Avoid unpleasant surprises in the spring by closing down and storing your irrigation equipment properly in the fall.
In the spring we discussed some of the damage you may find when starting your irrigation system in the spring caused by improper winterizing of your irrigation system, including: damage to irrigation heads, broken plumbing feeds and wiring problems.
Proper Winterizing
- Run compressed air though the main line until all the water is evacuated from the irrigation system
- Any outside ball valves are to be left at a 45 degree angle
- Any 12 spray heads are to be manually pushed down during winterizing (otherwise water is left inside and the head will crack)
- Proper staking of curbs and edges of the lane ways in the fall helps reduce damage during winter snow removal
More information about irrigation can be found in this post from April 2013.