Freeze Protection

Here's a big one to put on your 'To Do' list: Winterize Drip System. Water expands when it freezes. Winter happens. It doesn't matter if your water lines are made of PVC, poly, copper, or steel, they can burst or crack. Be proactive. Don't waste time and money on needless repairs.

In most parts of the country there is real concern about freezing during the winter months, and that includes frost damage to your drip irrigation system. When winterizing, there are mainly two areas to consider: the system start (timer, valves, and filter) and any low spots in the lines where water may settle. The elements of the system start can be seen in the photo at the left. Whether or not you have low spots to deal with depends on the presence of elevation changes in your terrain.

Here are the necessary steps to take.

1.     Turn off the main water supply. If the filter has a drain valve, open it. Open any flush caps and remove any end fittings on the mainline or supply lines. This will help to drain most of the water from your system. Replace the end fittings, but leave them loose so they can continue to drain. This will keep any residual water from pooling at the end of the line and putting those fittings at risk for freezing.

2.    Disconnect the battery timers, filters, and regulators and bring them indoors. Remove the batteries from the timers. If you have a hose splitter installed, be sure it too is drained and left open to prevent cracking.

3.     After the start assembly has been removed, use a hose plug to close the front end of the system. This will keep water and opportunistic insects out. In lieu of a hose plug, a plastic bag may suffice. Just be sure to use something to close the ends of your lines, or you could face a nasty surprise come spring.

4.     Open all manual valves and set electrical valves to manual open. In a freeze, standing water can crack the valve casing or deform the diaphragm and ruin the valve. If the irrigation valves are mounted on a manifold, consider installing a simple shutoff valve on the end to drain the entire assembly.

5.     Though tubing may not be damaged by freezing, fittings will crack if water is left standing in them. Elevate fittings slightly to ensure that all the water drains out. 

6.     To drain the water from the mainline, install a drain valve, flush valve, or basic emitter at the lowest point in the system. Drain valves and flush valves will automatically open up and drain the lines whenever the system pressure drops below 2.5-3 PSI, and a basic emitter will continue to drain even after the system is shut down. Don't worry if a little water remains in the lines. As long as the tubing is not full of water you'll be fine.

7.     Another widely practiced method to flush lines uses compressed air. If you go this route, just make sure the end fittings are open and the pressure doesn't exceed 30 PSI (or the maximum operating pressure of any system components).

That's it. You can kick back with your favorite hot beverage, confident that you're ready for the next growing season. Now about those gutters....