How to Winterize Irrigation and a Building's Plumbing

In cold regions, exterior water pipes must be insulated.

Failure to winterize your plumbing and irrigation systems, while slightly different processes, can lead to burst pipes, flooding, expensive repairs and structural damage to your home and garden. Worse, your insurance may not cover these damages, as failure to winterize often abrogates the insurance contract and, if not, may be interpreted as flood damage, which is almost never covered under standard household insurance policies. Winterizing is a straightforward if time-consuming process, requiring some crawling around in the nether regions of your house. If you are going to be away from your dwelling during the winter months, it is very important to winterize your plumbing.

Things You'll Need

• Pipe insulation
• Straw, mulch or compost
• Plastic tarps
• Rocks or other weights

Instructions

Winterizing Home Plumbing

1. Turn off your water supply at source.

2. Turn on cold-water taps farthest from the water boiler -- on the second floor, for instance. Allow them to run until no more water comes out. Flush all toilets. It may take several flushes to remove all the water from the tank and pipes leading to the tank.

3. Insulate all water pipes outside or in unheated sections of the house. This can be done with foam insulation or insulation sheets that can be wrapped and taped around the pipes. If applicable, insulate all pipes under the house. Remember to insulate water pipes leading both into and out of the house. Pipes buried in the ground will be insulated by the earth.

4. Inspect and if necessary clean your furnace. Turn the thermostat to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Reduce the setting on the water boiler to its lowest setting.

Winterizing an Irrigation System

1. Turn off the water supply at source.

2. Set the automatic watering setting to "Off" or "Rain."

3. Turn on all drain valves to reduce pressure to the pipes and drain water.

4. Drain all water from the rest of the system. Open the boiler drain or the drain cap on the waste valve to remove water. Drain backflow, if necessary. If you have sprinkler heads with check valves, lift them and allow water to drain out.

5. Cover pipes with straw or compost to protect from direct contact with snow or ice. Cover with plastic tarp to protect the straw or compost and retain warmth from the earth. Place rocks or other heavy objects on the tarps to prevent them from blowing off.

References

• Inspectapedia: Winterizing Guide -- How to Freeze-Protect Water Supply Piping, Drain Piping, Water Pumps, Tanks, Heaters
• Irrigation Tutorials: Winterizing Your Irrigation System