Is blowing out the sprinkler system absolutely necessary?

17 years ago

I live in MA. I have an in-ground sprinkler system for the lawn. Each year, I've had the system blown out in Oct/Nov for winterization.

I'm just wondering if this is absolutely necessary or just a good thing to do?

Last year, I recall it snowed before I had the system blown out, so the water left over in the tubes must have frozen. And, this year, the system worked just fine -- no problems as a result.

If it is really necessary, is there a good guide on how to do this somewhere? The company that installed mine is no longer in business and they charged around $80.

Thanks!

Comments (3)

more_to_grow
17 years ago
"I'm just wondering if this is absolutely necessary...?" Yes

"Last year, I recall it snowed before I had the system blown out, so the water left over in the tubes must have frozen" Not so. The mere presence of snow on the ground is no indication of how far, if at all, the frost has penetrated the ground; in fact snow insulates the ground and can inhibit frost penetration.

If you do not blow out your system and there are sustained freezing temperatures, your system will freeze and break. I have repaired many sytems which were not winterized or winterized too late.

$80-$100 to protect your system from being ruined/seriously damaged is VERY cheap insurance.

I have heard people speak of blowing out their systems themselves, and have done it myself, with small home compressors; but this is very risky as you will not be using adequate volume of air and thus will not remove all the water in the pipe, the remaining air will pool in the low spots, freeze and break your pipe/fittings.
blacksteel1288
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks -- after reading a few guides on how to DIY this one, I'm not interested in buying or renting an air compressor of that magnitude. I was hoping I might get by with your average small-scale compressor that you use for nail guns, etc. -- that apparently won't work.

So now I'm back in the market for a new landscaping company to come do it.

Thanks anyway!
more_to_grow
17 years ago
A prudent decision IMO. This particular topic is a sometimes contentious one, it seems everyone has a differing opinion on what constitutes an adequate compressor for the job. Generally speaking a compressor that provides 80-100 cfm will suffice for pipes 2" and less. The one I use delivers 950cfm, but we blow out large systems mostly.