The Farmers Almanac indicates a colder than normal winter is coming! It's time to winterize your plumbing for winter.
The Farmers Almanac indicates that many zones will have a colder than normal winter season ahead. Don’t wait until the piping is damaged, its time to make sure your insulation is in place/undamaged, heat strips are working, your cabin/trailer is winterized and that your irrigation system is drained and free of water before the first freeze begins!
Our popular blog from last year was written to help homeowners with wells to prepare for the winter. Check it out for some great tips and products to help you get the job done right and on time.. This year we are going to expand the scope and give pointers for winterizing your irrigation system, travel trailer and/or cabin!
While you may be comfy and warm in your home with the fire blazing, your irrigation pipes are outside and the temperature is plunging, the ice crystals are forming and the water is expanding in your irrigation pipe lines and they are cracking and getting ready to leak next spring. Even if you turned off the water supply valve, any water remaining in the pipes and valves can freeze and cause damage. The fast effective way to deal with this is to ensure the water is turned off, install an air port or hose bib in the pipeline after the shut off valve and then use an air compressor to blow the water out of the irrigation system by turning on each of the irrigation valves one by one and then blowing air until the water has been evacuated. Be careful and don’t use more that 10-15 psi of pressure to blow the water out of the pipelines.
If you own a travel trailer you may just need a simple reminder to double check the trailer’s instruction manual before flushing the system with an appropriate antifreeze system. Alternately you may need to drain all the water from the fresh, grey and black water tanks! Make certain to follow your manufacturers recommendations and don’t procrastinate. A few minutes can save lots of money in repairs next spring or summer! Here is the recommended winterizing procedure from one popular manufacturer of high quality travel trailers.
If you’ve got a cabin/home in the mountains then you need to decide if you’re going to use it this winter or not. If you’re going to use it then make sure that the insulation is in place, heat wraps are installed and working in key areas that get cold and the heating system is set to keep the house at a baseline temperature above freezing!
Please note that Amazon links have been provided to show illustrations of products mentioned in this blog. These links are not intended to show the exact product for your specific application, rather a generic example of the product referenced. While purchasing these items is possible, please do so after having done your own due diligence and understand that these links may generate Amazon commissions. If you are attempting to perform your own work, ensure all safety precautions are taken. Working with electricity and water can be hazardous and should only be attempted by those that are familiar with the safety precautions and procedures involved.