The Three Seasons of Maintenance for Landscape Sprinklers

2/5/2022 (Permalink)

Irrigation systems save you time while taking care of the landscape that makes your building in Punta Gorda, FL, an inviting place to do business. Seasonal maintenance on your sprinklers can prevent unwelcome surprises, like flooding and property damage. Here are the three seasons of routine irrigation maintenance.

1. Winterize Your System

The best way to prevent sprinkler flooding is to properly prepare for the winter. The process is referred to as a “blowout” and is done at a reasonable price by professionals, costing about $50 - $100. A high-capacity compressor is hooked up to your system to blow out all the water. You should also make sure to shut off the main water supply valve, leaving all drain valves in the system open.

2. Spring Into Action

Spring irrigation maintenance has more steps than other seasons, but it is not as complicated as it sounds. First, close all drains. These include a handle at the split in your pipes near the main water supply to the house, screwdriver adjustable test-cock valves at the back-flow preventer, and hand-turned cross-shaped drain valves in the control box. Next, close the outdoor valves that lie before and after the backflow preventer. Turn on the main water supply then reopen those valves by the back-flow preventer. When all valves are open, test each zone and check that sprinkler heads are operating. After several minutes, check all valves and drains for leaks.

3. Observe Summer

Inspect your system for even coverage, flooded areas, and broken sprinkler heads. Check for these problems periodically in the summer to ensure you don’t delay business one day with an early morning flood due to an inexpensive part failure that could have been fixed if noticed sooner.

If damaged sprinklers teach you irrigation maintenance lessons the hard way, just know you don’t have to handle water damage alone. You can count on knowledgeable and experienced specialists to be your one resource for damage recovery, from cleanup to restoration.