Whether the irrigation system is designed by the landscape architect or by a consultant called in for that purpose, the actual design is the responsibility of the original designer, and one of the prime problems which has been noted, particularly in the northern climates, is the dreaded freezing of the system.

Today, there is an answer to that problem!

In fact, that answer has been used in over 350,000 turf irrigation jobs throughout the country, but is still not specified, or in some cases not understood, by many landscape specifiers or designers.

One company, King Irrigation Products, of St. Louis, is the leader in the design and manufacture of these irreplaceable valves which insure that the irrigation system will withstand the freezing temperatures that often comes on very quickly from New England to Texas and from the mountains on the East Coast to the high country along the Pacific Coast.

In areas where freezing is a problem, disastrous results can occur when irrigation plans do not call specifically for “freeze protection” and most vital in that freeze protection is the use of freeze drains. Even though the original cost may be slightly higher, the saving of money for replacement of pipes and other parts of the irrigation system far outweigh the original cost.

The King Freeze Drains are constructed of non-corrosive plastic with a rubber grommet which opens and closes with no problem. (Brass drains, which have been used in the past and are still popular in some parts of the country, have the problem of corrosion and therefore, will sometimes stick and become ineffective.)

These plastic drains close when water pressure goes up to 10 psi, then open again when the pressure falls below this point. Depending on the situation, some commercial landscape designs would need as many as 1,000 drains on a large system, while residential systems can require as few as 15. Good irrigation consultants and contractors who are aware of the need for freeze drains are the best “experts” on how many are needed and of course, the terrain has a major bearing on the number to be used.

The drains are installed at low points in the irrigation system on both sides of the zone valves. Dispersing pads, which allow the water to empty into the surrounding soil at the desired root level, are located at the base of the drain and the entire system is drained from the sprinkler heads to the valves and valve boxes. (The sprinkler heads are most important because they are so susceptible to flash freezes.)

When thinking of the slight extra cost of the freeze drains when the system is originally installed, consider the ultimate cost of replacing sprinkler heads, valves and valve boxes after a sudden freeze has “caught” them and ruined them. The extra money is an investment in insurance that the job will be up to the expectations the client had when you were given responsibility for the design.

More than two thirds of this country experiences freeze problems; don’t forget to check with King Irrigation Products and specify their freeze drains.