While this is not a
substitution for winterization this procedure may protect your
system from incurring damage when temperatures go below freezing.
While this may help in the short term you will still need to have
your system winterized.
If your system has not been winterized yet and you are
concerned about freezing temperatures damaging it, here are some
tips to keep this from happening.
Your best option is to set the timer to water a remote area of your
lawn in the middle of the night for a few minutes. This will
put warmer water into the pipes and keep them from freezing.
You must be careful about which zone you choose because ice will
form and may be very dangerous on concrete and asphalt. This is
the easiest way to protect your pipes.
It is important to know that all pipes, heads, valves,
etc., that are buried underground will not be affected by short
periods of cold temperatures. The temperature must remain below
freezing 24 hours a day for several days (4-7 days). Unfortunately,
most systems have piping above ground where the pipe comes out of
the house. Typically, if you have city water, your backflow "preventor"
is located here. If you have well water it will just be a pipe.
This is where we hook up to the system to winterize it and where you
may have trouble.
For The Mechanically minded
To
keep the pipes and backflow from freezing, there are a few things
you can do. One option is to shut the water off inside and drain
the pipes. First, turn on a zone by the timer and then go shut the
water off. This will relieve the pressure and allow some water to
drain from above ground pipes. Where the pipe comes out of the
wall, there will be a threaded fitting or a hose spigot. The
threaded fitting must be removed with adjustable pliers. The hose
spigot can simply be opened up. This will allow the water to drain
down. Now turn the timer off and you should be just fine.
A
more expensive option is to buy heat tape and wrap the pipes with
it. Heat tape uses electricity so you would need to plug it in.
Hopefully you are already scheduled for winterization and we will be
taking care of your system shortly. If you haven't scheduled an
appointment, please do so as soon as possible.
