In the Fall
- Make SURE that the water is off (should be by mid-October) before you do anything with the system, then locate the KID riser for your lot and open it wide to drain.
- Once the riser and valve have drained completely, winterize your property’s irrigation system, whether a full system or just hoses and a couple of sprinklers.
- After the system has been drained, close the KID gate valve valves for awhile, then reopen it. Do this several times to make sure no water is trapped; then close it for the winter.
WInterization Procedures
Homeowners can prevent the KID valve and riser in their yard from freezing which in turn keeps maintenance costs down and prevents a leaky or broken valve next spring.
Complete the following steps to winterize your irrigation riser:
- Ensure that the water delivery to your home has ended for the season.
- Drain the KID riser and valve. This can be done by disconnecting hoses and/or the irrigation system from the KID riser, and opening the gate valve shown in attached figures. If it is not possible to disconnect the irrigation system from the riser, you will need to open all sprinkler valves and then let gravity empty the system. Drain times will vary from home to home so please be patient and wait for the water to stop flowing out of the riser.
- Once the water flow has stopped, winterize your irrigation system. Consult with a professional to determine the proper winterization procedure for your irrigation system. Warning: Personal injury and/or property loss can and will occur if winterization is done improperly or incompletely!
- After your system has been professionally drained, fully open and close the KID gate valve several times to ensure that water is not trapped inside the valve or riser, see figure 1 and 2.
- Repeat steps 3, 4 and 5 until both your sprinkler system and the KID riser are completely free of water.
- Finally, close the KID gate valve and leave it closed. If the irrigation system was disconnected from the riser, do not reconnect it until spring startup.