Sprinkler Blowout and Winterization Albuquerque

When should you blow out a sprinkler system in Albuquerque?

Book it in the first two weeks of October, and have it done before the third week.

The National Weather Service Albuquerque office publishes average first-freeze dates for each part of the metro, measured over the 1991 to 2020 period. They are not the same date, and that surprises most people:

Averages from the National Weather Service, 1991 to 2020. The earliest freeze ever recorded in Corrales was September 18. An average is not a promise, which is why every date in the last column is at least a week early.

Why does the NE Heights freeze before the airport?

Elevation, and it is a two week difference.

The Albuquerque Foothills station sits at 6,270 feet. The Sunport sits at 5,310 feet. Nearly a thousand feet of elevation separates them, and the Foothills reach freezing about eleven days earlier on average. Corrales, at 5,026 feet, sits in the river bottom where cold air pools overnight, so it freezes earlier still.

If you live in the Northeast Heights, Sandia Heights, Tanoan, Academy or Corrales, the airport forecast is not your forecast. Your system needs to be clear sooner than a system in the middle of the city.

What actually happens during a sprinkler blowout?

Compressed air is pushed through the mainline one zone at a time until every head runs dry.

The order matters. A technician shuts the water off at the main, connects a compressor at the blowout port or the backflow assembly, then opens one zone at a time and runs air through it until the heads stop throwing mist. Working one zone at a time keeps the air volume concentrated so the far end of each line actually clears. Running two zones at once splits the air and leaves water sitting in the low spots.

After the zones are clear, the backflow preventer, the valve bodies and any above-ground piping get drained and left open so nothing can refill and freeze.

What air pressure is safe for a blowout?

Never more than 80 PSI on PVC pipe, and never more than 50 PSI on polyethylene pipe.

Those are the standard limits in the irrigation trade, and going past them is how systems get damaged during the service that was supposed to protect them. Too much pressure blows seals out of valves, cracks fittings and can send a sprinkler head out of the ground.

Volume is what clears a line, not pressure. A compressor that moves enough cubic feet per minute at a safe pressure will empty a zone. A small pancake compressor from a hardware store moves too little air, so people compensate by turning the pressure up, and that is where the damage starts.

Can you just drain the system instead of blowing it out?

Only if the system was built with manual or automatic drain valves at every low point, and most Albuquerque systems were not.

Draining relies on gravity. It works when a system has drain valves placed at the bottom of every run. Without them, water stays in the flat sections and the low spots no matter how long you leave the valves open. A blowout does not care about the slope of the pipe, which is why it is the method used here.

One thing every method needs: a shut off valve for the sprinkler system. It is the valve that stops water going to the sprinklers while the house keeps its water. Without one we cannot shut the system down to winterize it. We have shown up to jobs that had no shut off valve, and the first step became installing one. If you are not sure your system has one, tell us when you book and we will check.

What breaks when a system is not winterized?

The backflow preventer usually goes first, and it is the most expensive part above ground.

Water expands about nine percent when it freezes, and it expands with enough force to split brass and crack PVC. In the order things typically fail:

• The backflow preventer. It sits above ground, it holds water, and it is exposed to the air temperature all night.
• Valve bodies and solenoids. A cracked valve body leaks underground, so you often do not find it until spring startup.
• Sprinkler heads and risers. Trapped water splits the head body or the riser below it.
• Mainline fittings. The most expensive failure, because it means digging.

A blowout is a scheduled morning. A spring sprinkler repair after a hard freeze is a dig, a permit check for utility locates, and a lawn that stays brown while it gets sorted out.

Do you winterize drip lines too?

Yes, and drip needs a different touch than spray zones.

Drip zones run through a filter and a pressure regulator that both hold water. Both get drained. The emitter tubing itself is small and flexible, so it is cleared at low pressure, well under the 50 PSI polyethylene limit, and the filter screen gets pulled and cleaned while it is open. Skipping the filter is the common mistake, because a full filter body will crack the same way a backflow preventer does.

What does a sprinkler blowout cost in Albuquerque?

$149 for standard systems up to 6 zones. Larger systems are quoted before we start.

What changes the price:

• How many zones the system runs.
• Whether there is a proper blowout port, or whether the backflow assembly has to be broken down to connect.
• Whether drip zones, a booster pump or a well are part of the system.
• Whether anything is already leaking and needs to be addressed before winter.

Call (505) 554-9554 and we will give you the number for your property before we schedule.

Do you turn the system back on in spring?

Yes. Spring startups run from late March into early April, and the same crew that blew the system out is the crew that turns it back on.

A startup is the reverse of a blowout. The water goes back on slowly so nothing gets hammered, every zone gets run and watched, heads get straightened and adjusted, the controller gets set for the season, and anything the winter cracked gets found in the yard instead of in the water bill. If you book the blowout now, ask to go on the spring list at the same time and you will not have to remember it in March.

Request a blowout

Send us a request and we will call you back to set the day. Or call (505) 554-9554 and we will set the day with you on the phone in about a minute.

We get back to you as soon as we can to set your blowout. Put your neighborhood in the notes so we can group nearby stops.

What areas do you cover for winterization?

Albuquerque, Rio Rancho and Corrales.

That includes the Northeast Heights, Academy, North Valley, Los Ranchos, Sandia Heights, Tanoan, Ventana Ranch, and the Corrales and Rio Rancho properties on well and ditch systems. Higher and colder neighborhoods get scheduled first, because their freeze arrives first.

Who does the work?

Lannen’s Lawn & Sprinkler, LLC. owned by Todd and Nichole Lannen, husband and wife. Todd is a veteran, working under New Mexico contractor license 410548. The company holds 169 Google reviews at 4.8 stars and carries a five year warranty on valve repairs.

To book an Albuquerque, Rio Rancho or Corrales sprinkler blowout, call (505) 554-9554.

Want to understand the process first? Read our DIY guide to winterizing a sprinkler system.

Sources

• Freeze dates: National Weather Service, Albuquerque Forecast Office, Fall Freeze Table, 1991 to 2020 normals.
• Watering rules and rebates: Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority.