Winterize Irrigation Systems After Thanksgiving

Did you know?  Metro-Atlanta and surrounding areas have among the highest water pressure in the country. Add to this another piece of information, The Farmers’ Almanac has issued their winter forecast for thesoutheast,  predicting mild, wet weather for the upcoming 2011/2012 winter in the Deep South.

Crabapple tells Property Managers and HOA Reps what this means to them:

• Even though most areas of Georgia may not be at risk for freezing and burst pipes, shutting down your irrigation system and bleeding out static pressure in the lines will relieve pressure on both the valves and the PVC or pipe and will extend the life of your sprinkler system.  
• With a wet winter predicted, sprinklers likely will not be needed for watering landscape plants.  Deciduous plants have lost their leaves and lose less moisture through transpiration, needing less watering.

It is important to give your drainage system a professional once-over, and early winter is the perfect time, when other landscape maintenance demands are reduced.  

 Options to Clear the Irrigation Lines: Crabapple LandscapExperts will  

• Manual Draining

Shut off all water to the system and manually open drain valves (or install them if they do not already exist) situated at the low point of each line, and allow gravity to clear the lines of water. Dry wells with gravel are a good idea for these low points. We will turn off the power to a well- or pond- pump if applicable to the individual client.

• Blowing Out

Contact Crabapple LandscapeExperts to blow out your irrigation lines using an air compressor to force water out of the system. This process, known as “blowing out” can damage your components if not done professionally because the amount of pressure needed to blow out the water will vary from one system to the next. Our technicians will attach the compressed air hose to the blowout connection for each zone and blow out all the water (applying less than 35-40/psi of pressure), finishing up by draining the valve that prevents backflow and the shut off valve.

Crabapple’s key to winterizing irrigation systems is to be patient and thorough. Letting the lines drain a few days until they dry out completely will make a big difference next spring when we recharge the systems.