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Bob F · 16-02-2010, 02:01 AM posted to alt.home.lawn.garden

wrote:
On Jan 31, 5:22 pm, "Bob F" wrote:
wrote:
On Jan 25, 6:01 pm, "Bob F" wrote:
Chris Tidio wrote:
On Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:30:27 -0500, Pointer
wrote:

Chris Tidio wrote:
Tired of paying to have the sprinkler lines blown out every
winter, but I also don't want to have to replace lines and
sprinkler heads in the spring :-)

I am wondering if I could buy one of those 150 psi "Husky"
compressors from Home Depot and do it myself. Is that doable?
And if so, where would I get the adapters to connect the
compressor tube to the outside check-valve? Any ideas?

Thanks for any advise or any "alternate" ideas anyone might
have.

Chris
I purchased a compressor about 10/12 years ago for this purpose
and it has been a successful investment. I presently shut off
gate valve feeding the outside water line for the sprinkler
system and two hose valves, connect the compressor air line to
one of the hose lines and fire away at about 45 psi. The air
line connection to the hose bib is via the female end of a
washing machine hose connected to an air line coupling fitting
secured by a hose clamp.

Well, I should have asked the *right* questions, I guess :-)

I went to Home Depot and got a compressor. 155 psi, 3 gallons. I
got the appropriate couplers, and run home to blow out the lines.
Turned the water to the spronkler off and connected the compressor
to one of the check valve inlets. I turned the first zone of the
sprinkler valves on and started my new toy... The first zone, has
three sprinkler heads, with about 35 feet of pipe to each head. A
little bit of water came out of the first two sprinkler heads and
then the pressure of the compresson dropped and no more water. Run
back to home Depot, and talked to the guy in hardware (Seemed
knowledgeable). Well he says, with such long rung and multiple
sprinkler heads, you need a lot more that a 3 gallon compressor. I
returned the small compressor and got a 6 gallon one. Went back
home and tried again. I had a bit better luck this time, but still
was not able to blow out some of the longer runs.

I just properly designed my system to slope consistantly, with
automatic drain valves at the low spots. I've never had to blow it
out. Maybe this doesn't work in way colder areas?- Hide quoted
text -

- Show quoted text -

I don't know about the cold factor, but to be self draining it would
seem to require a uniformly sloping area. If you have areas that are
basicly flat, then what? Here in NJ the sprinkler trucks are all
very busy pulling around rented air compressors every Fall. However
part of that could be that not designing them to be self-draining,
even when easy to do, means more $$ in their pockets to blow them
out every year.

You just dig the ditch to slope slightly one way of the other, and
install drain valves appropriately. If you have to, an extra drain
valve in a line doesn't hurt.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Around here, almost all the systems are installed by pulling the pipe
using a machine that does that instead of actually digging a ditch.
It's less work, nothing to fill in, less mess, etc. But that means
you can't change the depth gradually along the way. And depending on
where the soil is more compacted, roots, etc, that the pipe might wind
up buried 7" in one spot, 3" in another spot along the same run.

Do it yourself = do it right. That's why I don't pay people to do things like
that. I did hire a guy to dig ditches for some of it, with me supervising.