It’s all about winter preparation; knowing how to properly blowout your irrigation system for winter is critical here in New England.

If you’ve ever put water in an ice cube tray you know that water expands when it freezes. The ice always takes up more space in the tray than when the water was at room temperature. This is what people fear in the Northeast when they talk about pipes bursting. They are afraid that there will be water in a cold pipe that will freeze, expand and burst. Because of this many people get house sitters over the winter just to turn on the water and keep the house warm. However, what if you are worried about the pipes in your lawn?

Having a home irrigation system is wonderful in the spring, fall and especially summer. As the weather turns colder you need to know how to prep an irrigation system for winter. Just imagine that you’re looking out at the first snow of the season and all of the sudden a broken sprinkler cap bursts from your lawn. This is certainly not what you want to have happen as you get ready for the holidays.

If your sprinkler system were to freeze and burst several things along the line could be broken such as:

  • Sprinkler heads
  • Valves
  • Fittings
  • Backflow device

A frozen irrigation system can affect the mainline that runs from the house. If there were to be enough pressure that had built up in the system you could have a pipe burst in your home creating problems with your plumbing and water damage to the inside of the home and the structure of the house. If this were the case you’d not only have a problem with your irrigation system but you’d need an internal plumber for your home as well. This is a very large and, thankfully, very preventable expense.

Protect Your Home from a Burst System

You’ll need to schedule a visit from a professional who knows how to prep an irrigation system for winter. All of the zones of your system will need to be blown out in the fall so that there’s no water left in your system. Not only will you be preventing winter damage but this will increase the ability to have a smooth turn on in the spring.

The best defense is a good offense as they say. When football season gets in full swing you know it is that time of year to defend your pipes.