Irrigation winterization company recommendation

[Cos]

Hey guys. Anyone have a recommendation of a well priced place to blow out my irrigation system? I usually do it myself with my compressor but it takes quite a bit of time and cycling. I see guys with truck sized units which i imagine they can pop on and do it pretty quick compared.

[thinmyster]

Im the opposite. I used to get mine done. It was around 75$ if I remember correctly. Now I just do it myself with a 30Gal compressor. Go out and buy a 60gal it will pay for itself in a couple years.

[ExtraSlow]

Hey guys. Anyone have a recommendation of a well priced place to blow out my irrigation system? I usually do it myself with my compressor but it takes quite a bit of time and cycling. I see guys with truck sized units which i imagine they can pop on and do it pretty quick compared. You can rent those huge compressors too.

No recommendation of companies though. I do my own with my little compressor, but I have the low-flow small diameter stuff.

[The Cosworth]

You can rent those huge compressors too.

No recommendation of companies though. I do my own with my little compressor, but I have the low-flow small diameter stuff.

Interesting, just like through United or something? Yeah I usually do it with my little one, but the CFM rate of the motor has me cracking the zone..... letting the tank discharge..... closing zone.... waiting to rebuild pressure. Repeat. It takes me a couple hours. My one zone is stupid big and when most of the water is out I feel like the last little nozzle barely getting anything.

Yeah

Im the opposite. I used to get mine done. It was around 75$ if I remember correctly. Now I just do it myself with a 30Gal compressor. Go out and buy a 60gal it will pay for itself in a couple years.

Aren't ones that big like $800 - $1000? Kind of hard to spend that when I already have a 20 gallon which does almost everything else. Does your 30 gallon keep up with it or do you have to let it build pressure back up? I think it might be the motor size, but looking online it seems like most of the CFM's are roughly the same without spending some real coin.

[Tik-Tok]

You can borrow my 60g 8.6CFM one if you want. You'd have to come to Calgary to get it though.

[Buster]

Raintech

[The Cosworth]

Whoops, just realized my phone is logged into my other account.... I gotta delete that thing.


Raintech

Thanks I'll give em a call for pricing.


You can borrow my 60g 8.6CFM one if you want. You'd have to come to Calgary to get it though.

I might just do that. I don't mind coming to get it. I have a truck too. PM'd

[Buster]

For some reason irrigation work is relatively cheap

[redline]

Raintech
+1 they have done mine for years

[R-Audi]

Im with Raintech as well, I booked my blowout/winterization last week. I think Im paying $95.

[msommers]

Regency Irrigation without a doubt

[phreezee]

Just bought all the parts to make a ball valve attachment to hookup to the compressor for about $30 at Home Depot. Gotta wait for a double digit high day and get it done.

[The Cosworth]

Just bought all the parts to make a ball valve attachment to hookup to the compressor for about $30 at Home Depot. Gotta wait for a double digit high day and get it done.

How big of a compressor do you have? That's the biggest issue I ran into. Couldn't get enough pressure when the water was almost non-existent in the system.

[ExtraSlow]

How big of a compressor do you have? That's the biggest issue I ran into. Couldn't get enough pressure when the water was almost non-existent in the system.

It's not pressure exactly, but volume that does the work. A bigger tank or secondary tank can help. I have a carry tank that I put in series to allow extra storage, and that's effective.

[The Cosworth]

hmmm, my bro-in-law has one of those portable tanks. I wonder if I should give that a try this year instead. Or even just buy one.

[goldfish168]

I hook up just a 5.5 gallon compressor set to 50 psi. The compressor fires up after about 45 seconds depending on how big the zone is and the tank completely drains after about 75 seconds. I turn on a zone for only 1 minute at time. Although my compressor only takes about 90 seconds to fill the tank back up, I wait around 5 mins per run so that the compressor has a chance to cool off and not constantly running. I do at least 3-4 runs per zone to ensure all the water is out. Pretty simple to do since I have a wifi sprinkler controller, I can walk away and watch tv after hooking up the compressor.

I did this last year before the installers came out with their massive towed compressor and it didn't get out any water out so I know my method works. Definitely worth doing yourself, not just for the cost savings but being able to do it whenever you want like right before a snow fall. I blew mine out last week before the snow, if it warms up again I might turn the sprinklers back on for the flower beds if things warm back up since blowing it out again is no big deal.

[kenny]

For anyone that wants to DIY:

I picked up an adapter from this website last year instead of hunting for the pieces at home depot:
https://lawn-aerator-attachment.com/air_compressor_to_garden_hose_adapter.html

Super cheap at $5 for the basic adapter or $21 if you want an on/off valve.

[The Cosworth]

I did this last year before the installers came out with their massive towed compressor and it didn't get out any water out so I know my method works. Definitely worth doing yourself, not just for the cost savings but being able to do it whenever you want like right before a snow fall. I blew mine out last week before the snow, if it warms up again I might turn the sprinklers back on for the flower beds if things warm back up since blowing it out again is no big deal.

Good to know yours worked. I decided on doing mine again this year. I also bought an 11 gallon pig. I feel like 140% more air for the same time frame is going to do me some good on that big zone. My tank right now is 4 gallon and the motor just can't keep up with it.

[TYMSMNY]

so how many gallon or gph? would one recommend to safely blow out one zone at a time.

[The Cosworth]

Edit: NM thought you were asking about pressure. Not sure on GPH, but lots.


I read somewhere that 40PSI is either a max or waterline pressure or something. So I usually use 40 PSI for both my irrigation and trailer.

[goldfish168]

so how many gallon or gph? would one recommend to safely blow out one zone at a time.

I think that would be specific to your setup depending on how many sprinkler heads you have and length of pipe.

[phreezee]

How big of a compressor do you have? That's the biggest issue I ran into. Couldn't get enough pressure when the water was almost non-existent in the system.

I've got a 20G compressor. Just saw a neighbor getting his professionally done with what looked to be a 15G compressor.


Air pressure must not exceed 50 pounds per square inch (psi) for systems with polyethylene piping, and 80 psi for systems with PVC piping.

Edit: just finished the job. 4 zones, about 1m30s each zone at 40psi. Compressor turned on once.

[The Cosworth]

I've got a 20G compressor. Just saw a neighbor getting his professionally done with what looked to be a 15G compressor.



Edit: just finished the job. 4 zones, about 1m30s each zone at 40psi. Compressor turned on once.

Yeah I finished mine with a new 11 gallon pig. My compressor is still shit (1.5hp, think it is really only about 1.1hp). Going to buy a miketa 3hp with 5 gallon tank and should be good.