If you have a lawn irrigation system, you are likely a homeowner who takes pride in their property and their curb appeal. Having a beautiful lawn makes your home stand out, and an irrigation system helps maintain that lush, green beauty. An irrigation system works hard to maintain your lawn. However, winter can be hard on your lawn irrigation system, and you will need to winterize your system before the cold weather sets in, or your investment can quickly be damaged.

American neighborhood in the winter with snow on the ground.

Why Does a Sprinkler Irrigation System Need to be Winterized?

Beneath the surface, your lawn irrigation system is an intricate network of parts. Valves, pipes, fittings, and other components work together to keep your system working well. Icy weather can cause serious damage to the system if it is not prepared for a cold winter. Frozen water that remains in the system, even a small amount, can cause cracked pipes and burst lines. If the pipes aren’t cleared, the remaining water will freeze, and with no room for the frozen water to expand, your pipes will crack and burst. Underground pipes are very costly to repair and can require digging out and repiping the entire sprinkler irrigation system. If water is trapped in the sprinkler heads themselves, the pressure of freezing water can cause the heads to pop off and break. If water freezes in the body of the sprinkler, the sprinkler itself can burst. All this damage is extremely expensive to repair and will require digging up the lawn you worked so hard to maintain. Winterizing your lawn irrigation system is a much smarter choice.

When Should We Winterize Our Lawn Irrigation System?

You should fully winterize your lawn irrigation system before the first hard freeze. Ideally, you should winterize your system in the early fall, a week or more before the first hard freeze. Winterizing means draining all your lines to the lawn irrigation system and blowing them out using an air compressor to ensure that no water remains. Water supply will need to be shut off, and any necessary irrigation system repair will be dealt with. By the end of September or beginning of October, you should have talked to us about scheduling winterization to ensure it is done before the first hard freeze.

What are the Benefits of Using a Professional to Handle Winterization and Irrigation System Repair?

While it may be possible to winterize your system yourself with an air compressor, it may not be the easiest solution. Winterizing correctly can be time consuming, and many homeowners tend to put off the chore until it is too late and damage has been done. In addition, by doing it yourself, you may put you and your system at risk. Compressed air can cause injury from flying debris, and it is easy to miss a step in the winterization process or cause damage to the system with a mistake if you are not a lawn care professional. Winterizing a system incorrectly can damage your lawn irrigation system irreparably. Sprinkler Pro is familiar with lawn irrigation systems, the process of winterization, and can get the job done correctly before freezing is a concern.

Hiring an experienced irrigation contractor to winterize your lawn irrigation system is the best choice to keep your systems working well and your property looking great. With fall approaching, now is the perfect time to contact an irrigation specialist to schedule your irrigation system winterization. Sprinkler Pro is your local choice for irrigation system service, maintenance, and repair. Contact us to schedule your system winterization services today.