APD Helpful Home Plumbing Tips for Winterizing Sprinklers & Outdoor Hydrants

It’s that time of year again, the temperatures are starting to drop and we’re closing in on our first freeze of the Fall or Winter season. The goal of this month’s newsletter is to prepare and protect your outdoor plumbing for the coming cold. We want to ensure that every homeowner with an outdoor sprinkler system or outdoor water hydrants understands the importance of winterizing their outdoor plumbing. Taking the proper precautions to protect your outdoor plumbing will give you peace of mind, save you money on costly repairs and help you avoid the heartache and hassle of water damage.

Take These Steps to Protect Your Outdoor Sprinkler System

If your home is equipped with an outdoor sprinkler system that means you spend less time moving a sprinkler across your lawn or wrestling with the garden hose. The added luxury of an automated system that keeps your lawn green and garden healthy, can also result in expensive plumbing repair bills and stress.

Taking the proper steps to winterize your homes outdoor sprinkler system is easy, just follow these easy-to-follow instructions and you’ll be feeling like a real home plumbing pro.

Step One – Shut Off Your Systems Water Source: A main water valve is usually found near your water meter. If your system has backflow prevention, shut it off as well. You will usually find two valves that lead into a backflow device; be sure to shut them both off. If your system doesn’t use potable water, it might not have a backflow preventer.

Step Two – Turn Off Your Systems Timer: If your system runs on an automatic timer, make sure you disable it.

Step Three – Drain the Water from Your System: It’s not enough just to stop water flow to your system; you also need to drain the remaining water that’s still in your systems lines. This is the most time-consuming step, but it’s absolutely vital.

Below are the three main methods of drainage depending on what type of sprinkler system you have.

Manual Draining – These types of draining systems typically has shut-off valves located at low points or ends of the piping. To drain slowly open the valves one at a time and letting the water run out, then simply close them when finished. Wearing eye protection is a good idea while completing this step because the water supply in the system could be under pressure.

Automatic Draining – These types of systems have components that will automatically drain water from the systems lines once you have shut off the main water valve and water pressure drops.

It’s important to note that you may still have some water trapped within the valves themselves. Locate each valve and loosen it, allowing air to flow into the system and water to flow out.

Blow-Out Draining – This type of sprinkler systems will allow you to hook an air compressor to your sprinkler systems pipes forcing the remaining water out of the sprinkler heads.

It’s important to note that if you do not have a blow out draining system this method is destructive and even dangerous when performed on a sprinkler system its not designed for. We recommend that you call an expert instead of attempting the blow-out draining method yourself. Even without any damage to your system, you may not remove all the water necessary and if left over the winter can cause problems.

Step Four – Insulate Any Above-Ground Components: Finally, make sure that any of the above-ground parts of your sprinkler system are properly insulated from the elements and freezing temperatures. Wrap any exposed pipes or backflow preventers in foam covers or insulation tape be sure that you don’t block any air vents or drain outlets.

Familiarizing yourself with your outdoor plumbing and following these helpful steps will help to ensure that you avoid any winter related plumbing issues.

Take These Steps to Protect Your Outdoor Water Hydrants

If you draw water from the exterior of your home, you most likely have a standard plumbing outdoor water hydrant. These convenient faucets release water with a simple twist making washing the car or filling up the pool an easy task. However, when the temperatures begin to drop and we inch closer to freezing, this summertime ally can become your worst enemy, causing water damage and the need for expensive repairs.

Taking the proper steps to winterize your homes outdoor water hydrants is easy, just follow these easy-to-follow instructions and you’ll be feeling like a real home plumbing pro.

Step One – Shut Off the Water Supply: In most homes the water line that feeds your outdoor water hydrant includes a valve so you can easily shut the water off at that specific point. This valve is typically found in your basement or crawlspace. Make sure that the valve only controls water to the outdoor faucet and shut it off. After shutting off the flow of water to the hydrant use this time to inspect the valve and piping for leaks.

Step Two – Disconnect Any Hoses: If you currently have any hoses connected to faucets, now is a good time to disconnect and store them for the winter.

Step Three – Drain the Faucet: If you found no shutoff valve in the basement you may skip this step. After turning off the water supply from inside you can now open your outdoor faucets to release any remaining water from the line. For standard faucets, this is a critical step that prevents freeze damage.

Step Four – Install an Outdoor Faucet Cover: Insulated outdoor faucet covers offer an added layer of protection against freezing. Be sure that your cover seals tightly to the wall around the faucet.

Familiarizing yourself with your outdoor plumbing and following these helpful steps will help to ensure that you avoid any winter related plumbing issues.

Stop Worrying About Frozen Faucets with an Automatic Draining Outdoor Hydrant

Most homeowners understand that leaving a hose connected to an outdoor hydrant in freezing temperatures can cause permanent damage to home plumbing and is the number one reason for failure and the need to replace the entire fixture. The Woodford Model 27 has solved this issue with its automatic draining freezeless feature. The specially engineered design of the Model 27 has multiple drain holes behind the handle that allow the users to clear the line or winterize the hydrant every time they turn off the water flow.

Even if you forget to remove a hose from your exterior faucets the Woodford Model 27 has you covered.

If you have any more questions about winterizing your outdoor sprinkler system or outdoor water hydrants and want to speak with an expert call or Book a Service Online with the experts at Andy’s Pipe Dream.

With these helpful tips you can stop worrying if your outdoor plumbing is ready for the winter.

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