By Brad Haire
University of Georgia
Frost has already hit north Georgia. Freezing temperatures will
hit the rest of the state soon. It’s time to winterize outdoor
pipes and lawn sprinklers. A few precautions now can save a lot
of time, money and headaches later.
Freezing temperatures can cause the water in an exposed pipe to
expand. If the water expands too much, the pipe bursts.
“With home irrigation systems, you probably wouldn’t know you
had any pipe damage until you turned it on for the first spring
watering,” said Kerry Harrison, a University of Georgia
Cooperative Extension irrigation specialist.
Most in-ground sprinkler pipes will be OK. Only the top 2 inches
of the ground will freeze in most of Georgia. Pipes should be
well below this level. Other irrigation components, such as
backflow-prevention valves, are at ground level, though, and
could be in danger.
If there are any exposed valves or pipes around your home, tape
them up or “use a good old sack to wrap them,” Harrison said.
Home-improvement stores have many tapes, foams and gadgets to
keep these pipes warm on cold, winter nights.
The tips of sprinkler heads can hold water. When frozen, they
can rupture. The whole sprinkler system holds water, too, even
when it isn’t being used. Don’t forget to drain the system,
Harrison said. If you don’t drain it properly in the winter,
your sprinkler could be a geyser when you turn it on next
spring.
“Arrangements should have been made in the installation process
to have a way to drain those lines that would hold water through
a buried valve in a pit,” he said.
If you bought a home with an installed irrigation system, find
this drain valve. Some systems are equipped with automatic drain
valves.
Don’t forget about outside water hoses. You can do two things:
* Leave the hoses hanging outside. But disconnect them from
faucets.
* Disconnect, drain and store hoses someplace with a constant
temperature. This will prolong the life of hoses.
If you leave hoses undrained outside in the winter, don’t move
them or touch them in freezing weather. Frozen hoses are
fragile. You could be the one to break them.
Private water users and rural residents with wells should check
out their main water pump. Usually a quarter-inch pipe connects
to the pressure switch. If it’s metal, it likely won’t freeze.
But if it’s plastic, it might freeze and burst. This could cause
the water pump to fail or continue to run and cause some major
winter repairs.
If all these precautions fail and a pipe bursts, there’s still
one thing to remember: “Know where your main water cutoff is,”
Harrison said.
