Sprinkler Blowout Fort Collins: When to Schedule It

If you have a sprinkler system in Fort Collins, you have probably noticed the pattern: warm October afternoons that feel like summer, followed by a night that drops well below freezing with little warning. That swing is exactly why irrigation blowouts exist. A sprinkler blowout uses compressed air to push water out of your lines, valves and heads before cold weather can turn it into ice.

Water expands as it freezes, and that expansion has nowhere to go inside a rigid pipe. PVC cracks, fittings split, sprinkler heads shatter and valve bodies crack. Often you will not see the damage when it happens; the system is off for the winter and the ground is frozen. You find out in spring, when you turn the water back on and discover geysers, soggy patches and zones with no pressure.

So when should you schedule? In the Fort Collins area, blowouts typically happen in October, before the first hard freeze. Exact timing varies from year to year, and a cold snap can arrive earlier than expected. The practical answer is to book early rather than wait for a forecast scare. Companies get busy once the first freeze warning goes out, and an early appointment avoids the scramble. Many homeowners treat the first nice weekend in October as a cue to book, and that is a sensible rule of thumb.

A proper blowout is more than switching on a compressor. The water supply is shut off and drained at the main, the backflow assembly is dealt with according to how it is installed, and air is pushed through the system one zone at a time until the heads stop spitting water and only air comes out. Working zone by zone matters because the compressor can only move air to so many heads at once, and lines at the high points can trap water.

The backflow assembly deserves its own mention. It sits above ground in many yards and is one of the most expensive components to replace. Water trapped inside it is vulnerable to freezing, so draining, insulating or removing it according to your system's setup is part of winterization. If you have a backflow device, ask us about backflow testing, since many water providers expect periodic testing and the visit is a good time to inspect it.

What if you skip it? Sometimes nothing happens, particularly in a mild winter or if your system drains itself well. But a system that depends on gravity drainage and luck is a gamble, especially with the sudden cold snaps the Front Range is known for. Slopes, low spots and older systems that were never designed with automatic drains all hold water. The repair bill in spring, after cracked lines and a damaged backflow device, is typically larger than the cost of a blowout. Even a system that has come through a few winters unharmed may be one cold snap away from trouble, because small amounts of trapped water can freeze even when the main lines drain well.

There are a few things you can do to prepare. Turn off the automatic controller or set it to rain mode so zones do not run during the blowout. Know where your irrigation shutoff is and keep the area around the backflow device clear. Disconnect hoses from outdoor spigots so those lines can drain, since a hose left attached can freeze the pipe behind the wall and turn into a burst pipe emergency when it thaws.

If you do find damage in spring, a zone-by-zone inspection will show where the problems are. Cracked heads and risers are usually easy to replace, while buried lines and valves take more time. A break in a buried supply line can be tracked down with leak detection rather than digging up the yard to look for it. Either way, understanding what failed helps us explain the repair clearly.

To schedule a sprinkler blowout or to talk through your system, call Plumbers Fort Collins at (970) 447-1519. We also handle spring start-ups, sprinkler repair and backflow testing in Fort Collins and nearby towns, including Windsor, Timnath, Wellington, Johnstown and Severance, so you can keep the whole irrigation cycle in one place. Not sure who to call? Read how to choose a plumber in Fort Collins.