Winterize Your Sprinkler System in North Texas
Winterize your sprinkler system before the North Texas freeze, not after it. Lone Star Irrigation insulates the backflow, drains exposed pipe and sets the freeze sensor.
Do you need to winterize a sprinkler system in DFW?
North Texas is a marginal freeze market. Most winters your system would be fine on its own, which is exactly why it gets ignored, right up until the Arctic front that sits below freezing for two or three days and cracks backflow bells across the metroplex in one night. The backflow preventer sits above ground, holds water, and splits first, and it is one of the most expensive routine parts on the whole system. So winterizing here skips the full compressor blowout northern states need and protects the parts that freeze: insulating the backflow, draining what sits exposed, and setting the controller so nothing runs into a freeze.
- ★Backflow insulated, the above-ground part that cracks first and costs the most to replace.
- ★Exposed pipe and risers drained where they hold water above grade.
- ★Controller set for winter, with your city’s watering rules in mind, and the rain/freeze sensor confirmed working.
- ★Checked back over in spring, so the first run of the season does not find a leak the hard way.
Sprinkler freeze damage and repairs
A cracked backflow bell
Water spraying or weeping from the brass assembly by the house when the system starts. The most common freeze repair in DFW.
Split risers and fittings
Copper or PVC that split above grade. Often only shows up when the system is turned back on.
Water running with everything off
A meter that keeps moving or a soggy patch after a freeze usually means a break underground. We isolate it and fix it.
Freeze damage is repaired like any other sprinkler repair: diagnosed on site, quoted in writing before the work starts, and covered by our 1-year warranty on repairs.
Rain and freeze sensor installation
A rain and freeze sensor shuts the system off when it is wet or below freezing, so a timer never sprays a sheet of ice across the driveway or runs water into a pipe that is about to freeze. We install, replace and test them, so you know the sensor works.
Sprinkler winterization questions
Do you even need to winterize a sprinkler system in North Texas?
Not the way northern states do. DFW rarely stays frozen long enough to freeze underground lines, but a two- or three-day hard freeze will crack an exposed backflow preventer. Insulating the backflow, draining exposed pipe and setting the controller is cheap insurance against the most expensive routine repair on the system.
When should I winterize my sprinkler system?
Before the first hard freeze, which in North Texas usually means November. Searches and emergency calls peak in January, after the damage is done, so getting ahead of it is what saves the backflow.
How do I winterize a sprinkler system with a backflow preventer?
Insulate the backflow with a fitted cover or wrap, drain the water held in the assembly and any exposed pipe, and set the controller so no zone runs during a freeze. If you are not sure which valves to close, have a licensed irrigator do it once and show you.
Can I winterize without a blowout?
In DFW, usually yes. A compressor blowout is built for climates where the ground freezes for weeks. Here, protecting the above-ground parts and keeping the system off through a freeze covers the risk.
How much does sprinkler winterization cost?
It depends on the system and what needs protecting, so we quote it on site, in writing, before any work begins. Members of the sprinkler maintenance plan get freeze prep scheduled ahead of the rush.
How do I de-winterize in spring?
Remove the insulation, slowly restore water to the backflow, then run each zone and check for leaks, broken heads and pressure loss before the watering season starts. A spring start-up sprinkler system inspection does all of that and resets the controller to your city’s current watering days.
Protect the backflow
before the cold snap does.
Upfront quote · 1-year warranty · Saturdays included