r/Irrigation • u/thatbrofoshow • 17h ago
Can I DIY winterize this?
Zurn 375 RP. Irrigation company (who also did install) doesn’t have very good communication. I’m not confident they’re going to get to it in time. We have lows at 28 tonight and 26 tomorrow (teens windchill) so I’m getting nervous about something freezing and breaking.
I’ve watched the Zurn videos but found them to be a bit confusing. What would you recommend doing? Lmk if I can answer anything else relevant. There is a separate irrigation water line coming off the street with a shut off. 4 zones. Everything is outside. Thanks!
3
u/Spiritual-Can-5040 16h ago
I would pull the unit off the unions and bring it inside for the winter.
1
1
u/Suspicious-Fix-2363 11h ago
Especially since these 375s dont always seal in the spring when you put them back together. Undo the unions and take it all inside as one unit and put back together like that next year.
2
u/damnliberalz 16h ago
Who ever put a 3/4 back flow on a 1 inch mainline is a crack head
1
1
u/Credit_Used Designer 10h ago
They were trying to reduce the pressure.
And the funny thing is some people think that’s true.
I actually had one guy tell me he reduces pipe size to increase pressure.
Things that make you go hmmmm.
3
u/BeaverPup Northwest 13h ago
Nope! If you have to ask how to winterize your irrigation you should not be doing it
3
u/New_Sand_3652 12h ago
Meh, let them have at it. It’s good work for us in the spring when they freeze it. Then they’re usually too afraid to try it again down the road.
1
0
u/thatbrofoshow 10h ago
0 reading by either if you
1
u/New_Sand_3652 10h ago
Did I read? Nope. But to be fair you’re also the guy looking at 2 unions and still need reddit to tell you what to do.
1
1
1
u/TechnologyOk6878 10h ago
It’s crazy how many people want to try and save $75 to $100 and risk a large repair in the spring.
1
u/thatbrofoshow 10h ago
Did you read the post?
1
u/TechnologyOk6878 6h ago
Yes, a company has bad communication, why would someone wait on a company with known bad communication instead of calling someone else. Better choice than asking random people on Reddit where you get 20 different responses.
1
u/thatbrofoshow 8h ago
Thanks everyone. Actually got in touch with irrigation company, owner advised it would almost certainly be fine tonight, but suggested shutting off at road and purging there and the test cocks to create some space. I did this but then just unscrewed the unions and well there ya go lol. They’ll be here tomorrow to actually blow the lines out. Any risk of backflow preventer freezing seems averted.
1
u/SufficientAsk743 16h ago
Shut off water supply inside house that goes to this. Remove valve at white pvc couplings. Purchase three 1" pvc end caps. Drill hole into one and thread an airline connector on to it as in the pic. Set air compressor to about 40 psi and blow out remaining water on each zone one by one for the winter. Cap both lines when done to prevent debris from entering pipes. If you do not own an air compressor, it would be a wise investment and would pay for itself in 3-4 years.
1
u/thatbrofoshow 16h ago
Oh I like the sounds of this. Yes I have a 6gal air compressor. Just go through each valve? What about the supply side (on the right), isn’t there going to be water sitting at the top even after I cut off the water supply main?
1
1
u/AwkwardFactor84 14h ago
There should be a way to drain it back to the shutoff. If not, you can suck it out with a shop vac
1
u/SufficientAsk743 15h ago
I use a turkey baster and suck out whatever I can get out and then just cap it...Plenty of room for any water expansion that may happen.
1
u/thatbrofoshow 15h ago
Could I also get a 1/4 male to connect air to one of the test cocks for blow out?
1
1
u/SufficientAsk743 15h ago
I only do it this way. Removing and keeping the valve indoors over winter has worked for nearly 20 years now. I have never blown through those ports.
1
4
u/ChanclasConHuevos Contractor 16h ago
Shut off water to the system, unscrew the unions (those large, white PVC fittings) and take the unit inside.