Blowing out, or “winterizing,” your irrigation system is a critical part of protecting this valuable aspect of your home. A sprinkler blowout is a process where compressed air is forced through the lines to expel all the water.

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You might think that your sprinklers would be safe beneath the surface and out of harm’s way, but the truth is, it doesn’t take much time for the ground to freeze and cause a lot of damage to your irrigation system.

 

The most important element of your irrigation system that needs to be protected is your backflow device. These units are especially sensitive to freezing, even though they are metal.

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The blowout process typically produces a fog like that shown in the photos. Fog is an important part of the process. It shows there is enough volume of air coming through at the right pressure forcing the water into tiny droplets. Some people try blowing out their own sprinklers using little compressors they have in their garages. The typical hobby compressor delivers about 10% of the capacity needed to do the job properly.

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At HLM, we own our own professional compressor, and we complete all the steps necessary to do a proper blowout. This includes blowing out the backflow device.