[Shop-talk] Winterizing Sprinkler System

[john niolon]

Hi Jim.  I do the same every year.  My system is a little larger  1500’ of pipe in 7 zones.  I have a backflow preventer valve on my sprinkler main line from the house main.  It has a port on each side of the valve that you can screw a male air compressor fitting into.  I simply drag my hose out the box and using a standard quick coupler on the hose connect it to the male fitting on the BFP valve.  
Then, I manually cycle thru each zone till I get no water at the farthest sprinkler head... easy to do and doesn’t take but a minute or two on each zone.

john 

From: Jim Stone via Shop-talk 
Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 2019 10:32 AM
To: Shop Talk 
Subject: [Shop-talk] Winterizing Sprinkler System

I need to drain and winterize my new sprinkler system and can’t imagine I need to pay someone to do that job.  While I understand the ‘proper’ way to do it is to manually open each valve, I was told a few years ago that it is easier to just pressurize the system at the drain valve and then use the manual function on the controller to run through each zone until no more water comes out.  (FWIW, my system is not that large and has 6 zones.). I was thinking about rigging something up that would allow me to attach my compressor and walk away, but found this on Amazon, which seems like a good investment that would pay for itself on the first use: https://www.amazon.com/Winterize-Sprinkler-Systems-Outdoor-Faucets/dp/B0055QAAIQ/ref=asc_df_B0055QAAIQ/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309735714375&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11131050794144962178&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004590&hvtargid=pla-570302725618&psc=1. I could save around $10 and just buy a hose to quick disconnect fitting, but the shut off valve seems like a good addition. 

I have fairly large compressor, but think it will be more trouble than it is worth to get air to the master drain valve.  Instead, I was planning on just using my Harbor Freight 8 gal portable compressor.  (https://www.harborfreight.com/8-gal-2-hp-125-psi-oil-lube-air-compressor-68740.html).   My water pressure is regulated to 60 lbs, so I figured something around this should be sufficient.

Am I missing anything?  Is there any good reason to pay a professional to do this job?  It seems like a no-brainer to me, but I’ve been called a no-brainer before.

Thanks,
Jim


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