# DIY - Sprinkler Winterization



## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

Hello folks - just curious if people here are DIY-ing their sprinkler winterization in the North.

If so, what kind of size Compressor would you recommend?
Trials and tribulations learned along the way?

Thanks!


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

I do my own. I just use the Hitachi 6 pound pancake compressor I use for my nailers and it works fine.... Although I do only have max 3 heads per zone... it might be under powered for a larger system.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

gm560 said:


> I do my own. I just use the Hitachi 6 pound pancake compressor I use for my nailers and it works fine.... Although I do only have max 3 heads per zone... it might be under powered for a larger system.


Thank you sir.

I have some long runs on my system but it's good to know that I don't need to break the bank with the compressor.


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## Di3soft (Jun 13, 2020)

@JerseyGreens I too used my pancake compressor, had a ball valve between the air hose and the system. When the compressor kicked on I would close the valve let it fill up then open the valve. at 40 psi it took me 3 fills per zone to blow it out.


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

Di3soft said:


> @JerseyGreens I too used my pancake compressor, had a ball valve between the air hose and the system. When the compressor kicked on I would close the valve let it fill up then open the valve. at 40 psi it took me 3 fills per zone to blow it out.


There is a good nugget of advice in here @JerseyGreens, make sure to not use too high pressure. 35-40 psi should do it. If you leave the compressor at the 80-120 psi you use other airtools at, you will likely damage the system.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

@gm560 @DiabeticKripple

Thanks guys!

Did you guys make the attachment yourself for connecting to the irrigation system or buy one pre-built. Looks pretty simple to make with normal plumbing fittings.


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

I just put a PVC T after my backflow preventer and before my manifolds. Then I put a ball valve which is off all the time other then when I am blowing it out. After that ball valve is a brass fitting for an air hose. I can take a picture if you need.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

gm560 said:


> I just put a PVC T after my backflow preventer and before my manifolds. Then I put a ball valve which is off all the time other then when I am blowing it out. After that ball valve is a brass fitting for an air hose. I can take a picture if you need.


Nope I completely understand where you are going with this - sounds very easy to do.

To those that spend ~$100 on winterizing - take notes!


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## gorgedude (Jul 5, 2020)

I just rebuilt my valve manifold this summer as it was cracked (probably froze) and I added a blow-out port in the process. In prior years, I would just attempt to drain it best I could and pack the valve box with insulation during the winter. Anyway, I just finished blowing out the system today and it worked great. I set my compressor to 35psi and fired off each zone until mist came from each sprinkler head. I'll still pack the box with insulation but I feel better about things this winter.

My setup is identical to gm560's description with a ball valve between the backflow preventer and the manifold. I thread the air hose connector into the ball valve. Once pressurized, I open the ball valve and fire off each zone. I would also concur with the gm560 on the PSI setting as well. 35-40 should do the trick.


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## VALawnNoob (Jun 9, 2020)

gm560 said:


> I just put a PVC T after my backflow preventer and before my manifolds. Then I put a ball valve which is off all the time other then when I am blowing it out. After that ball valve is a brass fitting for an air hose. I can take a picture if you need.


Can you do us newbies a favor and post a pix? One of us out there can really use it :thumbup:


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

VALawnNoob said:


> gm560 said:
> 
> 
> > I just put a PVC T after my backflow preventer and before my manifolds. Then I put a ball valve which is off all the time other then when I am blowing it out. After that ball valve is a brass fitting for an air hose. I can take a picture if you need.
> ...


Sure. Dark now, but this is basically my setup if memory serves. Obviously there is pipe connecting these parts, haha.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

Here is a picture of my installation - don't have a compressor yet but is it just me or do the 2 fittings circled look like they would connect directly to a quick-connect fitting on a regular air hose line?


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

JerseyGreens said:


> Here is a picture of my installation - don't have a compressor yet but is it just me or do the 2 fittings circled look like they would connect directly to a quick-connect fitting on a regular air hose line?


From my research running compressed air though the breaker is not recommended. I read up on it when I was designing my setup and that is why I chose to put my blowout after the backflow. Im sure others know why... I just read it somewhere and took it at face value, but I was building from scratch so it was minimal hassle.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

gm560 said:


> JerseyGreens said:
> 
> 
> > Here is a picture of my installation - don't have a compressor yet but is it just me or do the 2 fittings circled look like they would connect directly to a quick-connect fitting on a regular air hose line?
> ...


Fair point - #1 circle is after the blowout valve but I'm not sure what's stopping the air from going back left into the breaker...maybe it's a dumb question because there is an arrow on the breaker pointing right so maybe water/air can't go left.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

https://youtu.be/Ole0Tgc-QAM

Looks like #1 Circle is where I hook up the compressor - this should be a breeze...now I have to buy a quality compressor with a high SCFM that is portable without breaking the bank!


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## jtuber (Sep 15, 2020)

You dont really know what cfm you need to adequately blow out your system. If its a few heads and small yard then low cfm is ok but if it's many heads in a big yard then obviously you'd need much more cfm. Otherwise your pump won't be able to keep up to maintain the proper blowout pressure. It would be better to buy a large tank than a high cfm.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

jtuber said:


> You dont really know what cfm you need to adequately blow out your system. If its a few heads and small yard then low cfm is ok but if it's many heads in a big yard then obviously you'd need much more cfm. Otherwise your pump won't be able to keep up to maintain the proper blowout pressure. It would be better to buy a large tank than a high cfm.


Thank you. My longest run of poly pipe is 300 feet. I have a pretty large yard so I'm concerned with a 20 gallon or so 5cfm compressor. Maybe that's just me overthinking this.

When I start looking at 10 scfm compressors the cheapest one I found is $679!


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

JerseyGreens asked the same question in my journal.

I strongly suggest first reading the guru on irrigation systems, around how to winterize https://www.irrigationtutorials.com/winter.htm

If you still want to take the risk of DIY, then blow it but have a company with a large compressor still blow your system afterwards. This will help you determine if your initial job was good enough.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

g-man said:


> If you still want to take the risk of DIY, then blow it but have a company with a large compressor still blow your system afterwards. This will help you determine if your initial job was good enough.


Great advice sir! Give it a shot and then just pay the $70 as insurance to see if the irrigation company gets any more water out. If not then bingo the DIY worked!


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

Call me crazy but here is where I'm at with buying a compressor (which I've always wanted to add to my tool kit).

Harbor Freight - 29 Gal / 7.3CFM @ 40psi / cost: $370
https://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools-compressors/air-compressors-tanks/29-gallon-2-hp-150-psi-cast-iron-vertical-air-compressor-61489.html

Campbell Hausfeld - 30 Gal / 11.5CFM @ 40psi / cost: $680
https://www.aircompressorsdirect.com/Campbell-Hausfeld-VT6271-Air-Compressor/p87.html?utm_term=0catch87&gclid=Cj0KCQjwreT8BRDTARIsAJLI0KLXk1qpLyYIikMS2A_2Gdd3cMSY3vRqesjNrshcykND6PxNF8aAmCsEALw_wcB

I'm almost certain that the CH model will guarantee all of the water out of my lines, even the longest stretch...I rather save $300 and just go with option 1 to be honest but that be could be a costly mistake as I get hit with a 20% restocking fee if I need to return it.

Payback period on the CH model is ~10 years...maybe I can start charging my neighbors $50 a pop for winterizing and shorten the payback period!

@Ware - being the resident equipment expert I'd love your input. Thank you in advance!


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## Ngilbe36 (Jul 23, 2020)

JerseyGreens said:


> Call me crazy but here is where I'm at with buying a compressor (which I've always wanted to add to my tool kit).
> 
> Harbor Freight - 29 Gal / 7.3CFM @ 40psi / cost: $370
> https://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools-compressors/air-compressors-tanks/29-gallon-2-hp-150-psi-cast-iron-vertical-air-compressor-61489.html
> ...


FWIW, I have a large stationary 40 Gal compressor and a tiny 6 Gal cheap pancake compressor and I use the pancake more often. Unless you're going to be constantly running high use tools, don't bother with anything expensive.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

Ngilbe36 said:


> JerseyGreens said:
> 
> 
> > Call me crazy but here is where I'm at with buying a compressor (which I've always wanted to add to my tool kit).
> ...


Well that is the third time someone brought up pancake compressor in this thread so I think I'm going with the Harbor Freight option as being more than enough...I'm worried about that one long stretch of 300 feet but it should be fine.

Thanks all!


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## irrigationnewbie (Jul 15, 2018)

JerseyGreens said:


> Call me crazy but here is where I'm at with buying a compressor (which I've always wanted to add to my tool kit).
> 
> Harbor Freight - 29 Gal / 7.3CFM @ 40psi / cost: $370
> https://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools-compressors/air-compressors-tanks/29-gallon-2-hp-150-psi-cast-iron-vertical-air-compressor-61489.html
> ...


The 2 phase 240v air compressor would definitely be quicker but doubt it would do a better job. 2 years ago I blew out my system (10 zones with 15 gallons/zones flow and 10,000 sq ft lawn)for the first time in an hour with a craftsman 30 gallon air compressor I borrowed from a friend (don't recall the CFM, but the thing was beast which barely fit in the back of my wife's cx9 suv and took two strong people to lift). Last year I tried doing it with a 3 gallon 1hp little air compressor. It took 2 days, but still got the same result. For this year I bought a refurb Dewalt 15 gallon air compressor (https://www.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT-15-Gallon-Single-Stage-Portable-Electric-Vertical-Air-Compressor/1058157?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-tol-_-google-_-lia-_-153-_-compressorsdiyandstationary-_-1058157-_-0&placeholder=null&gclid=CjwKCAjw0On8BRAgEiwAincsHK8WK0YAjbKJLwmYnPwJtQJlJ6Co79L4GD6h6Xr3RomkF7ig8xe7VxoCRIcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) for $150 and blew out my system in little more than an hour. It was also much more pleasant than the beastly craftsman I borrowed because it was much more quieter, lighter to move and did not keep blowing the 15 amp breaker like the craftsman did.

I was looking at this air compressor before stumbling upon the DeWalt https://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools-compressors/air-compressors-tanks/21-gallon-25-hp-125-psi-cast-iron-vertical-air-compressor-61454.html . I have no doubt it would have done the job in less than 2 hours. My suggestion is to blow out your system on the side while working on another project. The actual blowing out takes a total of maybe 15- 20 minutes. Waiting for the air compressor to recover is what takes up all the time with little air compressors. Add in extra time to give the air compressor time to cool off when its getting to hot.


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## jtuber (Sep 15, 2020)

You can do it with small tank compressors but ut would be a bit of a paint ang time consuming n. Your tank depletes quickly and then your have to wait for it to fill up again. A really big tank is better but you run the risk of blowing the lines too long and melt parts of the sprinkler system (rushing air causes friction and heat). I have a 5 gallon 5 cfm compressor I use to blow out my medium sized sprinkler system. My tank was depleted in less than 10 seconds each time. Go to the Irrigation discussion and read my post Winterization Help.


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## VALawnNoob (Jun 9, 2020)

would this work?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Briggs-Stratton-Air-Compressor-8-Gallon-Horizontal-Tank-0300841/49096252

The price seems much better than what has been posted but the specs seems to fall short as well?


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## jtuber (Sep 15, 2020)

@VALawnNoob Depends. If you have sprinkler heads on hills then it might not. If you have a really big yard like 1 acre then it might not. I believe in general, the more you pay for a compressor the more you get in quality, durability and performance. Personally I wouldnt buy it but I do use my compressor for fixing cars So my needs might be different than yours. So for a small sprinker system and you don't really use your compressor for anything else and you dont mind the long time it takes to blow out your lawn then that would work.


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## Allan-00 (Aug 6, 2019)

@VALawnNoob I have that exact compressor and it worked to blow out my system but it took a while and worked best when doing one head at a time. While it works, one with better specs would definitely save you time.


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## Biggylawns (Jul 8, 2019)

I have a 26 gal Craftsman compressor that works great - I got it on FB for like $100 bucks and have done it for 5 years now. All heads are pressure regulated and I've never had an issue. I typically do 2 cycles for all zones just to be safe. Half my yard is flat and half is downhill. For zone comparison, I have 14 MPs on one zone, 16 MPs on another, 4 I20s on another, and 6 I20s on the last (which is also my longest run).

Check out FB for a compressor, they're always on there.


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

I connect 4 compressors together to get my acre irrigation cleared out fairly quick. 2 are mine and 2 are borrowed from a family member. You need to be careful on matching compressor's max PSI so you don't pop a relief valve on a lower rated one(or open the irrigation valve before you reach max PSI). Also on the right you can see a pressure regulator that I set to 70 PSI before it goes out to the irrigation. Combined tank size is 50 gallons and combined CFM is 13.5 @ 90 PSI. Just a thought for anyone that might have access to multiple compressors.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

Pete1313 said:


> I connect 4 compressors together to get my acre irrigation cleared out fairly quick. 2 are mine and 2 are borrowed from a family member. You need to be careful on matching compressor's max PSI so you don't pop a relief valve on a lower rated one(or open the irrigation valve before you reach max PSI). Also on the right you can see a pressure regulator that I set to 70 PSI before it goes out to the irrigation. Combined tank size is 50 gallons and combined CFM is 13.5 @ 90 PSI. Just a thought for anyone that might have access to multiple compressors.


Leave it to Pete to come up with this!

We should start doing equipment setup of the month (@Ware).

I nominate @Pete1313 for the inaugural month... :lol:

In all seriousness for those watching this and about to cross the bridge of DIY Winterization - I'd highly recommend having a professional do it one more year and basically watch/record their each and every step making it simple next year.

@g-man also made a great recommendation for the year that you do DIY - pay the whatever money and have a pro come out (after you do it) and have them blow it out....if nothing comes out - guess what - you officially aced the exam. Extra insurance versus issues later down the line.


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

JerseyGreens said:


> Leave it to Pete to come up with this!
> 
> We should start doing equipment setup of the month (@Ware).
> 
> I nominate @Pete1313 for the inaugural month... :lol:


Thanks! The idea is not completely mine however. I work in a large shop that has two large compressors tied together to get the CFM and tank size that is required.


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