By Brad Haire
University of Georgia

Freezing temperatures will likely hit north Georgia later this
month and begin to creep down to south Georgia in November.
It’s time to think about properly winterizing outdoor pipes and
lawn sprinklers. A few precautions now can save a lot of time,
money and headaches later.

Freezing temperatures can cause the water in an exposed pipe to
expand. If the water expands too much, the pipe bursts.

“With home irrigation systems, you probably wouldn’t know you
had any pipe damage until you turned it on for the first spring
watering,” said Kerry Harrison, a University of Georgia
Cooperative Extension irrigation specialist.

Most in-ground sprinkler pipes will be OK. Only the top 2
inches of the ground will freeze in most of Georgia. Pipes
should be well below this level. Other irrigation components,
such as backflow-prevention valves, are at ground level,
though, and could be in danger.

If any exposed valves or pipes are around your home, tape them
up or “use a good old sack to wrap them,” Harrison said. Home-
improvement stores have many tapes, foams and gadgets to keep
these pipes warm on cold, winter nights.

The tips of sprinkler heads can hold water. When frozen, they
can rupture. The whole sprinkler system holds water, too, even
when it isn’t being used. Don’t forget to drain the system,
Harrison said. If you don’t drain it properly in the winter,
your sprinkler could be a geyser when you turn it on next
spring.

“Arrangements should have been made in the installation process
to have a way to drain those lines that would hold water
through a buried valve in a pit,” he said.

If you bought a home with an installed irrigation system, find
this drain valve. Some systems are equipped with automatic
drain valves.

Don’t forget about outside water hoses. Just do one of two
things:

* Leave the hoses hanging outside. But disconnect them from
faucets.

* Disconnect, drain and store hoses someplace with a constant
temperature. This will prolong the life of the hoses.

If you leave hoses undrained outside in the winter, don’t move
them or touch them in freezing weather. Frozen hoses are
fragile. You could be the one to break them.

Private water users and rural residents with wells should check
out their main water pump. Usually a quarter-inch pipe connects
to the pressure switch. If it’s metal, it likely won’t freeze.
But if it’s plastic, it might freeze and burst. This could
cause the water pump to fail or continue to run and cause some
major winter repairs.

If all these precautions fail and a pipe bursts anyway, there’s
still one thing to remember: “Know where your main water cutoff
is,” Harrison said.

To find out more about historical weather data in your area, go
to the Web site, www.georgiaweather.net.