Is Your Sprinkler System Prepared for the Winter?

Know anyone who's interested in building a home? 
If you have any friends, family, or co-workers who are looking to own their first or second home - would you forward this message to them? We'll be happy to show them our 6 new construction home plans along with the benefits of owning a Charleston Home so they can make a decision that's right for them.

With fall weather approaching I thought it'd be a good time to talk about draining your sprinkler system. When the weather gets cold, the ground gets even colder, and the water left in your sprinkler system has a chance to freeze, which could ruin your sprinkler system.

Any time that the temperature gets below freezing you're going to need to drain the system until it's been fully winterized. To drain the sprinkler, simply locate the shutoff valve next to your sprinkler meter. On both sides of the meter, there will be shutoff valves that control the water to the home, which you'll need to shut off.

Then you will have to find the sprinkler valve. To shut it off, turn it vertically to prevent all water to the sprinkler system. A very important step in this process is to clear the water from the drain. You can do this by opening the drain valve next to the sprinkler shutoff valve. The drain valve will allow any excess water to escape and drip out. Be sure to place a bucket underneath the valve to capture any excess water.

You're going to have to step outside to drain another valve on the outside. All you have to do is open it up and release any excess water that has formed. Most homes also have ports on the outside drainage valve, and you'll need a flathead screwdriver to rotate the system to 90 degrees. You'll need to do this with every port that you have on your home, and some can have up to four or five.

For a quick recap of this process:

1. Shut off the water to the sprinkler system.

2. Open the drain to release trapped water.

3. Open the drain for the system outside.

4. Adjust the ports of the 'open' position.

5. Have the system professionally winterized by late October / early November.

That's a very abbreviated list above, so be sure to contact me if you have any questions. I can recommend you to someone who can come in and completely winterize your system once it's become too cold to use it anymore.

As always, please don't hesitate to visit our model homes in Gretna and Elkhorn.