The Crucial Fall Lawn Care Task You Might Be Forgetting About

Raking up piles of leaves is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the fall lawn care tasks on your to-do list. This is an important part of keeping your lawn clear, but it certainly is not the most crucial yard maintenance chore you should complete during this time of the year. You must also remember to drain your lawn's irrigation lines. If you have irrigation lines, they need to be drained during the fall before winter brings freezing temperatures to your region. Otherwise, water will freeze inside of the system and cause damage that requires expensive repairs.

This task is often referred to as winterizing an irrigation system. The exact method you will need to use to drain the water out will depend on the type of lawn irrigation system you have. The most common methods include using either a manual drain valve, an automatic drain valve, or blowout draining. Keep in mind that blowout draining can cause irreparable damage to your irrigation system, so it should only be carried out by professionals.

To determine the method you should use to drain your irrigation system, identify whether it includes a manual drain valve or an automatic drain valve. If it has a manual drain valve, start out by turning off the water supply to the system. Next, locate the manual valves and open them to let out all of the water that remains inside of the piping. The last two components you will need to drain are the backflow device and the check valves. Simply open the backflow device to allow the water to flow out. If your system has check valves, you can drain those by raising the sprinkler heads. At this point, there should be no water left anywhere within your irrigation system. Use insulation tape to close off any openings, such as sprinkler heads or open pipes. This way, you do not have to worry about snow or debris entering the system and causing blockages. You can use the Pipe Insulation Tape from Amazon for $16.99 to complete this step.

If your irrigation system has an automatic drain, you will need to follow a slightly different set of steps to release any water from inside the piping. First, shut off the water supply. Next, you will need to decrease the water pressure within the system by turning one of the sprinkler heads on. This should also trigger the automatic draining process. After this has completed, drain the backflow device and any check valves following the previous instructions if applicable. The final step for this process is also closing off openings with insulation tape to prep the sprinkler system for winter.