Sprinkler Blowout Boise

For the best sprinkler blowout Boise has to offer turn to the experts at Lush Lawn Care Pros. Incorrect winterization of your sprinkler system will most likely cost you heaps of cash and a lot of headache in the spring. Save yourself money, time, and peace of mind by calling the experts at Lush Lawn Care Pros for your sprinkler blowout service.

We are so confident in our team and service, we guarantee you will be absolutely delighted. We truly believe we are your best option for sprinkler blowouts in Boise and surrounding areas such as Meridian, Kuna, Eagle, and Star.

For a free estimate and position on our fall schedule call us at (208) 906-3220 or click below!

Boise Sprinkler Blowout

The Boise valley is known for its beautiful landscapes and unique blend of city life and outdoor living. This is in large part due to the four seasons we are blessed to experience. However, this also means we have cold weather in the winter and must prepare our yards by winterizing our irrigation systems. Whether you are looking for a reliable and knowledgeable company to hire to winterize your sprinkler system, or you are looking for simple instructions to perform this task yourself, you will find what you are looking for in this article.

Why Should I Winterize My Sprinkler System?

You might ask yourself, "Why should I even bother winterizing my sprinkler system? Whats the worst that could happen?" I can tell you from personal experience this thought process is much like putting off going to the dentist when you know you have a cavity. Ultimately you start to feel more pain and make it in to the dentist only to find out that because you put it off you will now be paying $800 for a root canal instead of 50 bucks for a filling. Freeze Damage to the valves, back-flow preventer, and piping will cost significantly more than hiring someone to winterize the entire system.

So, do yourself a favor and make sure your system is properly winterized. For the best sprinkler blowout Boise service available, call the experts at Lush Lawn Care Pros for a free estimate.

When Should I Winterize My Sprinkler System?

The season for sprinkler blowouts in the Boise area typically starts in October and can go as late as November. Of course the weather from year to year can change significantly, so it is most important to consider the temperatures expected in the weekly forecast. Temperatures at and below 30 degrees should put you at red alert. At this point. your system is likely to freeze, expand, and cause significant damage to components in the system. 

Right Equipment

To properly winterize an irrigation system and prevent unnecessary damage, the proper equipment must be used. Many homeowners have made the mistake of thinking, "I already have an air compressor in my shop. Why not save some money and do it myself?" only to find out the hard way that the use of improper equipment is not only a waste of time, but can also lead to hundreds if not thousands of dollars in damage to their irrigation systems. 

Professionals use large commercial compressors that have the ability to supply a large amount of air volume at a low level of psi. The typically air compress owned by homeowners generate high psi with a very low volume of air. Applying too much pressure to the system is a good way to cause significant damage.

So, if you are planning on doing it yourself, make sure you have the right air compressor for the job.

How To Winterize Sprinkler System

Below are detailed instructions for those homeowners that consider themselves handy and would like to winterize their own systems. 

Close Mainline Sprinkler Shutoff Valve

The first task is to shut off the water flow at the main shut off valve (A) at the front of the system. This is a valve typically found in the basement or crawl space. If you are unable to locate it in or under the house, the next place to look is outside near the water meter. Often it will be in a valve box in the ground. 

Relieve Water Pressure

Next, you need to depressurize the system by manually or electronically opening at least one of the valves/zones. This can be done electronically at the sprinkler control panel or manually at the individual valve at the beginning of the zone.

Isolate The Back-flow Preventer

The back-flow preventer (C) is an expensive component and is not fun to replace. Before applying pressure to the system, it is important to isolate the back-flow preventer from the system. Most often there is a ball valve (D) right after the back-flow valve. Turn this valve off to prevent pressure on the back-flow preventer. 

Connect The Air Compressor

Connect the air compressor hose to the adapter near the back-flow preventer. To do this, you will need to remove the cap from the adapter. Please keep in mind that there could still be pressure, and you will need to slowly remove the cap to avoid injury. Make sure that this connection is after the back-flow preventer. Never hook up to or before the back-flow valve as pressure to the valve will cause damage.

Turn On The Air Compressor

After the compressor has been hooked up to the adapter, set the compressor pressure regulator to 50 psi and turn on the compressor. It is very important that you do not apply more than 80 psi to the system, and most irrigation suppliers such as Rain Bird and Hunter recommend keeping the pressure at or below 50 psi.

The air will enter the system, and the zone number you had opened previously to depressurize the system will pop up and release any water. Continue to apply air until all heads turn from a steady stream of water to a mist. Never apply pressure to one zone for more than 2 min. at a time as this can cause damage to sprinkler head gears and other components.

Repeat For All Valves/Zones

Once the first zone has turned from stream of water to a misty spray, cycle through all of the zones repeating the process until you have cleared out every zone. When you reach the last zone, be sure to turn off the air compressor before shutting off the last zone. Failure to do so will pressurize the system and can lead to damage.

Disconnect Air Compressor

When all zones have been cleared, disconnect the air compressor and replace the adapter cap. Do not tighten the cap, but leave it loose so that pressure and additional water can escape if needed.

Slowly Open Manual Drain Valves

There should be a main drain valve near the shutoff line on the main line. This will be outside or could also be in the basement where you shut off the main water supply. Slowly open the valve to drain any remaining water. 

Leave All Ball Valves 45

Any ball valves after the main water shut off valve should be left open 45 degrees to prevent damage from freezing water left in the valves. There will likely be a ball valve before and after the back-flow preventer, and potentially even smaller ball valves on the back-flow valve itself.

Turn Sprinkler Controller Off

When you are finished blowing out the system, make sure and turn the automatic timer to the off position. 

Sprinkler Blowout Boise Cost

Of course the cost will very slightly company to company, but for the typical size home with one or two boxes full of valves/zones, you can plan on paying anywhere from 50-100 dollars each fall to have your sprinklers blown out properly.  If you have a larger yard and more sprinkler zones, you should plan on paying slightly more because it will obviously take the person you hire more time to clear out additional sprinklers. 

Additional Services

At Lush Lawn Care Pros, we provide our customers with the best lawn care services available in the Boise valley. Additional services include:

Weekly Maintenance

Lawn Aeration

Bush Trimming

Sprinkler Blowouts

Spring/Fall Cleanup

Leaf Removal

Flower Bed Mulching