove the (above-ground) backflow preventer after turning off the system.
I put in a fitting at the end of each sprinkler run to fit my shop vac. I closed the valves, open up the line at the timer, and then just let the shop vac suck air through the lines for half an hour or so. It seemed to work.
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