WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
WINTERIZE
SPRINKLER
SYSTEMS
BEFORE A
FREEZE HITS
STAFF PHOTO BY GARY L. WEST
Even parts of an underground sprinkler system have components above ground. Sprinkler
systems should be shut down and cleared of water before the fi rst hard freeze each year.
Winter is coming
EAST OREGONIAN/HERMISTON HERALD • 3
HOME IMPROVEMENT & CAR CARE
Lines need to be cleared of water
in the fall to prevent damage
By JADE McDOWELL
Staff Writer
A
s the weather gets cold and
homeowners
prepare
their
homes for winter, those with
underground sprinkler systems
have extra responsibilities.
Water left in the system as the weath-
er dips below freezing can expand in the
wrong places, damaging the system and
resulting in hefty repair bills in the spring.
In order to prevent damage, property
owners should fi nd the main shutoff valve
and turn it off, preventing more water from
entering the system.
Some leftover water will already be
resting in the pipes, however, which is why
the system needs to be “blown out” with
pressurized air, removing extra water lin-
gering in the pipes.
Lou Lyons, owner of Elmer’s Irrigation
in Hermiston, said the right time to blow
out a system depends on the weather for
the year, but is usually somewhere around
the beginning of October.
“It’s usually based on the weather and
how quick it gets to freezing, because that’s
what causes the damage,” he said.
He said a night or two dipping down
below 32 degrees might be alright, but if
homeowners procrastinate too long and a
hard freeze hits it can really do damage.
“Any system that was installed should
have a way to hook a compressor to it, it’s
just a matter of getting it done,” he said.
Some people will do it themselves, Ly-
ons said, if they have access to an air com-
pressor and know how to go through the
system zone by zone with the right volume
of air to expel all the water but not damage
the pipes. For homeowners worried about
getting it right, there are a variety of land-
scaping companies and individuals that ad-
vertise their services in town.
“Some guys have these big compres-
sors, and they can hit it real quick,” he said.
How vulnerable the rest of the system
is depends on how deep the pipes are
underground and where other components
STAFF PHOTOS BY GARY L. WEST
Pipes that are above ground can be
protected from freezing by using insulating
tape or tubes to protect the system during
freezing weather.
Water to underground systems needs to be
turned off and lines cleared of water prior to
the fi rst hard freeze to prevent costly repairs
in the spring
are located.
Many sprinkler companies with online
tutorials for winterizing a home sprinkler
system recommend insulating any abo-
veground pipes, valves or other compo-
nents to help protect the system. Hardware
stores sell self-sticking insulating tape,
foam insulating tubes and other materials
for that purpose.
Automatic systems should be put in
“rain mode” or shut off completely when
it’s time to winterize the system.
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