How to Prepare Your Sprinkler and Irrigation Systems for Winter Freezes

Share and Follow

As temperatures in Austin dip, ensuring your home is prepared for a freeze becomes a priority. While we often focus on indoor precautions like dripping faucets, it’s crucial not to overlook outdoor irrigation systems.

Winterizing these systems is essential to prevent freeze-related damage, and fortunately, it’s not overly complicated. According to experts at Home Depot, the key to safeguarding your sprinklers and irrigation setups is to effectively drain and deactivate them before the cold sets in.

There are three primary techniques to drain these systems, and the choice depends on the specific type of irrigation system you have. If you’re uncertain about which method to employ or feel uneasy about handling the task yourself, seeking assistance from a professional is a wise move, as Home Depot advises.

Understanding and applying the right method can make all the difference in protecting your outdoor watering systems during a freeze. Here are the three approaches to consider:

Manual drain method

Some irrigation systems are equipped with manual drainage, which means users can empty excess water from them by simply opening a valve.

According to Home Depot, these are the steps you should take if you have manual drain irrigation:

Shut off the water supply to the system.
Then, look for the manual valves at the ends and low points of the piping.
Open all the valves and drain the water from the system.
Make sure you also drain the backflow device.

Automatic drain method

These systems have valves that automatically drain water from the pipes when the water pressure falls below a certain number of pounds per square inch.

To activate an automatic drain function, Home Depot says to follow these steps:

Turn off the water supply.
Briefly run one of the sprinkler heads to relieve the water pressure in the system.
Automatic draining should begin, clearing the pipes of excess water.

Home Depot noted that water between the shut-off valve and backflow device may still need to be drained.

Blowout method

This method involves forcing compressed air through the irrigation system, which will discharge water through the sprinkler heads.

Home Depot notes that this method is potentially hazardous, and proper safety precautions should be taken. If you’ve never worked with compressed air or blown out an irrigation system, Home Depot recommends consulting a professional.

More details on each of these methods and when to use them can be found on Home Depot’s website.