Winterizing Drip Irrigation Systems
| How to Winterize Your Drip Irrigation System Draining and Preparing Lines Unscrew the end caps on either side of the dripline so the water can drain. We suggest walking your mainlines and lifting the lines and fittings to ensure any excess water is properly drained. Fittings could potentially crack if standing water freezes in them. Once the tubing is drained, you may replace the end caps. We suggest that you put an end cap or plug on the threaded end of the female swivel adapter (where the head assembly from step one was removed). This keeps bugs from crawling into the system. Drain Head Assembly and Timer Turn off your water supply that connects to your irrigation system. Remove the head assembly (includes pressure regulator, backflow preventer, and filter) and the timer (remember to take the batteries out of the timer) from the water source. Drain the water and store indoors. Using an Air Compressor to Drain Lines If you use an air compressor, always wear protective gear and keep the air pressure regulator set as low as possible as pressures above 30 PSI can be harmful to the eyes and skin. We suggest that you always keep the end of the lines open. A ShopVac or similar on reverse can also be used. If You Have a Valve/Manifold System Steps 2 and 3 can be followed in the same way, however, the controller/timer needs to be run through its normal watering regime after the main water has been cut off. This opens each valve and relieves the water pressure of the valves and main lines. Once its finished running through, turn the controller off and manually open all the valves to ensure no standing water can freeze and crack the manifolds. Notes Make sure to drain and store any fertilizer injectors that are being used outdoors!
Starting up System Starting up your drip system for the spring is not unlike the initial walk thru you made during your systems installation, although Murphy’s Laws does seem to kick into high gear around this time. As stated before, keep your repair kit close at hand to deal with any problems that might pop up. Start by installing fresh batteries in your hose timer and reprogram for a spring watering schedule. Install all water source connection components as before, inspect and replace any cracked or worn hose washers. Inspect the filter screen, clean or replace if needed. Reattach any drip lines that were removed, then remove all end caps and flush the lines. Once the drip lines have been flushed, replace the end caps and run your drip system. Inspect all drip emitters, soaker hose dripline, sprayers and bubblers. Clean or replace any parts that have stopped watering. Check the drip tubing for any cracks, splits or for any areas that may have been chewed on by animals or varmints, repair or replace any tubing as needed. For drip systems using irrigation valves, reinstall rubber diaphragms, reprogram your controller and activate each valve to insure each are working properly. Ref 5190 |
