Learn How to Protect and Save Your Irrigation System
This article discusses winterizing your irrigation system’s backflow device, the Polar Vortex effect, and how your backflow device can be affected. Almost every lawn in the United States is subject to severe winter weather. This is especially true for the new Polar Vortex that has hit the states. This Vortex has caused many people to rethink their pipe protection and backflow prevention devices. You may need to gather some supplies in order to make sure that your home is prepared for when the polar vortex is over and everything starts to melt.
Recent history shows that areas most vulnerable to damage from suddenly frozen temperatures are those in the southern portions of the country. This is because they are not prepared or acclimated to long periods of freezing temperatures. For this reason, it is critical that every homeowner prepares for problems during the winter weather.
Avoid Damage From Freezing Water In Your Pipes:
Freezing water in your pipes is one of the most common types of sprinkler problems during the winter months. There are two problems that are most prevalent. This also includes water accumulating in sprinkler systems from the compressed air in the sprinkler pipes, and improper insulation of backflow devices.
What Happens If I Don’t Winterize My Backflow Device?
When a backflow device is not winterized and freezes, it will expand along with the frozen water inside of it. This causes a few different things to happen. The bonnet and poppet assembly could freeze causing it to blow apart and water will run all over until it is shut off, if your valve breaks, it will be another problem and will be extremely costly to fix. When you go to turn on your irrigation, water will flow freely from the broken backflow and you might even have non-potable water rushing into your potable water inside of your home. If you do not become aware of any breakage with your backflow, this will lead the way to a very unsatisfactory year of lawn maintenance and possibly health care bills if you ingest any water from the backflow device. Click here to shop for backflow winterization items.
How To Winterize Your Backflow To Prevent Freeze Damage:
- Turn the water off
- Replace broken part
- Drain the backflow
- Turn the valve handle at a 45-degree angle
- Wrap the device with a towel
- Wrap everything in a plastic bag then tape or secure it in place.
