When to winterize sprinkler system (Millburn: house, neighborhood, swimming pool)

[BigOZ]

Hi all,

We just moved to our first house in Millburn NJ this year. This upcoming winter will be our first winter in NJ. My question is when people usually winterize their sprinkler system given NJ's weather? My guess is between Halloween and Thksgiving? Also is it hard to get an appointment from sprinkler company in early Nov given most of the families hire them to winterize the system during the same period.

Thanks in advance for the response.

[bookspage]

We usually get it done in October sometime. But you could probably go into November too

It's not hard to get an appointment, lots of companies do it and it's not a long process

[Goldendoodle1969]

anytime before the ground freezes. You could really go into mid November, but its kind of pointless, there is no need to water your lawn after September.

[Tubulus]

Find out who your neighbors use and just arrange with them. Our company just calls us every year when it's time to turn off/on in the neighborhood and we don't have to do anything. Makes life easy. We are turning ours off next week. Funny by this time last year we had been through awful August/September heat wave, had to do so much extra watering and everything still died, this year lawn still looks great.

[ansky]

Why do you need to pay a company to do this? I have friends with a sprinkler system and they do it themselves.

[BigOZ]

Thank you all for the kind response. I'll call the guys and make a appointment for late Oct.

[bookspage]

Originally Posted by ansky

Why do you need to pay a company to do this? I have friends with a sprinkler system and they do it themselves.

You can do this...

There are several things that must be done to winterize a sprinkler system. The first step is to determine if the system uses auto-drain valves. If auto-drain valves are present, then all you need to do is turn the main water supply off, and then loosen the solenoid on each valve to let air inside. The water should flow down hill and out of each zone through the auto drain valve. You may have a manual drain for the main line between the shut-off valve and the valve manifolds. If a valve is present, open it to allow all water to drain. If you system does not use auto-drain valves, then an air compressor must be used to blow the water out of the zones. Turn off the main water supply to the sprinkler system, and hook up an air compressor to the system. Pressurize the tank to about 50 psi and then open one of the valves manually. Run that station for 2 to 3 minutes to allow all the water to be removed from the system. Shut that valve off and wait for the compressor to pressurize again. Repeat for the next zone. After all zones are empty, loosen the solenoids to allow air to enter the top of the valve. This is a general guideline for winterizing a system. You system may require additional steps depending on the particular installation. Note: This process requires large capacity air compressors with an air flow rate between 4 and 8 cubic feet per minute. Small, consumer air compressors will not be able to perform this task correctly and can often damage the sprinkler system. Never exceed the recommended PSI or you may risk melting or exploding your sprinkler pipes and heads. Because of the complicated nature of this process, we recommend contacting an irrigation professional to have these services performed. Always wear saftey glasses and gloves when performing sprinkler repairs.

Or pay someone $75. Your choice!

[bluewin888]

When for small underground swimming pool

[jaymoney]

Are you planning on using the pool in the next month? Then just do it now.