Thank you!! My husband usually does this but he's deployed. I couldn't bring myself to pay somebody when we had the equipment to do it myself. My system is winterized thanks to you!
This is by far the best job at explaining the proper steps in winterizing an in-ground sprinkler system!!! Very well put together to hit on the necessary information while not adding so much commentary that you lose the average viewer!!! I recommend following this video if you're here to learn the right way!!!! Thank you for sharing this!!!
Currently working for a lawn irrigation company in new england as a service tech. I have run into situations where the poppet assembly inside the bell continues to leak while winterizing. What ive found is that your standard air compressor for tools may not be enough pressure to the poppet and allow air to flow to the system. Typically a trailer mount or truck mount is used because the pressure stays constant at 120-140 psi. Also...when blowing out, you want to blow out from the bottom test port blowing through the backflow totally. If you dont have access to the controller the valves ars the easiest option, however setting a 2 min test cycle on the controller not only assures the zone will be blown out, but all zones will be blown out equally, and you know the controller is functioning properly. Once completed turn both ball valves to 45° angles allowing for no water (condensation) build up freezing and crackinv the casing around the valve. Remember to unplug your controller. This will save $$ in the event a power surge occurs wiping out your program and mother board. Hunter PRO-C controllers are prone to this as well as older Rainbird /Rain Dial controllers.
@jeremy bordenca Good advice! I live in MA and have been chasing my guy for weeks to blow out the lines. With cold weather moving in, I will have to do this myself. From your comments, blowing through the Febco backflow valve at 120-140 PSI is NOT a problem, correct? I have a 2 gallon, 125 PSI compressor but I might need one with a bigger tank. In case I have to go buy one, what are the minimum specs that I need to do the job? Thanks!
This video was incredibly helpful, and go Bronocs! One tip to add, make sure your compressor output is somewhere near 60 PSI to ensure the backflow preventer seals. I was struggling to connect my compressor to the backflow because the PSI was too low and it was blowing air through the top instead of sealing.
My backflow wouldn’t seal properly no mater what psi I used. I took off the cap and poured some water in it and then released the air into the system and got it to finally work.
I’ve tried connecting to the spigot at the bottom of my system, but there wasn’t enough pressure to close the vacuum valve so I connected just like you show to one of the test valves and it worked fine.
Fantastic video, thank you for sharing. Thanks to you, I was able to figure out that I needed to set my compressor to 80 PSI to kick open the back flow prey, once I did that, I quickly decreased to 40 PSI and sprinkler heads started popping with the sweet sound of water and air escaping. Cheers brotha!
Thanks a lot, your video was the most informative I could find. Not an ad telling you that you need a professional. Thanks again for the great video and go Broncos
thanks for the video - I lived in Denver (Castle Rock) for 15 years, and never had a problem using your method. The problem came in the spring, after the first nice warm week and I'd turn the system back on and then BOOOM 12 degrees at noon the next day and blew the top off the Febco - $$$$$ took a long time to learn to wait till after June 1st.
There is no need to cover the pipes after they are completely blown out, as only freezing water inside the pipes will damage the parts. Good video. Many other systems will have the main shutoff outside buried and accessible via a box or tube.
Before you opened your third valve, you had vented the ball valves. When you directed the camera back to the backflow preventer, the valves were in the open position. Shouldn't they remain vented (45degrees) until they are turned on in the spring? Also, I like to vent the ports as well, to prevent cracking.
Either the plastic has cracked from freeze damage which you can check by taking off the metal top and unscrewing the plastic or the o ring may be broke. Sometimes if you have to much air going through, you can tap on the metal top with a screw driver to make the seal inside. Try opening one of the valves before you hook the air up.
Thanks for taking the time to walk us all through this subject. I'm from Phoenix (never need to do this in PHX0 and at I'm at my parents place in NE who are not able to do it themselves these days so it was up to me to get it done and this was very helpful. Thanks again for such a detailed vid, it was very helpful and probably saved us a bunch of money in repairs next spring!
Great video. As another CO resident, i was struggling to get air pressure into the line but the backflow valve just kept girggling. Not making its way into the lines. What should i do?
Try tapping on the top of the backflow with the side of your screwdriver while air is going through. It's not sealing inside the housing. Also try turning air on and off a couple of times.
Very helpful and well-done video but I think something must be wrong with my backflow preventer as it makes a loud flapping noise and air is coming back out instead of going into the system. Any ideas?
Damon, I appreciate this great video. I had 2 questions actually: 1 - I keep reading a lot of "How tos" that mention not to blow compressed air through the vacuum breaker, but it looks like that is how you demonstrate. Is it really now that big of a deal as long as you don't have the pressure too high? 2- I live in Denver area and the other night it got very cold so I turned off water and removed the vacuum breaker. Does the line/backflow need to be pressure sealed again before blowing out?
i just wanted to say that when I just did my sprinkler system I used only a 1 gallon compressor and it worked fine. I didn't really need any pressure. Just connected it turned it on and went from zone to zone until I got air. Used hardly any pressure at all.
Nice video. I have been watching a few of them now. The only thing that concerns me is that everyone else is say don't go over 80psi because it can cause damage to the pipes. Do you feel 80psi is adequate.
Whenever I tried to winterize through either of the two test ports on the backflow preventer, all of the air comes out through the backflow preventer, not through the sprinkler system. Any ideas? You should also mention not to pressurize the system at the full 90-100 psi. Something like 30-40 psi would be much safer for the plastic in the ground. Same goes for the sprinkler heads themselves, especially the ones that move. Without water they will be burning up without the lubrication and cooling that the liquid provides.
Nice video, I watched it last year before winterizing and am watching it again to prep for this winter. I don't think you mentioned it but I think you should close the hand valve between the compressor fitting and house to keep pressure from going into the supply line, right? Thanks
My set up looks exactly like this. When I connect the compressor to the top valve and open the valve to a station, the air comes out where the backflow "bell" is located and never makes it past that to the sprinklers. Is there a cap or something I can put in place of the bell assembly to close that little chamber so the air doesn't just escape out of the top?
I was getting the whooshing sound through the vacuum breaker and a couple taps with the screwdriver sealed it up and I proceeded through the stations with success. I later tried to do a second round and could not get the vacuum breaker to seal no matter where or how many times I tapped. Do you think I might need to replace it? Also...I have one drip station...it does not twist nor look like the other watering station tops. Do these drip stations blow out differently? Thanks for a great video!
I had the same problem, which was that the component of the back-flow valve was not sealing not matter how much pressure I applied. I found the solution. Remove the nut keeping the brass cover on, and then remove the brass cover and set it aside. I then used a screwdriver to gently pull up on the sliding plastic part which creates a seal when water or air is passed through the system. I found that helping it up a bit and then applying the air pressure it would seal itself, and voula, air and water started properly draining through my zones.
I have backflow preventers just proximal to each solenoid, I believe in the design of "atmospheric vacuum breakers", with no test ports. Of course they are the highest point of each sprinkler zone, about a foot above ground level. If I can't blow through those, how do I clear the system of water? Is there any way to test those devices?
Would this also work to blow out water out of a baseboard heating system? I have 3 zones in a house and want to empty 2 of them to I dont have to heat the building., Thank you!
I haven't done a thing to my sprinkler system...it's currently midnight and about 30 degrees outside. If I get to the system tomorrow, will it already be too late? The low is supposed to be 29 degrees. Thanks. You probably won't see this until tomorrow anyway :)
Thanks for the video regarding winterization of a lawn sprinkler system. I am trying to determine what the specifications would be for the compressor. Any adice you may give me would be greatly appreciated. My system is also a six zone system. Thanks, Rich
+Rich Spak Rich. I use a small compressor with 80-120 psi. It dose not take much presure to blow the water out. Each zone may need about 20-30 seconds of constant air presure to remove most of the remaining water. Hope that helps!
Thank you for the video. We are scrambling for the time to have someone come out do the work for our condo. Long story short, I am about to get a compressor and do this work my own.
If I have or hear air coming from the ball valve and it looks like it’s broken. Does that mean I won’t be able to get air into the system? And is that valve and easy repair? Thank you.
Those they are having issues with air coming out of the bell top, I tried higher PSI and few other things which didnt work. What I ended up doing is turning the water on so it would seal then shut off the valve going to your house again. Dont open anything to lower the pressure then connect your air compressor(have 60psi built up) , open the valve where youre connected with your air and then start opening your zones. From that point, i left the air compressor on and shut off the zone to let the pressure build back up to 60 psi and opened the zone again, then next zone rinse and repeat till I finished. Last years Febco had some water and caused it crack. Took out the bell top, poppet & bonnet and put them in a plastic bag then taped underneath my sprinkler system this year. Figure better to put it inside where the rubber gaskets are not exposed to the cold.
Hey Damon, thanks for sharing your video. Question: I have all the values set like in your video but when I go to blow out the water in the system the air is going out the bell housing any ideas why this is happening?
Hey dale, sounds like I had the exact same issue as you. I have been searching everywhere for answers so I know how to do this next time and haven’t found anything. Let me know if you found an answer!
Thanks for the video, Damon! I have a shop compressor that I use for nailers and such. Is the CFM super important to get the water out? I'm not confident I got enough out of the lines using my compressor. It's a Porter Cable C3101 150 PSI 4.3 Gallon compressor. It says I have 7.1 SCFM Air Delivery.
I have a question, I connected to the water spigot below, run through the first zone and then paused to give compressor time to recharge. When I switched to zone 2, nothing happens now, except the back prevention valve makes a noise like air is letting air escape. What am I missing? I used 40-50 PSI for the first zone and worked fine.
Follow your instruction and got most of the water out. Now there is air leaking from the bell of the Febco not allow me to continue. any ideas? I used around 80 psi. cheers
Thank you for this video. I am assuming we should leave those 3 black sprinkler valves closed during the winter ? Also you said to leave the 2 knobs on the outside pipe 1/4 way closed and you do it, but in the end of the video they are completely closed.
Mikedoc52 ive been in the irrigation industry for quite some time here in massachusetts. 90% of the backflows i have serviced or seen, have all had either a 1/2" or 3/4" draw off ( similar to boiler drain) installed before the backflow itself to serve as a spigot for homeowner use. We also use the very same spigot for hose connection during winterization. Most of our compressors are tow behind or skid mount and the backflows seem to hold up rather quite well after countless winterizations. Obviously there is the occassional one that falls fault to damage, but its been after a homeowner turned the system on and failed to close the ballvalves to prevent water flow back into an already winterized system. Watts and Febco backflows are what we have been using as well.
Having the removable backflow device is against code in some cities. Some people are removing the device, then installing a straight pipe in place to increase pressure on a poorly designed system because backflow devices create pressure loss. Check with your local/state officials before removing your device. In TX you must have a license to re-install a device.
There were two valves where you connected compressor. Does it matter which one you used (top or bottom)? Also, what is that plastic ring hanging from one of the valves?
Thanks for comment. I've blown out several systems. You can push 100 psi without any damage, no problem. The way I'm doing it is correct and the lines are clear of water. The drain at the bottom was opened and water was released completely.
There are 2 ports on the system. You connected your air compressor line to the top one. Q1: Why is the lower port not used? Q2: Do I leave those ports open or closed after the air is removed? Informative video. Thanks, Mike
One more question for you if you have time. I blew all my zones out, main shutoff is closed. All of the sprinklers were blowing air and no water. Having not done it before I blew each zone 2 or 3 times to make sure. My problem is that there is quite a bit of water in the bottom of the Rainbird rotors. Is that normal? Should I suck it all out with my Shop Vac? Being in Durango, CO with all the rain we have had, I was thinking that could have been the source. Thanks for your help.
+Nathan Stewart You should have a valve you can open that is lower then the manifold. If you open this valve after everything is shut down, it will drain the rest of the water.
This is true only if the sprinkler heads have been tapped into a single line without long side branches. Unfortunately, most design systems have long side branches going to 1 or more sprinkler heads. Not only is this undesirable because you cannot blow out the entire line by opening a single ball valve at the end, it is also undesirable because any breaks in the line that are repaired often get some dirt into the system, which will plug up the sprinkler heads. Being able to wash out this dirt by opening a single ball valve instead of having to unscrew the spray heads on all heads to get all the dirt out, is another advantage against using long side branches to spray heads.
My system has the blow out port after the backflow preventer and a ball valve after that. Is there any reason to not reverse the blowout port and ball valve?
THanks for posting this. I had a question. I live in Castle Rock and was wondering what level of air pressure you'd recommend. I've heard anywhere from 50psi to your 100 psi. I guess I can start at 50 and move up. Thanks
I think 100psi pressure is too much. I talk to the sprinkler shop and he said that our sprinkler are designed for 80psi. He said start with 50psi and then adjust accordingly. Thanks for sharing.
I have a Fabco 765-1. if I try and use the top test valve, the compressed air flows out of the bell. If I try and use the bottom, it sounds like a Bronx cheer. I am using 40psi. Should I increase the pressure to increase the flow rate? Or does this mean rebuild the 765-1.
@@brookekathryn1980 Could you tell me what the pop valve is? I've got 2 test valves (1 that controls the fitting that my compressor adapter is connected to and the 2nd one I just keep in the closed position during the blow out) and 2 ball joint handle valves--1 upstream of the backflow device and 1 downstream of the backflow device leading to the irrigation system. Or possibly the Pop valve is an internal component of the backflow device...in which case-- which of the 4 valves I mentioned do you recommend me turning to get the backflow preventer pop valve to seat properly? Thanks in advance for helping to clarify!
@@Tony-dx3eo With the compressor attached and at proper pressure for your system type, leave your opposing test valve closed. Turn your inlet ball valve (from the house to close. If air is still blowing out the top which is your plastic pop valve, located under the cap close the ball valve to your sprinkler valve box. This will generate enough air pressure to close the pop valve and hold it closed during operation much like water in the system. Once pressurised, open the out flow valve to pressurize hose to valve box ensuring that pressure in pop valve holds once out flow ball valve is opened. After that simply continue with blowing out your sprinklers as normal.
I tried this same setup but my sorinkler dont pop uo i here noise by the backflow near the top, do u think my air is going to the top by that bell lookinhmg thing? N also does it matter which test cock i put it on up or lower?
I have the same setup here. When I open that screw I am getting excessive air blow out that top portion with the nut on top. Is that just an oring that needs to be replaced or something else?
+vdubplate It may be the o ring or the plastic housing inside may be cracked. It may also be that it's not making a seal as the air is pushed through. You may need to tap on the top of the backflow as you are blowing it out. Hope that helps!
The problem was that the portion of that piece inside the valve on top that is supposed to be pushed up by the incoming air wasn't working properly. I had to poke at it with a screwdriver to get it to release. I'll replace in the spring
I have a similar setup, and want to do my own winterizing. I read/heard that you are not supposed to use the test cocks to hook up the compressed air............is that true or not true?
Yeah that's what I've hard too. You want to connect your air line AFTER those fittings. In this particular system it doesn't look like there are any other connections... So you might have to if that's how your system is setup too. Also his 100 PSI could potentially cause damage. I've heard 50 PSI / 80 PSI depending on the type of pipe you have. Then you have to factor in length of your hose. You'll lose PSI over longer stretches. Personally I would start with lower PSI and go up if needed.
@@DamonDAmico I'm trying to blow out the pipes using top test cock on the side of backflow preventer. 10Gal compressor rated 8.4 CFM at 40 psi. I'm doing 60psi, which I understand is max for black flex pipes I have. Air comes out at the top of backflow preventer, water does not clear. What is my issue, any idea?
I have the same thing happening and just talked to another guy at HD who had the same problem. I want to just add a fitting after the backflow preventer since I haven't had any luck hooking the air compressor up to it.
If there are two valves on the backflow, you need to make sure the other is closed. Try tapping on the top of the backflow with the side of your screwdriver while air is going through.
Thank you for the video. Last weekend I did my sprinkler system like this for the first time. In the past I’ve had a friend come do it. For some reason the plastic piece inside the backflow preventer didn’t want to seal and was leaking air leaving little pressure at the heads. I was told to set the pressure regulator at 40psi. I ended up raising it to 60psi. Was I not using enough pressure?
My backflow wouldn’t seal properly no mater what psi I used. I took off the cap and poured some water in it and then released the air into the system and got it seal and finally work.
+Jim Hawes Hi Jim! Most irrigation line will hold up with up to 200 psi. I would NEVER recommend this though. 80-100 psi works great! I've blown out several systems with the same results! All good!
No amount of tapping on the top of the bell on the overflow stopped the air leaking out. Any suggestions? I had no problems with the sprinklers during the summer. Many thanks.
A few questions: I have literally the exact same exterior set up. The only exception is i don't have the male 0.25" NPT air compressor connector. What are the sizes of those fittings? also, @4:45 you say "open up these valves" but, didn't they start off in the open position? I thought that the perpendicular to the pipe position = closed, and vertical (parallel with the pipe) is open?
Thank you!! My husband usually does this but he's deployed. I couldn't bring myself to pay somebody when we had the equipment to do it myself. My system is winterized thanks to you!
This is by far the best job at explaining the proper steps in winterizing an in-ground sprinkler system!!! Very well put together to hit on the necessary information while not adding so much commentary that you lose the average viewer!!! I recommend following this video if you're here to learn the right way!!!! Thank you for sharing this!!!
You're very welcome and make sure to thank your husband for his services. We really appreciate that.
Currently working for a lawn irrigation company in new england as a service tech. I have run into situations where the poppet assembly inside the bell continues to leak while winterizing. What ive found is that your standard air compressor for tools may not be enough pressure to the poppet and allow air to flow to the system. Typically a trailer mount or truck mount is used because the pressure stays constant at 120-140 psi. Also...when blowing out, you want to blow out from the bottom test port blowing through the backflow totally. If you dont have access to the controller the valves ars the easiest option, however setting a 2 min test cycle on the controller not only assures the zone will be blown out, but all zones will be blown out equally, and you know the controller is functioning properly.
Once completed turn both ball valves to 45° angles allowing for no water (condensation) build up freezing and crackinv the casing around the valve.
Remember to unplug your controller. This will save $$ in the event a power surge occurs wiping out your program and mother board. Hunter PRO-C controllers are prone to this as well as older Rainbird /Rain Dial controllers.
@jeremy bordenca Good advice! I live in MA and have been chasing my guy for weeks to blow out the lines. With cold weather moving in, I will have to do this myself. From your comments, blowing through the Febco backflow valve at 120-140 PSI is NOT a problem, correct? I have a 2 gallon, 125 PSI compressor but I might need one with a bigger tank. In case I have to go buy one, what are the minimum specs that I need to do the job? Thanks!
A excellent, informative video on winterizing the sprinkler system. Thank you for a great video made for some of us who are dummies.
This video was incredibly helpful, and go Bronocs! One tip to add, make sure your compressor output is somewhere near 60 PSI to ensure the backflow preventer seals. I was struggling to connect my compressor to the backflow because the PSI was too low and it was blowing air through the top instead of sealing.
This was very helpful, thank you @Joel Matzdorf! I was having this exact problem
Underrated comment of the century
Thank you for including this valuable information in the comments! I was going to call a professional because I couldn't figure out what was going on.
Good tip. Also, 60 is about the magic number. The 100 mentioned in this video could damage irrigation components.
My backflow wouldn’t seal properly no mater what psi I used. I took off the cap and poured some water in it and then released the air into the system and got it to finally work.
Very simple and consice, I drainned my system and did not experience any issues. Thanks.
I’ve tried connecting to the spigot at the bottom of my system, but there wasn’t enough pressure to close the vacuum valve so I connected just like you show to one of the test valves and it worked fine.
Fantastic video, thank you for sharing. Thanks to you, I was able to figure out that I needed to set my compressor to 80 PSI to kick open the back flow prey, once I did that, I quickly decreased to 40 PSI and sprinkler heads started popping with the sweet sound of water and air escaping. Cheers brotha!
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Thanks a lot, your video was the most informative I could find. Not an ad telling you that you need a professional. Thanks again for the great video and go Broncos
+Nathan Stewart Thanks for watching!
thanks for the video - I lived in Denver (Castle Rock) for 15 years, and never had a problem using your method. The problem came in the spring, after the first nice warm week and I'd turn the system back on and then BOOOM 12 degrees at noon the next day and blew the top off the Febco - $$$$$
took a long time to learn to wait till after June 1st.
There is no need to cover the pipes after they are completely blown out, as only freezing water inside the pipes will damage the parts. Good video. Many other systems will have the main shutoff outside buried and accessible via a box or tube.
Thanks for the helping hand saved me some money.
So easy to do thanks. All I had was two gallon tank but did job with patience
Extremely useful. Thanks from a Stapleton resident.
I appreciate your video, it was really helpful. You did what my neighbors in 2 years haven't done. God bless.
Before you opened your third valve, you had vented the ball valves. When you directed the camera back to the backflow preventer, the valves were in the open position. Shouldn't they remain vented (45degrees) until they are turned on in the spring? Also, I like to vent the ports as well, to prevent cracking.
Either the plastic has cracked from freeze damage which you can check by taking off the metal top and unscrewing the plastic or the o ring may be broke. Sometimes if you have to much air going through, you can tap on the metal top with a screw driver to make the seal inside. Try opening one of the valves before you hook the air up.
Thank you! Just moved to Elizabeth and was not sure what to do. When should this be done in the fall?
Thanks for taking the time to walk us all through this subject. I'm from Phoenix (never need to do this in PHX0 and at I'm at my parents place in NE who are not able to do it themselves these days so it was up to me to get it done and this was very helpful. Thanks again for such a detailed vid, it was very helpful and probably saved us a bunch of money in repairs next spring!
Great video. As another CO resident, i was struggling to get air pressure into the line but the backflow valve just kept girggling. Not making its way into the lines. What should i do?
Try tapping on the top of the backflow with the side of your screwdriver while air is going through. It's not sealing inside the housing. Also try turning air on and off a couple of times.
Very helpful and well-done video but I think something must be wrong with my backflow preventer as it makes a loud flapping noise and air is coming back out instead of going into the system. Any ideas?
Damon, I appreciate this great video. I had 2 questions actually:
1 - I keep reading a lot of "How tos" that mention not to blow compressed air through the vacuum breaker, but it looks like that is how you demonstrate. Is it really now that big of a deal as long as you don't have the pressure too high?
2- I live in Denver area and the other night it got very cold so I turned off water and removed the vacuum breaker. Does the line/backflow need to be pressure sealed again before blowing out?
i just wanted to say that when I just did my sprinkler system I used only a 1 gallon compressor and it worked fine. I didn't really need any pressure. Just connected it turned it on and went from zone to zone until I got air. Used hardly any pressure at all.
Nice video. I have been watching a few of them now. The only thing that concerns me is that everyone else is say don't go over 80psi because it can cause damage to the pipes. Do you feel 80psi is adequate.
Awesome! I've been to San Diego/ Mission Beach several times. I love it. Must be nice to not have to winterize.
Thank you very much!!! Very easy to follow!!!
Whenever I tried to winterize through either of the two test ports on the backflow preventer, all of the air comes out through the backflow preventer, not through the sprinkler system. Any ideas?
You should also mention not to pressurize the system at the full 90-100 psi. Something like 30-40 psi would be much safer for the plastic in the ground. Same goes for the sprinkler heads themselves, especially the ones that move. Without water they will be burning up without the lubrication and cooling that the liquid provides.
Great job on the video... I am going to see if there's a place to add air to our commercial system at my job..but I dont think so. Ty so much
How often should a person blow out or winterize thier system?
Nice video, I watched it last year before winterizing and am watching it again to prep for this winter. I don't think you mentioned it but I think you should close the hand valve between the compressor fitting and house to keep pressure from going into the supply line, right? Thanks
Thanks for the comment and please share the video!
Question my system wasn't used this year should I still blow it out?
Ok thanks! Does procedure always require a person to have and use a flat head screwdriver?
First time home owners here. Learning fast. Why leave the valves halfway open? Thanks
My set up looks exactly like this. When I connect the compressor to the top valve and open the valve to a station, the air comes out where the backflow "bell" is located and never makes it past that to the sprinklers. Is there a cap or something I can put in place of the bell assembly to close that little chamber so the air doesn't just escape out of the top?
Excellent, thank you, New Jersey.
Thanks for this useful how-to video.
I was getting the whooshing sound through the vacuum breaker and a couple taps with the screwdriver sealed it up and I proceeded through the stations with success. I later tried to do a second round and could not get the vacuum breaker to seal no matter where or how many times I tapped. Do you think I might need to replace it? Also...I have one drip station...it does not twist nor look like the other watering station tops. Do these drip stations blow out differently? Thanks for a great video!
I had the same problem, which was that the component of the back-flow valve was not sealing not matter how much pressure I applied. I found the solution. Remove the nut keeping the brass cover on, and then remove the brass cover and set it aside. I then used a screwdriver to gently pull up on the sliding plastic part which creates a seal when water or air is passed through the system. I found that helping it up a bit and then applying the air pressure it would seal itself, and voula, air and water started properly draining through my zones.
I have backflow preventers just proximal to each solenoid, I believe in the design of "atmospheric vacuum breakers", with no test ports. Of course they are the highest point of each sprinkler zone, about a foot above ground level. If I can't blow through those, how do I clear the system of water? Is there any way to test those devices?
made it look simple,thanks
Thanks for watching and sharing!
You can get a 5-6 gallon compressor with 150 max psi and use about 50-100 psi depending on your irrigation set up.
Would this also work to blow out water out of a baseboard heating system? I have 3 zones in a house and want to empty 2 of them to I dont have to heat the building.,
Thank you!
Seemed to work well, thank you!
I haven't done a thing to my sprinkler system...it's currently midnight and about 30 degrees outside. If I get to the system tomorrow, will it already be too late? The low is supposed to be 29 degrees. Thanks. You probably won't see this until tomorrow anyway :)
Thanks for the video regarding winterization of a lawn sprinkler system. I am trying to determine what the specifications would be for the compressor. Any adice you may give me would be greatly appreciated. My system is also a six zone system.
Thanks,
Rich
+Rich Spak Rich. I use a small compressor with 80-120 psi. It dose not take much presure to blow the water out. Each zone may need about 20-30 seconds of constant air presure to remove most of the remaining water. Hope that helps!
My pancake compressor does the trick. 60 psi is all you really need. Any higher and you risk damaging the system.
Thank you for the video. We are scrambling for the time to have someone come out do the work for our condo. Long story short, I am about to get a compressor and do this work my own.
+Pete Agrawal Where do you live?
Chicago IL
If I have or hear air coming from the ball valve and it looks like it’s broken. Does that mean I won’t be able to get air into the system? And is that valve and easy repair? Thank you.
Those they are having issues with air coming out of the bell top, I tried higher PSI and few other things which didnt work. What I ended up doing is turning the water on so it would seal then shut off the valve going to your house again. Dont open anything to lower the pressure then connect your air compressor(have 60psi built up) , open the valve where youre connected with your air and then start opening your zones. From that point, i left the air compressor on and shut off the zone to let the pressure build back up to 60 psi and opened the zone again, then next zone rinse and repeat till I finished. Last years Febco had some water and caused it crack. Took out the bell top, poppet & bonnet and put them in a plastic bag then taped underneath my sprinkler system this year. Figure better to put it inside where the rubber gaskets are not exposed to the cold.
What if you have air coming from the round thing at the top of that valve?
Is that device that you connected " your air compressor up to a backflow preventer??
What is the lower fitting for? The one just under where you hooked up the Air hose? Thanks
+Christopher Aynes You can just keep the other one closed. You don't need it in the blow out.
Why dont you use program box to cycle zones?
Hey Damon, thanks for sharing your video. Question: I have all the values set like in your video but when I go to blow out the water in the system the air is going out the bell housing any ideas why this is happening?
Hey dale, sounds like I had the exact same issue as you. I have been searching everywhere for answers so I know how to do this next time and haven’t found anything. Let me know if you found an answer!
@@samhoffmanASU1 you need to momentarily set you psi to 80 so that the backflow prey kicks in. Then turn it back to around 50.
Thanks for the video, Damon! I have a shop compressor that I use for nailers and such. Is the CFM super important to get the water out? I'm not confident I got enough out of the lines using my compressor. It's a Porter Cable C3101 150 PSI 4.3 Gallon compressor. It says I have 7.1 SCFM Air Delivery.
I have a question, I connected to the water spigot below, run through the first zone and then paused to give compressor time to recharge. When I switched to zone 2, nothing happens now, except the back prevention valve makes a noise like air is letting air escape. What am I missing? I used 40-50 PSI for the first zone and worked fine.
Follow your instruction and got most of the water out. Now there is air leaking from the bell of the Febco not allow me to continue. any ideas? I used around 80 psi. cheers
+KoolKatJazz Nevermind. Figured out my plastic housing cracked.
+KoolKatJazz Glad you were able to get it figured out!
i'm having the same issue with air leaking from the bell. How did you replace the plastic housing?
Thank you for this video. I am assuming we should leave those 3 black sprinkler valves closed during the winter ? Also you said to leave the 2 knobs on the outside pipe 1/4 way closed and you do it, but in the end of the video they are completely closed.
Well done.
Every backflow manufacturer I know of says NEVER blow the air through the backflow. It can damage the seals and other parts in it.
Mikedoc52 ive been in the irrigation industry for quite some time here in massachusetts. 90% of the backflows i have serviced or seen, have all had either a 1/2" or 3/4" draw off ( similar to boiler drain) installed before the backflow itself to serve as a spigot for homeowner use. We also use the very same spigot for hose connection during winterization. Most of our compressors are tow behind or skid mount and the backflows seem to hold up rather quite well after countless winterizations. Obviously there is the occassional one that falls fault to damage, but its been after a homeowner turned the system on and failed to close the ballvalves to prevent water flow back into an already winterized system. Watts and Febco backflows are what we have been using as well.
If you have a drain valve below the valves, you can open it and it will drain. You should be able to hook up air though the back flo.
Having the removable backflow device is against code in some cities. Some people are removing the device, then installing a straight pipe in place to increase pressure on a poorly designed system because backflow devices create pressure loss. Check with your local/state officials before removing your device. In TX you must have a license to re-install a device.
My vacuum breaker looks like yours. When I connect the compressor to the top relief port, I get a steady wooshing sound. Didn't hear that with yours.
There were two valves where you connected compressor. Does it matter which one you used (top or bottom)? Also, what is that plastic ring hanging from one of the valves?
Thanks for comment. I've blown out several systems. You can push 100 psi without any damage, no problem. The way I'm doing it is correct and the lines are clear of water. The drain at the bottom was opened and water was released completely.
There are 2 ports on the system. You connected your air compressor line to the top one. Q1: Why is the lower port not used? Q2: Do I leave those ports open or closed after the air is removed? Informative video. Thanks, Mike
+Mike Scerbo You don't need the other valve for the blow out. Keep the valves 3/4 open to allow any air or water to escape over the winter.
thanks for helping God Bless
What size compressor tank is reasonable? I have only three zones - 6000 sq ft property, about 2/3 is irrigated. Thanks!!!
One more question for you if you have time. I blew all my zones out, main shutoff is closed. All of the sprinklers were blowing air and no water. Having not done it before I blew each zone 2 or 3 times to make sure. My problem is that there is quite a bit of water in the bottom of the Rainbird rotors. Is that normal? Should I suck it all out with my Shop Vac? Being in Durango, CO with all the rain we have had, I was thinking that could have been the source. Thanks for your help.
+Nathan Stewart You should have a valve you can open that is lower then the manifold. If you open this valve after everything is shut down, it will drain the rest of the water.
Can you show us the compressor you used?
You can install ball valves at the end of each station and open them at blow out time and get 100% of the water out.
This is true only if the sprinkler heads have been tapped into a single line without long side branches. Unfortunately, most design systems have long side branches going to 1 or more sprinkler heads. Not only is this undesirable because you cannot blow out the entire line by opening a single ball valve at the end, it is also undesirable because any breaks in the line that are repaired often get some dirt into the system, which will plug up the sprinkler heads. Being able to wash out this dirt by opening a single ball valve instead of having to unscrew the spray heads on all heads to get all the dirt out, is another advantage against using long side branches to spray heads.
My system has the blow out port after the backflow preventer and a ball valve after that. Is there any reason to not reverse the blowout port and ball valve?
THanks for posting this. I had a question. I live in Castle Rock and was wondering what level of air pressure you'd recommend. I've heard anywhere from 50psi to your 100 psi. I guess I can start at 50 and move up. Thanks
How much pressure? You never mention how you set air pressure.
I think 100psi pressure is too much. I talk to the sprinkler shop and he said that our sprinkler are designed for 80psi. He said start with 50psi and then adjust accordingly.
Thanks for sharing.
I have a Fabco 765-1. if I try and use the top test valve, the compressed air flows out of the bell. If I try and use the bottom, it sounds like a Bronx cheer. I am using 40psi. Should I increase the pressure to increase the flow rate? Or does this mean rebuild the 765-1.
When I hook up the air with the zones closed the air comes out the top of the pressure valve, why isn’t the valve holding pressure?
What adapter did you screw on there? Those threads look funny on mine. And how big was your compressor?
what if there are more than one compressor type fittings on the blow out preventer
just wondering, ive got the same setup but when i blow air in from compressor the air comes out of top of preventer and not going through system?
Same here.
You need to turn your valves until the pop valve closes
@@brookekathryn1980 Could you tell me what the pop valve is? I've got 2 test valves (1 that controls the fitting that my compressor adapter is connected to and the 2nd one I just keep in the closed position during the blow out) and 2 ball joint handle valves--1 upstream of the backflow device and 1 downstream of the backflow device leading to the irrigation system. Or possibly the Pop valve is an internal component of the backflow device...in which case-- which of the 4 valves I mentioned do you recommend me turning to get the backflow preventer pop valve to seat properly? Thanks in advance for helping to clarify!
@@Tony-dx3eo With the compressor attached and at proper pressure for your system type, leave your opposing test valve closed. Turn your inlet ball valve (from the house to close. If air is still blowing out the top which is your plastic pop valve, located under the cap close the ball valve to your sprinkler valve box. This will generate enough air pressure to close the pop valve and hold it closed during operation much like water in the system. Once pressurised, open the out flow valve to pressurize hose to valve box ensuring that pressure in pop valve holds once out flow ball valve is opened. After that simply continue with blowing out your sprinklers as normal.
@@brookekathryn1980 Thanks for the detailed response--it's much appreciated! Makes perfect sense. Thanks again.
I tried this same setup but my sorinkler dont pop uo i here noise by the backflow near the top, do u think my air is going to the top by that bell lookinhmg thing? N also does it matter which test cock i put it on up or lower?
Hi want to blow out my sprinkler system myself, just want to know what kind of compressor should buy
+Luc Pierre Porter Cable is a great brand! That's what I use. Sorry for the delay!
You can use either as long as the one you hook up to is open and the other is closed.
i agree.. what about the feed line going into the house? isn't that still full of water? lol
Can someone recommend what connector i can use for petcock fitting for connecting it to compressor ?
Where do I get a compressor from ?
I have the same setup here. When I open that screw I am getting excessive air blow out that top portion with the nut on top. Is that just an oring that needs to be replaced or something else?
+vdubplate It may be the o ring or the plastic housing inside may be cracked. It may also be that it's not making a seal as the air is pushed through. You may need to tap on the top of the backflow as you are blowing it out. Hope that helps!
The problem was that the portion of that piece inside the valve on top that is supposed to be pushed up by the incoming air wasn't working properly. I had to poke at it with a screwdriver to get it to release. I'll replace in the spring
Nice job, and Go Broncos
what size air compresser should i buy
What is the part # or manafacturer for the piece that attaches to valve and compressor? Can’t find 1 online at all. Thx.
I have a similar setup, and want to do my own winterizing. I read/heard that you are not supposed to use the test cocks to hook up the compressed air............is that true or not true?
I have always done it that way for years with no problems.
Yeah that's what I've hard too. You want to connect your air line AFTER those fittings. In this particular system it doesn't look like there are any other connections... So you might have to if that's how your system is setup too. Also his 100 PSI could potentially cause damage. I've heard 50 PSI / 80 PSI depending on the type of pipe you have. Then you have to factor in length of your hose. You'll lose PSI over longer stretches. Personally I would start with lower PSI and go up if needed.
@@DamonDAmico I'm trying to blow out the pipes using top test cock on the side of backflow preventer. 10Gal compressor rated 8.4 CFM at 40 psi. I'm doing 60psi, which I understand is max for black flex pipes I have. Air comes out at the top of backflow preventer, water does not clear. What is my issue, any idea?
You need to use the port on the other side of the backflow
I have the same thing happening and just talked to another guy at HD who had the same problem. I want to just add a fitting after the backflow preventer since I haven't had any luck hooking the air compressor up to it.
If there are two valves on the backflow, you need to make sure the other is closed. Try tapping on the top of the backflow with the side of your screwdriver while air is going through.
Great illustrative video, one question I have is: how much PSI in the compress is needed to blow the air in the pipes?
Thanks!
+Francisco Mendoza 50 to 80 PSI is good although some may require a bit more pressure. Thanks for watching and make sure to subscribe to our channel!
Would my 160 psi 6 gal pancake compressor work for this? I have a 4 zone system
Try CPS for old parts for your irrigation.
Thank you for the video. Last weekend I did my sprinkler system like this for the first time. In the past I’ve had a friend come do it. For some reason the plastic piece inside the backflow preventer didn’t want to seal and was leaking air leaving little pressure at the heads. I was told to set the pressure regulator at 40psi. I ended up raising it to 60psi. Was I not using enough pressure?
My backflow wouldn’t seal properly no mater what psi I used. I took off the cap and poured some water in it and then released the air into the system and got it seal and finally work.
I think you mentioned a pressure of 100 psi, a lot of irrigation pipe is rated for 60 psi. Normal house water pressure is approx 50 psi or less
+Jim Hawes Hi Jim! Most irrigation line will hold up with up to 200 psi. I would NEVER recommend this though. 80-100 psi works great! I've blown out several systems with the same results! All good!
yeah dudes a hack, blowing nozzles off left and right i promise you
No amount of tapping on the top of the bell on the overflow stopped the air leaking out. Any suggestions? I had no problems with the sprinklers during the summer. Many thanks.
im having same issue.air leaking from top when trying to purge..did you find a resolve?
I ended up replacing the valve at the top of the assembly, beneath the bell. Cost me about 30 bucks.
Thanks for the info. Go Broncos!!!
A few questions: I have literally the exact same exterior set up. The only exception is i don't have the male 0.25" NPT air compressor connector. What are the sizes of those fittings?
also, @4:45 you say "open up these valves" but, didn't they start off in the open position? I thought that the perpendicular to the pipe position = closed, and vertical (parallel with the pipe) is open?
Actually I found the official manual to drain the system: media.wattswater.com/fp765.pdf