It's a mistake we see every spring: a homeowner turns on their sprinklers after winter and discovers a cracked pipe, a split valve, or a shattered backflow device. The cause is almost always the same — water was left in the system when a hard freeze hit. In Middle Tennessee, winters don't stay cold all season, but we get plenty of freezes that are more than enough to do damage.
Here's the science: when water freezes, it expands by about 9%. Trapped inside a rigid pipe or a sprinkler head, that expansion has nowhere to go, so it forces the material to crack. Backflow preventers and above-ground components are especially vulnerable because they're exposed to the coldest air.
Winterizing solves the problem by removing the water entirely. The most reliable method is a compressed-air blowout, where we push air through each zone to clear every drop from the lines, valves, and heads. Simply shutting off the water isn't enough — there's always water left sitting in low spots that will freeze and expand.
A professional winterization takes less than an hour for most systems and costs a fraction of what a single cracked mainline repair would run you. It also gives us a chance to spot worn parts before they fail, so you head into spring with a system that's ready to go.
Don't gamble your irrigation system on a mild winter. Schedule a blowout with us in the fall and protect your investment. Reach out any time for a free estimate.