Sprinkler Blowouts: Guide To Colorado Irrigation Maintenance
In this guide from Green Way Pro’s professional lawn care and landscaping team, we discuss the basics of sprinkler blowouts. We’ll walk you through this essential element of property management, from start to finish, as well as provide other key information that any general homeowner or yard-work enthusiast should keep in mind when considering their own approach to seasonal sprinkler maintenance.
Sprinkler Blowouts In Colorado: Why Irrigation Upkeep Matters
Here in Colorado, annual sprinkler blowouts are a critical component of winterization for irrigation systems, whether they’re found on a residential or commercial property. This is because water expands when frozen (think of what happens when you make ice cubes in a tray).
Furthermore, the vast majority of irrigation pipes aren’t designed to accommodate this increase in volume. So when the ground temperature drops below freezing, you should not still have water or fluid in the pipes of your sprinkler system.
Otherwise, you risk damaging the irrigation pipes, due to the cracks and bursting brought about by the expansion of frozen liquid.
To put it plainly, to avoid the headache of costly repairs and replacements, if you live in Colorado — or any state with sub-freezing seasonal temperatures — you’ll save yourself time, money, and more than a few migraines by getting in the habit of annual sprinkler blowouts.
When To Blow Out Sprinkler Systems In Colorado
No matter where you live in this beautifully colorful state, from the lush plains of the Western Slope to the rolling reaches of the Rockies foothills, one thing is true across the board: the weather in Colorado is never entirely predictable.
Come autumn, the first frost may or may not arrive before the calendar commencement of the winter season. That being said, it’s best to take care of any irrigation system blowouts or sprinkler winterization tasks as soon as the temperature starts to drop in a significant way.
Depending on where you live — consider the difference between, say, Denver or Durango — it may be necessary to blow out the water from your irrigation pipes as early as the beginning of October or as late as Thanksgiving in November.
Sprinkler Blowout Process: How It Works
The sprinkler blowout process begins by ensuring either of the following:
You know exactly what you’re doing and have confidence in your outdoor expertise
You have hired a local lawn care professional or landscape company to do the blowout
Once one of the above is taken care of, the sprinkler blowout process — and preparation for the coming winter — can begin!
First, the valves and pipes of your blowout need to be set up. This involves removing the plug from the blow-out port, where you’ll then attach an adapter. The last step of setup is connecting the air hose to the adapter-equipped blow-out port.
Second, the air compressor itself needs to be set up and programmed to the proper specifications of flow intensity, which will vary depending on the type of sprinklers you have and the age of the irrigation system itself. For example, sprinkler pipes made with PVC, a rigid kind of plastic, tend to need air pressures of 80 psi or more; whereas parts made with the comparatively flexible material polyethylene will probably be able to tolerate more than 50 psi. Check your manufacturer handbook or look online for brand guidelines to get a better idea of what air compressor settings are right for blowing out your sprinkler system.
Third, you’ll begin blowing out the pipes and water-carrying components of the sprinkler system. It’s very unlikely, if you have a standard sprinkler system designed for residential use, that you’ll be able to blow out all the irrigation pipes in one go. Additionally, most air compressors made for at-home purposes are not nearly powerful enough to get the blowout done in a timely and effective way.
Regardless of whether you DIY or you hire out a local landscaping company for your winterization, it’s generally safest and still pretty time-efficient to blow out multiple, smaller areas of the sprinkler system. Continue in this way, zone by zone, using your compressor hose to push air through the pipes.
You’ll know that you can move onto the next stretch of sprinkler line when the pipe appears dry or nearly dry. Be mindful not to over-blow your sprinkler system either, as the plastic may melt from the heat of the air compressor.
‘Tis The Season . . . . For Sprinkler Blowouts!
From the time the first leaf changes color to the final stages of the fall, it’s important to ensure that when you start winterizing your Colorado home or business property, that you do it in the right way. For most homeowners, this means contacting a reputable, local landscaping company.
If you choose not to take the professional route, please note that the majority of DIY sprinkler blowouts aren’t successful due to lack of proper equipment and knowledge, and, as a result, these winterization efforts often lead to repairs and replacements for irrigation system components.
When it comes to sprinkler blowouts, given the costly and time-consuming nature of irrigation repairs and installations, it normally just makes sense to hire out the task to someone who has experience and knows exactly what they’re doing — and who owns a heavy-duty, industrial-grade air compressor that can get it done.
If you live in Montrose, Olathe, or another surrounding Colorado city along the Western Slope, contact Green Way Pro to schedule your next sprinkler blowout. Our team of qualified, technically trained, and Top-Rated Local® landscape contractors have the professional experience necessary to make sure that your sprinkler system is safely protected from the freezing temperatures (and expanding fluids) of the next Rocky Mountain winter. For sprinkler system maintenance, hardscape construction, seasonal lawn maintenance, and more, contact Southern Colorado’s best team at Green Way Pro today!