As the winter season approaches, it's important to take steps to protect your irrigation system in Iowa from the cold weather. Winterizing your irrigation system is a crucial step in maintaining its longevity and functionality. It will ensure your irrigation system is safely shut down before the winter season to avoid frost damage. Irrigation winterization involves several steps, including turning off the water supply, shutting down the system, and blowing out the lines to remove any remaining water. By doing this, no water is left inside the pipes and other components of the irrigation system that could freeze over the winter and cause damage.

Failing to winterize your irrigation system can lead to costly damage, including cracked or broken pipes and damaged sprinkler heads. To avoid these issues, it's best to schedule your winterization service around October before the freezing temperatures set in.

Irrigation Winterization Involves Shutting off Your System & Draining Water in It

Blowing out water out of a sprinkler head in Ankeny, IA.

Winterization involves temporarily retiring your irrigation system for the winter to protect it from freezing temperatures and avoid costly damages. Its primary goal is to rid your system of water because any left inside will freeze during winter, expand, and damage its components. This important step in irrigation maintenance follows a thorough process that involves several steps, including:

  • Turning off the water supply of your irrigation system: Closing off the primary water supply to your irrigation system will prevent any water that could freeze from entering the system during the chilly months.
  • Shutting down the irrigation system: Once the water is turned off, the next thing to do to winterize your system is to shut it down so it does not run during the winter.
  • Blowing out the lines: One of the most important things to do to properly winterize your irrigation system is to drain all of the residual water inside by blowing it out. This will ensure there is no water left in the pipes that will freeze and cause damage to the system.

What happens if you don't winterize your irrigation system?

If you don't winterize your irrigation system, you run the risk of the water in your lines freezing over. Water expands when it freezes, which means the formation of ice inside your system can crack and break the pipes or cause them to burst, leading to costly damages come spring. Additionally, your sprinkler heads could become damaged, as water can get trapped in them and freeze over. To avoid these issues, it's important to schedule your irrigation winterization service before temperatures drop!

When should you winterize your irrigation system?

To ensure your irrigation system is properly prepared for the winter season, it's important to schedule your irrigation winterization service ahead of the winter season. The best time to do so is in October, so you can be confident that your irrigation system is ready when temperatures suddenly drop! This is also the best time to do it because the growing season is almost at an end and the danger of the first frost is already looming. By the time freezing weather sets in, you don't have to worry about your system getting damaged!

Schedule an irrigation startup service in the spring to get your system back up after the winter season.

Call Us Today to Schedule Our Irrigation Winterization Service

At ETCH Outdoor Living, we know how important it is to maintain the tip-top shape of your irrigation system during the winter months. That's why we offer our irrigation winterization service to help you prepare for the cold weather. Our team of experts will follow a thorough process to ensure that your irrigation system is properly winterized, so you don't have to worry about any potential damage. This service is offered to residential and commercial properties, as well as HOAs, in Ankeny, Johnston, Urbandale, West Des Moines, Waukee, IA, and other nearby areas. Give us a call at (515) 654-5447 to schedule this service today!