A bit of sprinkler maintenance now can save you a lot of hassle come spring
Learning how to winterize your sprinkler system will help ensure it works well when you’re ready to use it again in spring. This annual maintenance task can be a DIY part of your overall winter home maintenance checklist, or you can opt to hire a sprinkler professional to make sure it’s done correctly.
Winterizing your sprinkler system will prevent residual water in the pipes and sprinkler heads from freezing and causing expensive sprinkler repairs. Since water expands when it freezes, ice can crack pipes and sprinkler heads as it forms, leading to a damaged, unusable sprinkler system come spring. Removing as much residual moisture from the system as possible and insulating your system’s above-ground components will help to prevent the damage.
You should winterize your sprinkler system before the first hard frost, when the temperature drops below freezing for more than a few hours. Winterizing your sprinkler system in October is usually the right time of year, but you should check your local guidelines to find out when a hard freeze is predicted in your area.
Draining the water out of sprinkler pipes, spigots, hoses, and sprinkler heads is the key to putting your sprinkler system to bed for winter. Here are the steps you can take to winterize your sprinkler system.
Stop the flow of water to your sprinkler system by disconnecting the water line or the shut-off valve. Exterior shut-off valves are typically located on the outside of a wall, close to a door leading inside. You can also check the meter box, often labeled “water.”
Next, switch your sprinkler timer to the “off” setting. This setting is an essential part of the winterizing process, ensuring that the entire system shuts down correctly.
Once the sprinkler system is disconnected from its water source, you can drain the sprinkler system’s water by opening the valves to the sprinkler heads or turning the system on. Wait until you see the water stop flowing from the sprinkler heads to turn the system off.
Some sprinkler systems have an automatic function that will drain water from the pipes and sprinkler heads. If you have an automated system, look for this information in your system’s user manual.
You can use an air compressor to expel residual water in your sprinkler pipes by shooting pressurized air through the system. Some sprinkler systems will already have a valve or connector set up for the purpose of connecting an air hose to your system.
The final winterizing step is to protect your outdoor spigots and faucets for winter weather conditions. Consider purchasing small covers for these outdoor features to ensure they don’t get damaged by snow, ice, or freezing rain during the winter.
Getting rid of as much moisture as possible within your sprinkler system is a recipe for success when winterizing your sprinkler system. You should also insulate any above-ground spigots, pipes, and faucets to prevent them from winter damage.
Use foam covers, pipe insulation, or even pool noodles to protect above-ground components of your sprinkler system.
Drain or blow out your sprinkler system on a dry day to allow moisture to dissipate more effectively.
Don’t forget to turn off your sprinkler timer.
Check your manual for drainage instructions to avoid damage to your sprinkler system.
Don’t forget to close the valves on your sprinkler system once you’ve drained it.
The cost to professionally winterize your sprinkler system is between $60 and $130. The cost to DIY winterize your sprinkler system is free, but to blow it out, you will need equipment like an air compressor that can provide about ten cubic feet of air per minute to get enough air moving through the pipes. An automatic system is relatively simple to drain, and a manual draining sprinkler system takes a little more effort, but neither require special tools. For professional-quality results, consider hiring a local sprinkler winterizer to properly protect your system for winter.
While watering your lawn by hand might save you money upfront, installing and using a lawn irrigation system does save you money over time. You are less likely to overwater your lawn with a professional irrigation system, which will cause a reduction in water usage. These systems use the right amount of water without waste. In addition, watering your lawn the correct amount will also help prevent different fungi from growing, saving you money in fungi removal costs.
Lawn irrigation is the process of getting water to your lawn, grass and all, for it to grow. There are five main types of lawn irrigation methods:
Manual irrigation puts you in charge of the flow of water. Using a sprinkler head on your hose is best to evenly distribute the water across your entire lawn. This doesn’t take much time but requires you to be physically outside holding the hose.
Above-ground sprinklers attach to your hose and rotate or oscillate around your lawn. Since these are above-ground, they’ll need to be moved when it’s time to mow, and depending on the size of your property, you might need to move it around your yard for full coverage.
In-ground sprinklers are flush with the ground when not in use but pop up above the ground level when it's time to water the lawn. Piping for these sprinklers is all found underground, and there are different types of sprinkler heads for different uses and lawn sizes.
Drip irrigation involves drip lines that are more efficient than sprinklers for more extensive lawns. This involves a lot of digging since they are installed underground, but it makes it easy for you to mow.
Rainwater collection and irrigation uses nature’s precipitation to water your lawn. This option might not be available in every area since semi-reliable rainfall is needed, though the barrels for this system can range from 15 gallons to 10,000 gallons or more.
Even though having a lawn irrigation system to water your lawn is efficient, you do not want to run it daily. It’s best to run your system two to three times a week. The length of time to run your system varies on factors like wind, temperature, and the variety of your grass, but 10 to 20 minutes each time is generally preferred. If you water too frequently, you’ll drown your grass and plants.
The cost of a lawn sprinkler system is $2,550 for the average homeowner. However, this price can range from $350 to $5,000 or more, depending on the type of sprinkler system you install, the size of your yard, and the type of sprinkler heads you choose. For example, rotating or oscillating sprinkler heads are more expensive than stationary ones, making the cost for one sprinkler head $2.50 to $30 each. Likewise, a yard that is 1/4 of an acre in size averages a total average price of $2,460; however, a one-acre yard averages a cost of $9,840.
The total time it takes to install a lawn irrigation system is roughly one to two days. This includes digging trenches for any necessary underground piping, placing the piping, wiring, sprinkler heads, and valves, and connecting your sprinkler system to your water supply. If you have a lawn larger than one acre, or if there are any municipality regulations that extend the project, you can expect the timeline to be closer to two days.
