Keeping the grass and landscapes on your commercial property healthy and beautiful can attract more clients to your business and boost employee morale. Sprinkler systems can make it especially easy and convenient to ensure turf, plants, and flowers remain hydrated and nourished. However, they require winterization to protect them against cold weather-related damage. Below, learn more about what this process entails and why a professional should handle it.
What’s the Right Way to Winterize Sprinklers?
During the winter, water can freeze, expand, and crack sprinkler heads, valves, and connecting pipes. To avoid these problems, winterizing a commercial irrigation system should first involve removing any residual moisture. In addition to helping you avoid repair expenses, this can ensure your system is ready to use as soon as the weather warms up.
Then, you’ll need to shut off the system and main water supply. Afterward, you can use an air compressor to blow out and dry the lines. This typically requires attaching the compressor to the blowout valve located between the main water line and the backflow preventer. Since commercial irrigation systems often cover a large area, this might require blowing out one zone at a time to ensure thorough drying.
Inspecting the sprinkler heads and exposed pipes can also identify any existing damage, giving you plenty of time to schedule repairs before you start using your system again during spring. Additionally, temporarily removing the backflow preventer, which is a device that prevents contaminated fluids from entering your home’s water supply, may ensure this component does not become damaged or stolen during the cold months.
Why Should a Professional Do the Work?
Removing water from sprinkler lines and heads involves the use of a high-powered compressor that runs on diesel. In addition to being expensive to buy or rent, these pieces of equipment require training and expertise to handle safely and accurately, which is why a professional sprinkler contractor should take care of winterization. Additionally, multi-zone commercial irrigation systems may take several hours to blow out and inspect. You can save time and effort by enlisting professionals for this job, and they’ll likely get the work done more quickly than if you were to do it on your own.
Additionally, DIY winterization runs the risk of inadvertently damaging sprinkler heads, valves, and pipes, which may result in the need for replacement parts. You can keep your sprinkler system in excellent condition and save money on repairs by allowing a professional to complete this seasonal task.
Get your commercial sprinkler system ready for winter with help from Maxum Irrigation & Plumbing. Located in Waterford, CT, they provide irrigation system maintenance, including 24-hour emergency services, along with repairs and new installations to clients throughout Connecticut. Call (860) 525-7000 to book an appointment for lawn sprinkler upkeep, and visit the website to learn more about how they can keep your outdoor areas hydrated, healthy, and gorgeous.
