Thanks so much for the video. I swear my hubby is deployed every year Colorado gets our first freeze. I just pull up your saved video and follow along. I greatly appreciate it!
im in colorado too...my parents are out of town... and the assholes left me no instruction whatsoever even though they were worried enough to call and tell me to do it... i thought i knew how buz the pressure still isnz abating when i try to drain the plug inside the house. i have that thing cranked clovkwise as muvh as humanly possible...argggggh
Thank you for the education. Last year our bell broke and water gushed out and we had to replace that structure. We opened the valves this year as you instructed. Thank you.
Good lookin out bro! I just moved here from Cali, this will be very helpful tomorrow when I do it. Also, I will keep your digits. I am loyal for your help. I will contact you for any issues and future services! Great vid!
Although u shut off the valve inside your home, during the winter months if u close the drain then water could still fill up ur pipes so ensure u have a bucket or check it throughout the months and drain otherwise u could have a section outside burst and will need to be replaced.
I have a new irrigation system installed and I have literally no manual drainage points in the entire system. If I shut off the supply from the street and try to drain manually by turning on my zones, I get 0 water coming out, but I live in an area with really good pressure. I am unsure what else I can do besides opening the chambers of my backflow valve, as I don't want to buy a compressor (freezing Temps are rare here)
Thanks Bob! Unfortunately we don't work in Denver, just Colorado Springs. Check out www.alcc.com/find-a-landscape-professional for a reputable company in Denver.
Hi Peter, you can attach onto one of the test cocks or onto the blowout port if you have one. These adapters for your compressor can generally be found at Home Depot or Lowes.
I’m unable to loosen those test ports to properly drain the water from the pipe. Any ideas? I literally used all my strength which allowed a slight dribble but that’s it.
Ashton, thanks for the comment. You can try using a bigger screwdriver or even spray a little lubricant (Silicone spray or something like that) on the test cock to break up any rust that may have developed. If you're talking about the screw cap on the brass elbow, you can use a wrench on that small screw cap to loosen it. Hope that helps!
After you have quick drained the system, do you turn everything back 45 degrees? And when you say, "This should shut off the water," I'm assuming you mean the water to the sprinkler system and not the water to the whole house? You should go over what to do after you've drained the system.
Yes, just shut off the water to the irrigation system not the entire house. This valve will stay in the off position until you recharge your system back up either after the cold snap or next season. After you've drained your system, we recommend blowing it out with a compressor sometime in the fall. Once it is blow out, you don't turn it back on until the spring. Hope that helps!
What does it mean if your sprinkler system doesn't have a drain in the control valve box? I followed all the other steps and no water came out of the drain at the cutoff in my house. Not sure if that is a bad sign? Water did come out of the exterior drains once I turned the screws 45 degrees.
@@makaylanichols666 Thanks for your question. The drain in the valve control box typically looks like a hose bib and is in the green box where your valves would be located. Some have them and some don't. If you didn't get water coming out of the inside of your house it may be because no other valve was open yet on the outside. Now that you have the outside valves open, you could try the inside again. Also, depending on your setup, sometimes most if not all of the water drains outside.
If it is a residential home, it should drain within just a few minutes. Make sure you have opened up all of the drain valves to allow the water to fully drain. If it's still draining after 5 minutes, it could be a faulty irrigation supply valve. It could be a ball valve or gate valve that needs replacing and we'd recommend contacting a plumber.
Correct. This is simply a quick drain of the manifold and backflow for cold snaps. We recommend performing a full blow out of the pipes sometime in the fall.
If you follow these steps do you still need to get the sprinkler system blown out? I'm worried that the underground sprinkler pipes might still have water in them after following all your steps. I'm in Colorado and we just had a sudden freeze today.
![How to Winterize Your Irrigation System [Blowout Method]](/img/1.gif)
I am hoping by my 10th Fall season I won't have to watch a video first. Still, Kudos to Fisk.
Once you do it a few times it becomes pretty easy, yet is one of the most common questions we get here at Fisk! Thanks for stopping by.
Ahhaha same here 😂
I still watch it every season
Ditto😂😂
Here I am, again in 2024.
Thanks so much for the video. I swear my hubby is deployed every year Colorado gets our first freeze. I just pull up your saved video and follow along. I greatly appreciate it!
Thanks for the comment! We're glad it's of help to you!
im in colorado too...my parents are out of town... and the assholes left me no instruction whatsoever even though they were worried enough to call and tell me to do it... i thought i knew how buz the pressure still isnz abating when i try to drain the plug inside the house. i have that thing cranked clovkwise as muvh as humanly possible...argggggh
This is a fantastic and helpful video. Clear, simple, succinct, and easy-to-follow. Thank you!
Thank you for the education. Last year our bell broke and water gushed out and we had to replace that structure. We opened the valves this year as you instructed. Thank you.
Great video, thanks!
Great video! To the point and effectively explained. 👍👍👍
Glad it was helpful. Thanks for the comment!
Thank you for the helpful video!
Very helpful video! Simple and easy to follow along. Thanks Fisk Lawnscapes!
JJoe k
Thanks for the help today! Used your video to get it done.
Gr8 vid. Thx. Should I leave the valves open outside or close them all with screwdriver?
Thanks for watching! You'll want to leave the valves set at 45 degrees so half open and half closed.
Thank you
Our pleasure!
After you finish draining on the outside of the house do you turn everything back to its original postions (on the outside)?
Once drained, we recommend leaving the ball vales and air cocks at 45 degrees and the valve drain completely open.
Good lookin out bro! I just moved here from Cali, this will be very helpful tomorrow when I do it. Also, I will keep your digits. I am loyal for your help. I will contact you for any issues and future services! Great vid!
Although u shut off the valve inside your home, during the winter months if u close the drain then water could still fill up ur pipes so ensure u have a bucket or check it throughout the months and drain otherwise u could have a section outside burst and will need to be replaced.
what the what?
Thank you for this video, I have shared it with our neighborhood in Aurora, CO.
I have a new irrigation system installed and I have literally no manual drainage points in the entire system. If I shut off the supply from the street and try to drain manually by turning on my zones, I get 0 water coming out, but I live in an area with really good pressure. I am unsure what else I can do besides opening the chambers of my backflow valve, as I don't want to buy a compressor (freezing Temps are rare here)
What a great, to the point and informative video! Thank you!
Your video was a great help. Do you do work in Denver? The video sold me on Fisk Lawnscapes.
Thanks Bob! Unfortunately we don't work in Denver, just Colorado Springs. Check out www.alcc.com/find-a-landscape-professional for a reputable company in Denver.
What attachment do you use to connect your air hose if you are blowing out the sprinklers?
Hi Peter, you can attach onto one of the test cocks or onto the blowout port if you have one. These adapters for your compressor can generally be found at Home Depot or Lowes.
Great thanks!!
I’m unable to loosen those test ports to properly drain the water from the pipe. Any ideas? I literally used all my strength which allowed a slight dribble but that’s it.
Ashton, thanks for the comment. You can try using a bigger screwdriver or even spray a little lubricant (Silicone spray or something like that) on the test cock to break up any rust that may have developed. If you're talking about the screw cap on the brass elbow, you can use a wrench on that small screw cap to loosen it. Hope that helps!
After you have quick drained the system, do you turn everything back 45 degrees? And when you say, "This should shut off the water," I'm assuming you mean the water to the sprinkler system and not the water to the whole house? You should go over what to do after you've drained the system.
Yes, just shut off the water to the irrigation system not the entire house. This valve will stay in the off position until you recharge your system back up either after the cold snap or next season. After you've drained your system, we recommend blowing it out with a compressor sometime in the fall. Once it is blow out, you don't turn it back on until the spring. Hope that helps!
What does it mean if your sprinkler system doesn't have a drain in the control valve box? I followed all the other steps and no water came out of the drain at the cutoff in my house. Not sure if that is a bad sign? Water did come out of the exterior drains once I turned the screws 45 degrees.
@@makaylanichols666 Thanks for your question. The drain in the valve control box typically looks like a hose bib and is in the green box where your valves would be located. Some have them and some don't. If you didn't get water coming out of the inside of your house it may be because no other valve was open yet on the outside. Now that you have the outside valves open, you could try the inside again. Also, depending on your setup, sometimes most if not all of the water drains outside.
@@makaylanichols666 No water came out of mine either. But when they came & blew out the sprinklers, everything seemed fine. =)
Does anyone know how long does the water spew out for ? It’s been 5 mins for me
Also I don’t have anything in my house to turn off
If it is a residential home, it should drain within just a few minutes. Make sure you have opened up all of the drain valves to allow the water to fully drain. If it's still draining after 5 minutes, it could be a faulty irrigation supply valve. It could be a ball valve or gate valve that needs replacing and we'd recommend contacting a plumber.
That gets the water out if the manifold but doesn't drain the pipes leading to the sprinkler heads.
Correct. This is simply a quick drain of the manifold and backflow for cold snaps. We recommend performing a full blow out of the pipes sometime in the fall.
If you follow these steps do you still need to get the sprinkler system blown out? I'm worried that the underground sprinkler pipes might still have water in them after following all your steps. I'm in Colorado and we just had a sudden freeze today.
Yes, we recommend blowing out your system after performing the quick drain.
Are you in Colorado Springs?
Hi Zachary. Yes, we are located in Colorado Springs.