Safeguard your system for the winter with our complete and certified blowout service.
Watch: Sprinkler System Blowout
Frozen water expands and can damage the vital components of your system or burst its pipes. Winterization is also known as a “blowout” because we blow out most of the water from your system, leaving it empty and ready for hibernation.
Calling ‘quits’ on the summer season can be sad, but paying later to repair your system because the winterization was not done on time does not make it any better. Protect your investment and schedule a winterization service in time.
Book ServiceWe recommend making sure that your irrigation system is running properly. If you experienced any issues in the summer it might be a good idea to have it checked or repaired before your winterization service.
Book ServiceCheck out our video on this to learn more: https://youtu.be/IzvvdG_eylE
Yes, you do. Every fall, most of the water must be expelled from the irrigation system. Otherwise, it will freeze, expand, and damage your underground irrigation system in the winter.
When water freezes, it expands. Thus, most of the water must be expelled from the irrigation system before the water can freeze. This is called an irrigation system blowout because a compressor blows out most of the water. Once most of the water has been removed from the sprinkler system, it is ready for winter. A few clients ask if we put antifreeze in the lines. We do not.
A sprinkler system should be winterized before overnight temperatures fall below zero degrees Celsius. For us here in Alberta, we recommend winterizing your irrigation system before the end of September. We have had a few years when the overnight lows have been cold enough to damage the main waterline for the irrigation system as early as September 28th. Ultimately, you can run it later into the season, but there is always the risk that a cold overnight low could damage your irrigation system. The bit of pipe that goes from the house to the valve box is most at risk. That bit of pipe is exposed to the elements and can freeze faster than the pipes or sprinklers in the ground.
What we recommend is the following:
No, but the majority of it is. There is always a little left over. The point of winterization is to remove the majority of it, and the remainder will not be enough to damage the underground sprinkler system.
Also, sprinklers are not watertight. As easily as water leaves the nozzle when the sprinkler system is on, water will return through it, too, via snowpack melt and/or rain. Water entering your system gradually throughout the winter is unlikely to cause damage.
Lastly, rotor-style sprinkler heads have gears and other moving parts inside. Air acts differently than water, and blowing hot air through a rotor head for extended periods can damage the gears and shorten the lifespan of the rotor head. This means you could damage your irrigation system by blowing it out for too long in an attempt to expel every last drop of water.
Regarding the service commonly referred to as a Sprinkler Winterization or “Fall Blowout”, depending on the system layout, parts may need to be disconnected in order to ensure that the system has been winterized properly.
Because the system no longer has water running through it, Naiad Irrigation Systems Ltd. (hereafter referred to as “Naiad”) cannot guarantee that any components that may or may not have been disconnected and reconnected during the winterization process will be reconnected to the point in which they could be deemed as watertight.
Furthermore, in order to allow certain irrigation systems to drain properly, some exterior components of the system may be left open after the service has been completed to prevent any potential damage to the system over the winter.
With this being the case, Naiad cannot and shall not be held responsible for any potential and/or actual damages to any persons and/or property due to improperly installed, malfunctioning, or otherwise leaking/open components.
Please Note that Naiad Irrigation Systems is not responsible for any damages or potential damages due to freezing conditions. As a result, Naiad can only guarantee services booked on the first day that we are servicing that area. Appointments booked for the second or third day that we are in the area are highly susceptible to freezing conditions which is why we highly recommend always booking for the first day we are servicing your area to avoid any complications.
Should a system be frozen at the time of the winterization, Naiad will return the following week to attempt to winterize the system again. Notice will be sent to any clients who have frozen systems informing them of the situation.