How to Winterize Sprinklers DIY Step by Step - Blowout the Pipes
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- Опубліковано 12 жов 2018
- How to close sprinklers yourself. Easy step by step method works great closing irrigation systems. Works with Rachio Sprinkler and traditional method I show you both every step of the way!
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Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of Silver Cymbal, I cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. Silver Cymbal assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. Silver Cymbal recommends safe practices when working on machines and or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of Silver Cymbal, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not Silver Cymbal. - Навчання та стиль
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For the pipe adapter I used can be bought here amzn.to/2D26ryC & The incredible wrench I used is here amzn.to/2T44MgK - Best wrench ever!
Hi, I am loving your videos - demystifies a lot things for new to DYI-er. Can you please share details of the air compressor you used? Is it worth owning one that will be used once a year or rent?
@Silver Cymbal, the Amazon link doesn't work. Can you tell us the name of the adapter?
Thanks. Just did mine this past weekend & tested both methods. Thanks for confirming what I did as well. Was the first time for me. Worked perfectly and saved $$ for 8 zones.
Hey, I really appreciate this video. I have drains in my system, and I have never blown them out. But, I KNOW that blowing them out is the safest way to avoid a piping issue after winter. Thank you for the care to detail, and comments, on everything you do. One of my FAV Channels.
Thank you very much for the nice comment. It can look like a lot but it really is easy once you do it and save you some big headaches. Thanks again
Great video, worked for me. There are indeed other videos that say you need a big compressor, but I used a 6-gallon pancake compressor and it did the trick. Saving to my favorites for this time next year.
A very good presentation. Well spoken and easy too follow. Thanks
Great video, thanks. Following these steps this weekend.
So informative and great production.
Note for anyone wondering - I just watched another video on this as well, and the bit at the end about leaving the valves/bleeder screws open or closed is pretty important. The reason someone would leave them open is because many people's pipes will continue to slowly leak out water even when you have the main line shut off. Over the course of multiple months during winter, enough water may re-accumulate in the pipes and back flow valves to freeze and crack or break things. Often times people will leave the valves and bleeder screws open to allow any of that extra pressure to release during winter. Not sure if there's a reason you would want to keep them closed, other than forgetting to close them in the spring when you turn your sprinklers back on.
Keep in mind that they really aren't vents at all. They are testing ports for inspectors to test the backflow preventer which never happens on residential installs. The flip side of this is that installers leave them like this so if homeowners try to open them they see a huge leak and panic. Maybe this isn't true but it happens to a lot of people.
@@SilverCymbal Actually, I'm residential and my backflow device must be tested/certified on an Annual basis from a certified tester (at a fee of course!)
Not true. I am required to have my home system checked for backflow by my city.
Agreed. I keep my ball valve and screw valves at 45 degrees after winterizing.
Thanks. Saved myself some $$$. Had to buy a 6LB compressor from harbor freight but it pretty much paid for itself in one use.
Really good overview!!
Nice job man. Im a service tech at an irrigation company here in Maryland. This is essentially the same process we use. Your PVB and blowout setup is perfect in my opinion. I like to blow out downstream of the PVB as well because it ensures that you're getting all the water out of the most expensive and most vulnerable piece of the system. Some people say blowing air through a backflow preventer can damage it but I find it to be not true. Been doing it for a good while and have never had a problem. Keep up the good work buddy, I'll go ahead and subscribe!
I really appreciate the feedback. I also see everyone blow through the backflow preventer without issues. It's great to hear a professional liking my video, that means a lot. Thanks for watching.
@@SilverCymbal btw I meant to say upstream (before) of the backflow lol see my great professionalism? Haha
The best how-to clip so far on the subject!
I appreciate it. There were so many goofy videos when I started looking that I wanted to make my own to show you an easier way to winterize your sprinklers. Thanks for watching.
Most will say you do not blow through your Backflow preventer. It will in time damage it. Better off to tie in down stream and leave any fittings upstream open for a day or two.
Hey boss, appreciate the videos. If I may ask why not replace the plug with a valve if you need to do this every year?
Awesome Vid, shut down my system, using your Vid as a guide, saved me 80$ plus. Closed without a hitch and next year my compressor pays for itself. Took me just over an hour, being that I have 8 zones and used an 8 gallon 1.5 hp, but at 40 psi. Everything went SMOOTH.
THANK YOU.
Thank you very much so glad it was helpful.
Nice!
Great video bro.
Best video on the subject!
Your videos are dangerously expensive! I bought at least four products after watching. 😂
Great video
Thank you very much
Very helpful video 🤠
Glad it helped
good job. thumb'd it. ques4u: did he say, (if you select the manual way thru control unit per zone) to quarter turn it for 3 min for each zone and leave or turn it back, and put cover back on?) thanks.
I would recommend buying a doosan tow behind air compressor for irrigation companies and that's what i use for my company and they get all the water out of the lines
I stopped having mine blown out and I only shut off water, cycle all the zones and have my backflow open (I have a spigot inside to drain the line). Leaving everything open and running all the zones with the water off drains it all out and if it gets cold enough the water will push itself out the open valves, my bucket I hang off the spigot in the basement will get an additional couple cups of water. I've heard (maybe this is wrong) that water can seep into the heads/lines and blowing them out really only cleans them out once, but as snow melts etc, you get a little water in the lines anyway. Haven't had a single cracked line or head in 10 years doing it this way in Nebraska winters (down to -20 last year).
Can you make a video about that, please.
I've been winterizing my sprinkler system for 18 years now. I use a Husky 60 gallon compressor at 40 PSI one zone at a time.
Imagine the money and time you saved waiting for someone. Plus I am sure you open them too. Thousands of $, little things add up to big savings! Thanks for sharing!
I installed my 5 zone sprinkler system myself. I keep spare solenoids and heads in stock. Next season I'm changing the timer to an internet ready version.
Glenn Martin - by any chance have you done or come across a good step by step guide on how to do it? I bought a house with pre-installed ground sprinklers but the coverage is very poorI need to fix It but don’t wanna spend a fortune outsourcing.
Great video.Thanks for info on Air connector fabrication you did plus the 40 psi setting.I had been trying to figure those things out.Looks like I will need something in my valve box for the air connector to hook too.My system not used for drinking water, just grass watering.Thanks
Thank you, I have done it this way for over 10 years and never had a single issue when opening them.
@@SilverCymbal Yea,My system is one inch PVC LOCK.Think I can use one inch T in line with !/2 inch plug removed for Air connector.Bought a couple of plugs for this but after viewing your video,I don't think I will need but one and just open each valve at a time.I am kind of tight on space in the box. thanks.
It is recommended that you install the Blow out Port "PAST"/on the other side of the Back Flow preventer so as to not cause damage to it. Which is a possibility when you don't bypass it.
thanks good video
Thank you I really appreciate the kind comment. Best wishes to you.
Curios what is the spec's on your compressor?
Wow I never knew what was under those green lids and what they were for.
Glad it was helpful. If you ever have an issue and you think it's your controller you can always turn one of these manually to bypass the controller and troubleshoot in a pinch. Thank you for watching.
Excellent video..very clear and concise....thank you. What size compressor do you use?
I use a larger one in this video but because you are only using lower psi even a smaller pancake style will work fine. You can always run through your zones a couple of times to ensure all water is out. Thanks for watching
I have a 25 gallon compressor, so I guess this should work well
I take it this needs to be done in some areas of the world where the pipes freeze and damage them?
Can I really use a small air compressor? I have a single zone that does both the front and back lawn. I think there are maybe 20-25 total pop up sprinkler heads
S.C., I had read that the backflow preventer (pressure vacuum breaker) can be damaged by sending that compressed air through the backflow preventer. In other words, air should be put into the system down stream of the PVB. Please comment.
Maybe in Florida but you cannot do that up north and east coast because the parts were freeze if you leave enough water in the pipes
Florida what's that? I live in Massachusetts. 😀Temps are below 0 here every winter - This technique is the best way to close just like a pro does
@@SilverCymbal Different parts of the country use different piping in irrigation. In Massachusetts, we use Polyethylene piping which is why your system survives the winter. Poly pipe will flex to a point. Also the snow we get insulates the ground and helps protect against freezing. Other parts of the country have pvc piping underground. PVC will shatter like a stack of pringles. A homeowner air compressor will not remove enough water. The key to an air compressor is not pressure, it's volume. Pro's use minimum 60 cubic feet per minute for residential properties. I use a 250 CFM compressor with a diesel engine, but I do athletic fields with 3-4 in PVC piping as well. This is why your heads pop up and down while you are blowing them out. Not enough volume.
The most vulnerable part of the system is the exposed copper piping and brass fittings. Don't close the valves on the backflow preventor all the way. They can trap water and crack the brass valves, especially if you don't use a high volume air compressor, or have a faulty shutoff valve. Proper way is to close them half way, especially the test cocks (the small 1/4" valves, the cost $15 each wholesale). Get rid of that plug and put a threaded faucet in it. Leave it open halfway so if you have a faulty shutoff, the water drains out and you don't have to keep redoing the teflon tape. You can get a hosesized fitting to reduce to whatever size your airline is at any hardware store or big box store. I don't know who told you 40 psi is adequate. The piping is rated for more than 100 psi, we set our compressor for 75-80 psi per manufacturers recommendations. Running for 4 minutes or less each zone is important, the plastic gears inside the heads will get too hot without water and may need to be replaced in the spring. Multiple times my be needed.
It's ok to blow air through a pressure vacuum breaker from the house side, but some houses on hills have a different backflow device that must be drained on the house side and blown out from the downstream side. Air from compressors is warm to hot, and these devices have seals that can be distorted by the heat.
When opening valves, open the furthest from the water supply 1st, that will empty the main line, and make the rest of the zones blow out quicker.
nothing makes me laugh more than when i go to shut down a doctor or engineers house and they go "so do you put anti-freeze in the lines?"
That is funny, I have heard that too from people. They have no idea.
I just thread a male quick connect for the air hose into the little valve on the side of the back flow and just flush from there
just thinking could put a little anti freeze in there shouldn't hurt anything
Can you tell me why my sprinkler heads do not pop up on the second attempt to blow out lines. Air is heard passing from the heads but do not lift as they do on first attempt to blow out water. Tia
Did I miss something? When did you turn on the compressor? During each 3 minute run time?
I normally turn it on after I connect it to the plumbing and it stays on until I am done. The sprinkler valves themselves allow the air to flow just like they do water.
What size is the fitting? It didn’t say in the video
Is there an air compressor too small to do this? I have a Porter & Cable pancake compressor, 150 PSI tank, 2.6 SCFM @ 90 psi. Is this compressor big enough?
I'm sure your air compressor is enough to do sprinkler winterizing. Usually, we set the pressure under 50psi.
I asked a couple questions last year and I just finished using your steps which is awesome. Thank you! I just want to ask if what happened to me is normal. I was at 40 psi and when I turn the zone on the sprinkler heads would come up quick cause the full 40 psi was coming through. Then after 3-5 seconds the psi would drop to around 10-15 psi on the compressor and the sprinkler heads would go down. Is that normal? Then I'd wait another 20 seconds or so to let the compressor build back up then I'd turn on the zone again and mist would spray out and a little bit of water as well then the heads went back down. Is that normal?
Yes that's normal. My 29gal compressor can't keep up with my zones either (I have 10). I just have to let it fill up several times during the blow-out. Amazing how much air it takes to do this!
That is why it is better to have a larger compressor that you can fill to capacity and then run at the desired psi. You can run into problems with what you experienced. Imagine the pipes full of water and your little compressor comes and blows off the top portion of the water in the lines creating a fast and easy way for the air to escape just above the standing water in the bottom portion of the lines. That water will still be in the lines no matter how hard you try. Generally won't be a problem because you've created enough space to account for the expansion of freezing water but it definitely can still be a problem in the wrong conditions
Where did you get those pliers? What is the model and manufacturer?
You can get it right here: amzn.to/2T44MgK I love this thing and it will last forever.
Great video! I have a small 6 gallon pancake compressor and I ran my 7 zones with 4-5 heads at 40 psi like you said. The water pretty much ran to mist. Ran through each zone 4 times. I noticed a couple of the heads wouldn’t come up by the 3d cycle. Does that indicate there wasn’t enough air? Or is it most likely dry and there was nothing more to come out? Thanks again!!
I had the same thing happen to me on my 2nd cycle at 60psi. I think that means there wasn't enough water to push them up. Hoping I didnt run it at too high of a psi, but reading your comment makes me think we are fine.
Hey thanks for letting me know you had same issue! Yeah, I have to think you’re right, I’m sure enough water was blown out.
means not enough air cfm to push them all up. The goal isn't to get 100% water out, just most of it so that when it freezes (and expands), there's plenty of room to accommodate the ice. I'd bet the ones that didn't come up are far and lower than the ones blowing air. Should still be okay.
One thing that you should emphasize is that your Solenoids inside the valve box might be different from other people. And some of them (like rain bird) you SHOULD NOT twist the solenoid. Instead, you should open the bleeders. Rain bird’s solenoids are very sensitive and can get damaged if twisted often.
Other videos say blowing throw a blackflow is bad. Is that why you keep it at a lower psi?
The lower PSI is usually what the sprinkler head companies recommend so that the internal gears don't spin too fast since they are normally cooled by water. You are 100% correct they do say not to go through the backflow if you can avoid it, but I have never had an issue and many pros don't bother either often because there is no easy way to get in the line.
@@SilverCymbalit could be 25 psi and they would rotate fast, I think people just worry about busting pipes
Can I leave my plug completely out and my valves 1/4 of the turn open just in case there is any water
Yes
So you keep the compressor running at 40 psi the whole time? While you're switching zones it's still on and blowing at 40 psi? Have you ever had a sprinkler valve or head break because of the air being blown through the system?
That is correct. Yes, even when its off or switching valves 40psi is fine. Normal water pressure is 40-60psi so those valves and heads run at that pressure all the time.
@@SilverCymbal first of all, thank you so much for the quick reply, I really appreciate it. I asked this because last fall when I winterized it and the next spring came, I swear the whole system blew up. I had to replace all 8 zone valves and so far I've replaced 11 sprinkler heads that were leaking. We've only lived in the house for a little over a year so I have no idea what condition the heads and valves were in before but holy crap it was a lot of work and cost me a good chunk of money. So needless to say I'm a little scared to do it again this fall (: I will put on my big boy pants and try it again using your method. It would be ok to switch through the zones using the control box as well instead of turning the solenoids right?
@@those1kidds That is really bad, its also very unusual to lose them all. I would think it may have been freeze damage, so people never winterize which is crazy if you are in the north. That may have been it. I have never lost a head or valve from closing. what I showed you here is how I have done it in a lot of different houses over the years and always had a good spring opening. Hope this helps.
@@SilverCymbal sounds good. Hopefully now that most of it is new I'll have better luck (: thanks for your help and awesome videos
\Rotor Heads can easily do 90+ PSI. those mister heads you gotta be more careful with because in the better case scenario, it will only walk them off their adjustment, or blow the seals/ pipes because they rent as big.
How long does it take you to blow out your entire system and how many zones do you have?
I have 8 zones, I do the first run of 2 minutes per zone. Then to be absolutely sure I do it one more time. So once its hooked up its just about 30 minutes total.
@@SilverCymbal awesome, thanks!
Hi,
Do you think it is ok to put compressed air through your anti-siphon back flow preventer valve?
Vinnie
Technically no, all the documentation say not to do it that BUT I have never seen any pro do it any other way that I am showing you. My anti siphon was almost 20 years old when it finally failed and it was due to corrosion not an internal failure so I can tell you in my experience its always worked great
Thanks, I've been blowing my through the valve for 32 years now (bought our house i 1986). But our local plumber store says no.
Hey I thank you for getting back with me.
Vinnie
You should NEVER pressurize your back flow preventer from the input side. You can destroy it! Your air line should always be connected to the output side of the back flow preventer..
Absolutely. And almost every single diy video I've watched they are plugging the compressor in before the backflow as well as a few other mistakes. That being said, this guys system wasn't installed optimally. He doesn't even have anywhere to hook up the compressor near the house on the correct side of the backflow.
I installed my system over 20 years ago and put my blowout valve before the back flow preventer. Keep the air pressure around 35-40 psi and you be fine.
Make sure you have a path for the air to go and your back pressure valve shouldn't see the full pressure of the compressor
I have an irrigation system in my house but it's been turned off for three years. How do I turn them on? I don't want to pay $150 to have them turned on.
New video just posted on how to open your own sprinklers: ua-cam.com/video/65kbNfhvuko/v-deo.html
LOL this vacuum breaker is way to old to meet code, it should have been replaced years ago.
your heads are popping up and down because your compressor isnt pushing enough CFM
As a sprinkler technician. There’s a lot of faults and truths here.
Cut the bushes down
They are ornamental grasses so they die off every year but not yet
@@SilverCymbal right on👍
Interesting video . I live Southwest of Phoenix AZ . We don't winterize sprinkler systems here
@@therealandrewcano Thank you
@@SilverCymbal 👍
Have professionals do the job and your system will last way longer!!!
Or do it yourself and take more time and do it right. 20 years on mine going strong.
Everybody's irrigation systems are different! Your gonna cause more problems and I bet you also fix your plumbing, your electric your heating just a jack of all trades right? Trust me your system will last way longer being winterized by a professional!
@@gluonparticle9327 You can insult me all you want it doesn't change a thing and just makes me realize how spot on this video was.
Had the irrigation installers do mine the first year and he even told me I can handle it myself...I've been doing it for 15 years no problems. Depends if you are a handy person...nothing hard about it
@@donknicker8110 Same here, 3 different houses for 20 years with 0 problems. Most of the comments discouraging people are from pros that I can see.
Not true about the air compressor this is ridiculous your gonna cause people more problems and future repairs because of this!
Trust the pros in all trades!
Gluon Particle if you say it’s not true, say why. Otherwise people will assume you’re just trying not to lose business.
He can't because it isn't. Any real pro has no fear of losing business to DIY'rs. Home systems are nothing like giant commercial systems that run ball fields. etc that require a much larger compressors because their piping is larger and runs can be very long. Watch the water come out each zone and when it stops the water is out, if in doubt cycle it through for another few minutes per zone to be double sure that you are good. I can only share my experience doing this on 5 different homes with brands from Hunter, Rainbird and Toro with nothing but perfect results.
It's not about business like I said before when you need a plumber do you do it yourself? When you need an electrician do you repair it yourself? Same with irrigation. its because I have winterized thousands of houses. Ive seen the problems first hand! You people can do whatever you want I'm just saying from experience most people have caused themselves more money $$$ and frustration then to just have it done professionally.
@@SilverCymbal are you a professional irrigation technician?
@@gluonparticle9327 what did he do in this video that is so wrong?