Tried winterizing sprinklers DIY - fail

[B6_Dolphin]

I have a 20+ y/o 5.5 hp 25-gal upright Craftsman air compressor that I use for winterizing the sprinklers. The regulator and shut-off valves for the sprinkler are located inside a valve box near the sidewalk. After shutting the water supply ball valve, I spool up the tank pressure to 125 psi (shutoff), and set the outlet pressure to 40-50 psi, connect the air hose and open the ball valve just downstream of the regulator. I have 6 zones to purge, and I have an Orbit Wifi Controller w/Phone App which makes it easy to switch zones. The compressor keeps up, and I typically will see the outlet pressure drop to 30 psi on the last zone or two.

And being a good neighbor, my next door neighbor and the neighbor across the street get their sprinklers winterized the same day, since I have already dragged out the compressor.

 

[CKN]

I paid $220 for winterization and a county mandated backflow test. That seems to be about the going rate here. Nobody is coming to the house for $80. I’m not sure what amount the backflow test is vs the winterizing but since I have them out for the test I may as well have them blow the lines out.

I’ve got 16 zones and a pool auto fill but it was the same at our prior house with a smaller system.

Every year the city sends out requests for "backflow tests" and nobody does them and the City apparently has no way to track them.

 

[NormanBuntz]

I'm glad I live in an area without deep freezes. I have 11 irrigation zones and all I do in NC is drain the pump under the house.

 

[notharry]

You aren't doing something correctly. Did you turn on the zone?
I do mine with a 5 gallon pancake compressor every year. Mine runs off a shallow well we have so I am able to backfeed through a spigot that is attached to the well, but there is plenty of volume and pressure to blow one zone at a time (4 gear drive sprinklers) for me.

ok thank you for your insight.

 

[RhondaHonda]

Every year the city sends out requests for "backflow tests" and nobody does them and the City apparently has no way to track them.

Ours is tracked by the county. I have no idea what happens if you go long enough without doing one but I’m not chancing it.

 

[JHZR2]

I’ve helped a friend do it with a very small makita oiled compressor. It can be done.

 

[ls973800]

After two years of being in this house with sprinklers and having a local company do the winterizing at a cost of $105.00 each time I did the purging myself. Used an 8 gallon Craftsman compressor set on 90 psi for the six different zones and had picked up a Hunter remote from eBay for under $100.00 earlier this fall. What a great way to run each zone while being away from the master control panel!

Had to let the compressor recycle two or three times for each zone as the pressure went down quickly but did purge all of the zones with no problems.

My city also sends a letter every spring to have the backflow device checked and only allows licensed plumbers to do the work with a form to be submitted back to the city. I believe the cost is around $120.00 each year. So far I have avoided having it done with no other notices from the city other than the one sent out each spring to have it done

I have a seperate meter for the sprinkler system and do have the city read a final reading each fall and I shut off the water for the winter. Otherwise I think there is a $25.00 cost each month just having the extra meter. I have it re-read in the spring and I turn the water back on.

 

[supton]

Got my 20 gallon compressor running again, think I got the lines blown out good enough--a couple of zones, once the water got low, would not raise the heads, while other zones would keep misting. I'd try again, but I did each zone twice, and no streams of water comes now.

Need to dig up most of the heads though and re-aim, all seem to have shifted quite a bit (couple are now a couple inches below grade!).

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Well. I feel your pain as I have done this with the shop compressor at work and it is not easy. I take some comfort that water going to ice expands 11% so in a perfect situation if you get as little as about 15% of the water out...maybe you'll be okay? I bet you got more out than needed.

That's why those cheap a**ed auto drains work. You don't need to drain much out of a PVC system to protect it from freezing. Regards

 

[B6_Dolphin]

Got my 20 gallon compressor running again, think I got the lines blown out good enough--a couple of zones, once the water got low, would not raise the heads, while other zones would keep misting. I'd try again, but I did each zone twice, and no streams of water comes now.

Need to dig up most of the heads though and re-aim, all seem to have shifted quite a bit (couple are now a couple inches below grade!).

Since you did each zone twice, you should be more than fine. Even if some water is left in the supply lines, any residual water that freezes won't be enough to crack the piping or damage the sprinkler heads.