One can winterize the present irrigation system. There are several simple steps to follow. The main valve can be turned off and the water flow can be controlled which flow to the irrigation system. There are several settings in the automatic irrigation controller and we can set it to “rain “settings for effective results. There are several valves present in the pipes. Just turn on the valves so that the pressure from the pipe is released. There are certain irrigation components which may freeze due to substantial circumstances. Draining water from such components will earn better productive results.
Locations of the irrigation system:
Based on the location of the irrigation system one can winterize the irrigation system. One is winterization of irrigation system during temperate climate and another is winterization of the irrigation system during cold climate. In the temperate climate zone usually substances do not freeze very often. Even if there is heavy snow in that particular area the snow melts off very quickly. There is no necessity to insulate the water pipes kept outside houses as it does not freeze very quickly. In this zone the water flow to the irrigation system is shut and an important factor is that the main shut off valve from where water flows to the irrigation system should be freeze-proof.
Steps to avoid freezing:
It would become a problem if the main shut off valve is not freeze proof and one should see that the valve does not break due to freezing. In case of an automatic system the timer should be shut off so that lot of electricity can be saved. The power given to the controller can be shut off as an alternative. There are chances for the pump to get damaged while shutting the controller off. The gear drive rotor sprinkler could freeze the water, so the water can be drained by using a drain valve installed in the pipe where water flows to the irrigation system. An alternative is that the rotor can be removed and water can be drained out to avoid freezing. The pipes can be insulated by sticking the foam insulating tapes above the ground pipes.
Insulation:
The air vents and backflow preventers should not be blocked. The best way to do this is to insulate the valve or backflow preventers using R-11 fiberglass. Heavy plastic bags provide an important means of insulation and that can be wrapped around the valves and backflow preventers. One should see that the air flow is provided in the plastic bags and it does not get wet to enable a permanent insulator. Since it is permanent one need not worry about changing the insulators very often as they will survive for a longer period.
Usage of compressors:
The scenario in the cold climate is totally different and one has to take considerate measures to protect the irrigation system. As told above the main valve should be closed and the timer should be shut off to gain electricity which greatly depends on the controller used whether it is mechanical or solid-state controller. The valves in the pipe should be removed and the water in the pipes should be drained or heating cables can be placed upon the valves and these heating cables are insulated. To blow water from the pipes special drain valves are used. The drain valve is installed in both high point and low points in the pipes and the valves can be put in an accessible box and the locations can be writer over box to avoid getting strangled in this climate. The water should be completely blown out and so making use of a compressor is a very good choice. Do not close the valves while compressor is running. When the blowing process is finished the controller is set to the “rain mode”.
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