Of all the seasonal jobs on a Hamptons property, irrigation winterization has the best return for the smallest effort. It takes about an hour, it happens once a year, and skipping it is the most expensive mistake a homeowner can make between October and April.
What actually goes wrong
Water expands as it freezes, and there is nowhere for it to go inside a sealed irrigation line. Trapped water splits lateral pipes, cracks valve bodies and shatters the plastic housings on sprinkler heads.
The damage almost never announces itself in winter. It shows up at spring start-up, when the system is pressurized and half a dozen faults appear at once — usually underground, and usually costing several times what the blow-out would have.
Why draining is not enough
Simply shutting off the supply and opening a drain valve leaves water sitting in every low point and in the head bodies themselves. Irrigation lines are laid with slight undulations, and gravity alone will not clear them.
A proper winterization uses compressed air to push water out zone by zone, at a controlled pressure. Too little air and water stays behind; too much and you damage the very components you are trying to protect. It is the reason this is a job worth handing to someone with the right compressor and the experience to regulate it.
What the visit covers
A complete winterization service on an East End property includes:
- Water supply isolated and the backflow device shut down
- Every zone blown out individually until only mist discharges
- Backflow preventer drained and left in the correct winter position
- Controller shut down or set to its off-season mode
- Any faults spotted during the blow-out noted for spring repair
Timing it right
The window is after you have finished watering for the season but before the first hard freeze. On the East End that usually means late October into mid-November, and waiting for the first frost warning is cutting it far too fine.
If your system has not been winterized yet this year, get in touch — it is a short visit, and it is the one that keeps spring start-up boring.