Landscape Architect Articles

LSMP Irrigation Issues September 200409-01-04 | News

Drain or Blow?

An Irrigation Expert Shares Must-Know Tips for
Winterizing Your Type of Irrigation System

By Phil Robisch, education manager, Hunter Industries

When preparing to drain an irrigation system, your first step should be to shut off the irrigation water supply. The shut off should be located in the basement and be a gate/globe valve, ball valve or stop and waste valve. If your system is located in a cold climate, the main shut off valve needs to be “freeze proof”, which means it should be below the frost line, inside a heated room, wrapped with insulation, or somehow protected from freezing.

>Every year before the first freeze, the ritual of irrigation “blow out” becomes the priority for all irrigation systems where the frost level extends below the depth of the installed piping.

Even if you have drained some water out of the system, the remaining water can freeze, expand and crack the PVC piping (rigid, white pipe), usually from fitting to fitting. Polyethylene pipe (flexible, black pipe) is used in many freezing climates. Although polyethylene pipe is more flexible and can expand under pressure, water left inside could freeze and rupture the pipe walls. Freezing water in the backflow assembly will damage the internal components and could possibly crack the brass body.

To minimize the risk of freeze damage to your irrigation system, you?EUR??,,????'???ll need to “winterize” your irrigation system.

Drain valves can either be manually operated (you open the valve before the first hard freeze) or they can be automatic. Some sprinkler heads must also be drained out because water becomes trapped in them. This is common among sprinklers like pop-up rotors that have built-in check valves.

Irrigation systems in areas where “winterization” is mandatory are using one of three types of water removal: manual drain, auto drain, or blowout. If you don?EUR??,,????'???t know your system type, it would be best to use the blowout method.

Manual Drain Method

Use when manual valves are located at the end and low points of the irrigation piping. To drain these systems, simply shut off the irrigation water supply and open all the manual drain valves.

Once the water has drained out of the main line, open the boiler drain valve or the drain cap on the stop and waste valve (whichever is used in your area) and drain all the remaining water that is between the irrigation water shut off valve and the backflow device.

Open the test cocks on the backflow device. If your sprinklers have check valves you?EUR??,,????'???ll need to pull up on the sprinklers to allow the water to drain out the bottom of the sprinkler body. Depending on the location of the drain valves, there could be some water left in the backflow, the piping and the sprinklers. When all the water has drained out, close all the manual drain valves.

Automatic Drain Method

Use when automatic drain valves are located at the end and low points of the irrigation piping. These will automatically open and drain water if the pressure in the piping is less than 10 PSI (pounds per square inch). To activate these, you shut off the irrigation water supply and activate a station to relieve the system pressure.

Connect the air compressor to the irrigation system through a quick coupling valve located after the backflow device. Never blow air through backflow devices.

Once the water has drained out of the main line, open the boiler drain valve or the drain cap on the stop and waste valve (whichever is used in your area) and drain the remaining water that is between the irrigation water shut off valve and the backflow device.

In some areas you might have a combination of the manual drain system on the main line (the pipe between the irrigation water shut off valve and the valves) and auto drain system on the lateral lines (the pipe between the valves and the sprinklers).

“Blow Out” Method

It is recommended that a qualified licensed contractor perform this type of “winterization” method. The blow out method utilizes an air compressor with a cubic foot per minute (CFM) rating of 80 to 100 for any main line using two-inch pipe or less. These types of compressors can be rented at your local equipment rental yard.

Make sure to use the proper size compressor for the system you are blowing out. Irrigation systems with PVC piping should not be blown with higher than 80 PSI. For polyethylene piping don?EUR??,,????'???t exceed 50 PSI.

The compressor is attached to the main line via a quick coupler, hose bib or other type connection, which is located after the backflow device. Compressed air should not be blown through any backflow device.

To start, shut off the irrigation water supply and, with the compressor valve in the closed position, attach the air compressor hose to the fitting. Activate the station on the controller that is the zone or sprinklers highest in elevation and the furthest from the compressor.

Close the backflow isolation valves. Then slowly open the valve

on the compressor; this should gradually introduce air into the irrigation system. The air pressure should be constant at 50 PSI. If the sprinkler heads do not pop up and seal, increase the air pressure until the heads do pop up and seal. The air pressure should NEVER exceed 80 PSI.

Each station/zone should be activated starting from the furthest station/zone from the compressor slowly working your way to the closest station/zone to the compressor. Each station/zone should be activated until no water can be seen exiting the heads, this should take approximately two minutes or more per station/zone.

Trailer-mounted air compressors run about $30 a day from a local equipment rental store and are suitable to ?EUR??,,????'??blow-out?EUR??,,????'?? an irrigation system.

It is better to use two or three short cycles per station/zone than to have one long cycle. Once the station/zone is dry, you should not continue to force air through the pipe. Compressed air moving through dry pipes can cause friction, which will create heat and the heat could cause damage.

Additional Steps

Once the water has been removed from the irrigation system, disconnect the air compressor and release any air pressure that may be present. If your backflow device, the most common backflow installed is called a pressure vacuum breaker, has ball valves, open and close the isolation valves on the backflow device numerous times to ensure that any trapped water has escaped from the upper areas. Leave the isolation valves open at a 45-degree angle (approximately one-half open) and open the test cocks.

Other Irrigation Equipment

To prepare a hydraulic control system, shut off the water supply to the signal control tube(s) and drain the field tubing.

Outdoor Mounted Controllers

Leave the power on and the dial/switch in the “off” position, which will keep the controller from activating the solenoids in the field. The heat from the transformer will keep the enclosure warm enough to keep condensation from forming inside the controller enclosure.

On indoor mounted controllers, you may either leave the power on and the dial/switch in the “off” position or you may remove the battery backup and unplug the transformer.

Rain Sensors

There is not much to do to prepare the rain sensor for the winter months. If your sensor is the type with a cup or bowl that catches water, you might want to remove the water and place a plastic bag over the sensor. This will keep any water from accumulating and freezing in the cup or bowl area. If your sensor is the type that uses wafers or discs, you might want to remove the wafers and store them in the garage for the winter months. This will keep damp wafers from freezing.

Phil Robisch is a manager in the marketing department at Hunter Industries. He leads educational programs for landscape contractors on efficient irrigation practices.

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