When and How to Winterize Your Sprinkler System in Salt Lake City

Salt Lake winters are hard on sprinkler systems. Any water left in the lines can freeze, expand and crack pipes, fittings, valves and the backflow preventer — and you won’t find out until you turn the system back on in spring.

Winterizing (often called a sprinkler blowout) clears that water out before it can do damage.

When to winterize in Salt Lake City

The goal is to finish before the first hard freeze — several hours below about 28°F. In the Salt Lake Valley that usually means scheduling your blowout in October or early November. Bench neighborhoods like Cottonwood Heights often freeze earlier than the valley floor, so plan toward the front of that window there.

A few cold mornings in the low 30s generally won’t hurt buried lines, but don’t push your luck. Once the forecast starts showing nights in the 20s, it’s time.

What a blowout involves

1. Shut off the water to the irrigation system at the main valve.
2. Turn off the controller or set it to “rain/off” mode.
3. Connect a compressor and push air through each zone, one at a time, until only mist comes out of the heads.
4. Protect the backflow preventer — drain it, leave the valves at the correct angle, and insulate it if it’s exposed.

The air pressure matters. Too little leaves water behind; too much can damage heads and fittings. That’s why most homeowners hire it out rather than renting a compressor.

Signs your system didn’t winterize properly last year

• Geysers or soggy spots when you start up in spring
• A zone that won’t turn on or won’t shut off
• A cracked or leaking backflow preventer
• Low pressure across the whole system

Any of these usually means a freeze break. They’re fixable, and spring is a good time to have the whole system checked over at the same time.

Spring start-up

When the risk of hard freezes has passed, turning the system back on slowly — and walking each zone to check for broken heads and leaks — saves water and money all summer.

Need your sprinklers winterized or repaired? Hernandez Landscaping handles sprinkler repairs and irrigation across the Greater Salt Lake City Area.