Sprinkler Blowout & Winterization in Moore and Norman, Oklahoma

What a Proper Blowout Involves

A real winterization is more than opening a valve and hoping for the best. Done right, each zone is run separately with an air compressor sized for the job, at a pressure that clears the lines without shredding gears inside the heads.

• Shutting off the water supply to the irrigation system at the source
• Connecting a commercial-grade air compressor to the blowout port
• Activating each zone one at a time until only air mist exits the heads
• Cycling zones a second time to catch low spots that hold water
• Leaving the backflow preventer valves set to protect it over winter

Why the Backflow Device Is the Big Risk

The backflow preventer — usually the brass assembly near your house or meter — is the most exposed part of the system and the most expensive to replace. It holds standing water year-round unless it's drained, and a single hard freeze can split its housing.

Beyond the part itself, a cracked backflow can leak unnoticed for weeks, waste water, and in some cases send a repair bill well past what the blowout would have cost. We drain and set it properly as part of every winterization.

Timing It Right in Central Oklahoma

The first killing freeze in the Moore and Norman area typically lands somewhere between late October and early December — and it has shown up early before. We generally recommend scheduling your blowout after your last regular mowing of the season, once you've stopped watering for the year.

If you have new sod, recent seeding, or fall plantings that still need water, tell us. We can hold the winterization until the establishment watering is done so you're not choosing between frozen lines and a dry lawn.

Spring Start-Up Too

Winterization and spring start-up go hand in hand. In the spring we turn the water back on slowly, check every zone for damage the winter caused, straighten or replace heads the mower clipped, and set your controller for the season.

Many customers book both at the same time — one less thing to remember, and if anything did crack over winter we catch it in March instead of discovering it as a brown stripe in July.

Do You Even Need It?

If your system was installed with drain valves at every low point, gravity alone may clear most of the water — but most yards don't have a perfect slope, and even a small pocket of water in a shallow line can split PVC during a cold snap. Blowouts are cheap insurance either way.

If you're not sure whether your system has drains or where its shutoff is, we can walk you through it during the visit and label everything so next year is easy.

Common Questions